She's Up to No Good - Sara Goodman Confino

Author: Sara Goodman Confino

Genre: Romance-Drama

Rating: 2 stars.

In a Nutshell: I am wondering if I read the same story as everyone else. Outlier opinion alert. This book did nothing for me. Flat characters, abrupt developments, dragged middle and rushed end.

Story Synopsis:

Thirty four year old Jenna is caught unawares when her husband asks her for a divorce. With her life going nowhere even after six months, she agrees to accompany her ninety year old grandmother Evelyn on a road trip to the seaside town where Evelyn had spent her younger years. On the way, Evelyn tells Jenna about her first love, Tony, but insists that the trip has nothing to do with him. The trip and their stay in the town turns out to be a cathartic experience as well as a catalyst revealing several forgotten secrets and family history.

The story is written in two timelines, alternating between Jenna’s first person narrative in the contemporary timeline and Evelyn’s third person perspective in the 1950s timeline.

Where the book worked for me:

😍 The historical timeline is much, much better than the contemporary timeline, though it too has some flaws. The story is a lot more interesting, and the situations, a lot more believable.

😍 Evelyn’s character in the historical timeline is very interesting. She isn’t the typical docile young adult who kowtows to her family’s wishes but is opinionated and strong-willed. She made for a refreshing historical heroine.

😍 There is a cute dog in the story. *shrug*

Where the book could have worked better for me:

😒 The story is so farfetched at times. Jenna reached the age of 35 without knowing a single thing about her relatives, and is learning everything within a few weeks. Evelyn has stayed silent for all these years and now suddenly wants to get everything out in the open. There are too many unbelievable coincidences and clichéd situations in the story.

😒 The plot drags a lot, simply because no one reveals any incident in its entirety. It comes to us in bits and pieces over a multitude of chapters. The ending, however, goes the exact opposite way, and fits in too much within a couple of chapters, just to tie everything together.

😒 The contemporary timeline is BORING and predictable. I simply skipped reading Jenna’s chapters towards the end and just read Evelyn’s timeline.

😒 There is a lot of foreshadowing but the revelations don’t necessarily come in chronological order but as and when the author felt like it. This killed whatever little interest I had in the plot.

😒 There is a big hoohah made over Evelyn’s reason for returning to her hometown, but the big reveal turned out to be a damp squib.

😒 The character development is quite random. As a result, even the relationships they enter into or exit from are abrupt, the only exception being Evelyn and Tony’s relationship. I rolled my eyes when one character says to another, “Do you really want a man who would marry someone else this quickly? You deserve someone who will worship you.” It was quite ironic considering the said character had done exactly the same thing – married someone almost immediately after the end of the earlier relationship. The whole idea was farcical. Every character felt flat and I couldn’t connect with a single one. The one who came closest to being likeable was Evelyn, but only in her historical timeline. In the contemporary timeline, she’s quite irritating as she hints at a hundred things and reveals nothing.

Maybe I just picked this up at the wrong time, or maybe it isn’t meant for readers such as me. You might enjoy this book if you read it with just your heart. Unfortunately for me, my head dominates the heart almost every time and it simply didn’t get the hype. Mine is an outlier review so make sure you read the other glowing reviews before you make up your mind about picking up this book.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “She's Up to No Good”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.