Sugaring Off by Gillian French

 

I recently read THE LIES THEY TELL with a friend, and while it did some things really well-- bratty believably grumpy heroine, class disparity, small town dynamics, suspense-- there were things it did less well. Heroine didn't really feel like a well-rounded person, some plot points didn't really go anywhere or felt unexplored, the romance and sexual tension could have been better done. But I liked the author's writing enough that I was really eager to see what she did next, which was why I was so excited when I got a copy of SUGARING OFF.

In some ways, this definitely feels like a more mature work than TLTT. Owl, the heroine, has hobbies. She likes to watch animals in the woods and she helps her uncle make maple syrup. I feel like the setting for this book was just as good as the previous. It's also set in New England, but in a rural forested mountain area instead of a seaside town. The heroine's relationships with her frenemy, Aida, her male friend, Griffin, and her maybe-love interest, Cody, were all handled pretty deftly and with nuance. There was an emotional component here that hit a lot deeper than TTLT.

That said, I wish that this book had more of a mystery element. The syrup making was obviously well-researched but didn't really factor into the plot all that much and sometimes these scenes dragged. I also hated Cody. I thought he was a jerk (and he didn't really prove me wrong). Like the heroine in TTLT, Owl was difficult to like, although once you learn a little more about her backstory, it becomes a little more understandable why she's so prickly. The author also has this odd style of writing in SUGARING which makes the narrative feel odd. I don't know how to explain it, except to say that it's heavy in sentence fragments and seems to be channeling a sort of stream of consciousness lite at times.

I'll still read more from this author but this one still didn't quite hit the mark with me.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review!

2.5 to 3 out of 5 stars