I'll start by saying this was out of usual reading range. I'm a guy, and I generally prefer thrillers. But I also belong to a group that had expressed a lot of good things about this author's work. I'd already been exploring books outside my comfort range, and thought this was a good book to also try.
I'm glad I did. Though this book didn't change my reading preferences, it did present a lot of good surprises, and exposed me to a whole new viewpoint, that of a plus size woman worth more than she realized. And how she came to value herself more.
The story itself is sweet, clean, and young. Yet also very sexy, with early graphic episodes. But, not before some very playful fun flirting. With dialog that was catchy and contemporary, and stayed that way.
That alone, without maybe more specific exploration of Isabel's issues about her insecurities, wouldn't have gotten me to give this book 5 stars. It was the combination of the story well told (consistent in tone and purpose), with the writer's technique that moved this from a 4 to a 5.
First, returning to the idea of more exploration about the female lead's feelings, we are told about which "kinds" of boys had passed her up, or ignored her. And there were moments, like -
[Isabel] "'...I love you more than chocolate.'
"Drew smiled, 'That sounds pretty serious.'
"Isabel smiled, 'You have no idea.'"
Lots of little gems.
But again, for me, it was the author's use of section breaks that brought the story to life.
Using short narratives and frequent segment breaks (denoted by extra space between the narratives), the point of view (pov) changed and mirrored and contrasted the two main characters' view of what was happening. The interaction was convincing for me. I believed the two characters real involvement with each other.
The author also used segment breaks within one person's pov to signify moments, pauses, that meant something to one or both characters. It's a nice touch, like reading a cinematic camera change with a written narrative. I hadn't seen this before.
And the author was able to do these segment changes and pauses with the same smoothness and fluidity within segments.
It created a convincing atmosphere of a genteel sweetness that was also hip and young.
There's more, but this alone swayed me to a 5 star.
And yes, it was a fun read. (smiles)