The Monthly Spotlight: An Indie Review Group discussion

Happy (almost) end of July! I hope you all had a great month. This thread is to discuss our final thoughts on Waiting for Saturday after reading. Let the spoilers fly! There were quite a few varying thoughts on the first half and I'm excited for the conversation here! I'll start with some of my initial thoughts:

With the almost whimsical, albeit with gaslighting/abuse and the infidelity not to be ignored, beginning, I was expecting this book to end with Abi saying she's had enough of Kevin and jump straight into Henry as it fades to black letting us dream of the happily ever after. But we didn't get that. Instead Morrison dived into the uncomfortable world of English divorce proceedings. At that point I was genuinely wondering if we would get the happily ever after that so many romance books end on, which I thought was a nice change of pace. We got a little more realism and more growth from Abi that other books wouldn't have given us. I am a sucker for the happily ever after, so I am a fan of the ending even though it did feel a bit rushed.

I do wish we got more background/depth on the surrounding characters that aren't our main couple. The kids, Abi's sister, the best friend/new father-in-law to his child, ex-wife, and even Kevin all seem to exist only within what they can do for Abi and Henry. But, overall, I was a fan of the romance story between Abi/Henry even though it was not perfect. It was messy and complicated as I think most relationships are.

I’ve just finished! I found this second half far more engaging to read. I think because the infidelity storyline fell away (which was always going to be a tough one for me to get behind) and we begin to see a much deeper and more believable characterisation of an abusive husband and the wife subject to his abuse. I felt genuinely sorry for Abi and truly empathised with her struggle. The rescue by Henry and subsequent Happy Ever After was a little ‘whirlwind’ and ‘fairy tale’ for my personal taste, but I think it was in keeping with the length and style of the story. I found the procedural details pretty interesting and liked that the difficulties of Abi’s divorce weren’t glossed over. An enjoyable read outside of my normal taste. Thanks for the recommendation, Robert!

I just finished my first ever light romance…

Would I have picked this off an airport departure lounge bookshop shelf on my way to my two weeks R&R by the pool if it wasn’t ‘homework’ for the reading group? No. Did I labour through to the end with a sense of obligation to said group, rather than set it aside because it’s not my cup of tea (or sangria)? Certainly not - I enjoyed it, and it was no chore to complete.

At the half way point I wasn’t sure what it was going to be but I felt like it might tail off as a disappointing handsome prince saves the day story. I was half right - the happy ever after - but it was handled deftly. The story pivots on that moment of well-described viciousness, momentarily brutal; at that point it could go either way as a dark (and possibly quite grim) dive into coercive abuse or, as happens, run away from the beast toward a sunnier horizon. It does that, and does it well, keeping up a good pace with little dwelling on the detail of divorce and child access.

If I have a reservation it is that Kevin, a very good villain character as he finds his place in the story in the middle section, fades too quickly and easily from view in the final third. But overall I think Kevin is more or less obliged to give up so easily, otherwise this cannot be that poolside holiday read which it so perfectly represents.