(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When her aging, cantankerous uncle injures himself in a fall, Joanna Howes is drawn home to Martha's Vineyard to take care of him. She's anticipating a short visit, but as Henry's leg refuses to heal, Joanna fears she may be in town for the long haul. As her bank balance dwindles, the freelance journalist agrees to take a job writing for one of the two local newspapers. When it becomes obvious she won't be able to pay her bills on the part-time gig, she begins working for the rival paper as well. Publishing articles under two different names, she hopes to keep her separate identities ... separate. The more undercover she tries to delve, however, the more complicated her already messy life seems to get.
Things become even more chaotic when Joanna accepts a date with a handsome stranger only to realize he's at the center of a controversy that's got locals (including her Uncle Henry) hot and bothered. Joanna can't tell her uncle—or either of her editors-in-chief—that her objectivity is being more and more compromised with every minute she spends with Orion Smith. How can she keep the professional distance she needs in order to report fairly on Orion while she's falling so hopelessly in love with him? The last thing Joanna needs is more knots in her already tangled-up life, but that's what she's getting. Can she get herself sorted before she loses everything that's important to her?
On the Same Page, a romantic comedy by N.D. Galland, has a fun premise with lots of potential. Unfortunately, that potential just isn't realized. While I enjoyed learning about Martha's Vineyard's dual personality, that's about the only thing in this novel that intrigued me. For me, the story ran on and on, with so much extraneous detail that it felt
overly long and dull. In addition, I just didn't care for Joanna. Selfish and dishonest, she doesn't ever risk enough to cause enough tension and suspense to make her tale interesting. She doesn't grow as a character, which makes the novel feel unsatisfying. In the end, then, I didn't love this one. Bummer.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of On the Same Page from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
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Thursday, January 17th: From the TBR Pile
I love the beachy cover, it warms me up as it's 13 degrees outside this morning LOL Sounds like a good one for my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteThe cover is very serene, isn't it? Definitely gives off a warm, summery vibe.
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on this book for the tour.
ReplyDelete