Latest Read: Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews
Publication date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Chick Lit
Source: Received from Tandem Literary (Thanks!)
Summary: A Savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn't believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them. But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all. (Adapted goodreads.com)

The good

I can't help but root for the underdog and in Save the Date, that's exactly who Cara Kryzik is. It seems like the world is conspiring against her. I mean awful ex-husband, floundering finances that require her to rely on an unsupportive father for help, a somewhat successful florist shop except the shop itself is falling apart thanks to a negligent landlord and then of course, a hot shot competitor shows up. Like I said, she's not having an easy time of it! But what Cara does have going for her is her natural talent. Her ability to create beautiful and unique floral arrangements for the multitude of brides who want to hire her. And that is what keeps her going in spite of the odds.

All around it's easy to root for Cara to succeed professionally and personally. The more people seemed to stand against her, the more I wanted her prove them wrong. She's extremely likable, has an eye for aesthetics (which, as a designer myself, appreciated about her!) and relatable. We all feel lost at times with our careers and she stuck to what she felt passionate about. That's not easy to do. Along the way, she meets a guy. Naturally. His name is Jack -- a gorgeous and talented contractor -- and their meet-cute was pretty funny. I loved their chemistry immediately and the gradual way came together as a couple. They don't just fall into bed. The author goes into detail showing us these tiny moments of two people falling for each other that I really liked. Such as holding hands for the first time or the naturalness of leaning over for their first kiss. Maybe I was just in the mood for some good old-fashioned romance but I was most interested in Cara and Jack (and their dogs who are important to the story!) more than anything else that was going on in the book.

(Some) reservations

This book is close to 500 pages and I very much felt how long it was. I think it could've been edited to half the length and it would've still had the same impact. Plus I think it would've pushed the book into the "really, really liked" category for me had it been shorter. It just got to a point where there was too much drama going on. Just reading about it tired me out. I mean is it really possible to have 5+ people out to get you and determined to see you fail at your job? There was just so much conflict and so many people I didn't like that it nearly overshadowed what I did like - Cara and Jack. Luckily it didn't but it was definitely a pain point for me as a reader.

Do I recommend?

I don't read chick lit that often so my expectations are a little different from the usual target audience but I enjoyed it! Especially the two main characters and their romance. But I'd personally prefer a little less drama. Still, it was fun read so if you like these types of books - I think you'll enjoy this!

Happy reading!

Save the Date is also available as an audiobook! Macmillan Audio was kind enough to send me a clip to share with you all: