Review: Out of the Blue

Title: Out of the Blue
Author: Lisa Maliga
Publication Date: September 12, 2012
Source: ABG Reads Book Tours
Summary (from Goodreads)
Sylvia Gardner is a naïve cashier who lives with her mother in Richport, Illinois. Upset with being dumped by her first boyfriend; she later falls in love with an English actor after watching him on a TV show. For two years she researches Alexander Thorpe's life and career, saving her money to travel to his Cotswolds village, intent on meeting him. Staying in the village's only hotel, she gets room and board in exchange for working at the Windrush Arms Hotel. Complications ensue when the drunken proprietor, Harry Livingstone, takes a fancy to Sylvia. As in her fantasies, Sylvia and Alexander get together—but with unexpected results.

(Thanks to the author and ABG Reads Book Tours for the giveaway today. Info is at the bottom of review. And don`t forget to check out my interview with the author.)

I finished this book a couple of days ago and I’m still somewhat confused on how I feel about it. It was a very quick read—I finished it in two hours, and the writing itself was good. I guess my problem lies within the plot. I just felt like something was missing.

From reading the summary, I expected there would be some trouble between the characters. Maybe something dark considering how Harry’s attraction to Sylvia is mentioned. But there really wasn’t any story there. Sure he had dirty old man thoughts, but he never tried anything with her. He was pretty harmless as “bad guys” go.

I also expected it to be a love story about Sylvia and Alexander, but there was so little interaction between the two of them that it wasn’t really a story about them at all. I was incredibly disappointed by that. I felt the author spent more time telling us about Sylvia’s past and jumping from time frame to time frame that she forget to tell the story of our hero and heroine. Because really, a handful of encounters between these “star crossed lovers”, most of which they only spoke a sentence or two to each other, is not enough for me.

I like the idea of the story, I really do—even if Sylvia’s actions scream “stalker!” I understand the direction the author took the book and why she did it, and I even like the twist and that she didn’t make everything perfect between Sylvia and Alexander, but I really think it would have made the ending even better if there had been more between the two main characters. I just didn’t feel like there was chemistry between them, mainly because we weren’t given enough time with them.

But still, the author did put a lot of detail into Sylvia’s past and present and made a story there. So, while I’m disappointed there wasn’t more between Alex and her, I didn’t feel like the book was a total let down. I enjoyed learning about Sylvia, I just feel the summary misleads the reader about what to expect. 

Two winners will win an ebook copy of Out Of The Blue, and the first place winner also has their choice of one of the following. Simply comment on this post with your name and contact information. Winners will be announced November 19.

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Love Me, Need Me: A Narcissist's Tale
North of Sunset
Notes from Nadir
Satan's Casting Call
South of Sunset
The Wilkes House Haunting

Nonfiction: 12 Easy Melt and Pour Soap Recipes
Monoi de Tahiti: Spa in a Bottle
Nuts About Shea Butter
Squirrels in the Hood

Buy Links:

Buy the Amazon Kindle version: Out of the Blue
Buy the Amazon UK Kindle version: Out of the Blue
Buy the Barnes & Noble Nook version: Out of the Blue
Buy the Barnes & Noble Nook UK version: Out of the Blue
Buy the Kobo version: Out of the Blue
Buy the Smashwords version: Out of the Blue