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MEET ME IN CENTRAL PARK
Jo Bartlett
Boldwood Books
Publication Date: September 20th, 2023
213 Pages
Goodreads | Amazon
I have read some really good holiday books this summer unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. Imagine my surprise when I found out that this isn’t a new book but a re-issue of The Christmas Shop at Central Park.
I understand what this book was trying to say, Christmas isn’t a happy time for everyone. But I felt this book was really repetitive. I got so sick of hearing Libby whine about her dead parents. I mean I get it, dead parents is something to be sad about but she constantly reminded herself that they’re dead and she is to blame. It’s been two years for crying out loud.
Okay, don’t come at me because I also know that there is no timeframe for getting over a loss that big. I felt it when my grandmother died in 1988 and I still feel it 35 years later BUT I don’t whine about it constantly and feel sorry for myself. I didn’t have much empathy for Libby because she was a complainer and not a doer for the most part of this book. She just wallowed in her sadness and had a big pity party.
Libby constantly told herself she couldn’t be happy because her parents were dead and they couldn’t be happy. Would her parents be happy with her feeling that way? Would they want that? I also didn’t like that she needed a man to feel better or worthy. I don’t like the takeaway of this book, find a man and move away so you don’t have to think of what’s making you sad and that will solve all your problems. Ummm, NO!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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