This was a book club read ... just okay for me. I listened to the audio and put off my review, thinking I'd re-read in prep for discussion ... but I don't know that I really want to spend that much more time with it. We'll see how the book club goes (still a couple weeks away). sometimes that can help me appreciate a book more.

The whole book just felt a little disjointed ... the title didn't really come into play much. Most of it is 3rd person/past tense, jumping around in time a little. Instead of distinct dates, it was "45 days until closing ..."  "6 days until close ..." "4 days after stopping the sale ..." and I guess those work, but the prologue didn't have anything listed, so I didn't know "when" it was (although you can end up figuring it out). The chapter headers were not listed on the table of contents ... I guess in some small way, they could sort of be seen as a spoiler?  These chapters (3rd person/past tense) would shift focus between a few characters ... pretty much Thom, Bree and Laney. Ironically as Irma was a main character, I can't recall really being in her head. There was Elliot (but not in the chapters, he was in the in-between)...

Before the chapters start up, there is a Forward and a Prologue ... then inserted between chapters there as some "Book Hater's Book Club Newsletter" text, and a "Commercial Break"  (1st person). Supposed to be cute and clever, but it rather rubbed me the wrong way.  I don't like it when people I don't know call me "darling" and beyond that, it was just over the top. Talking TO the reader (both the newsletter and the breaks). 

Just some generalized thoughts ... I really didn't like Irma. Why couldn't she just be truthful and tell everyone what the situation was?  I felt really sorry for Bree, who (adopted) thought she was a little more family than she was treated (left out of the loop, let's bring in Laney, the "real" daughter even though Bree has worked at the bookstore every day while Laney has moved away). 

There are some Author's Notes (not listed that way in the TOC, they are the "One Last Thing ..." where she gives a little background and tells where she got the titles of the books that were recommended in the Newsletter. In a small way, the "title dropping" reminded me of the book The Reading List (which I liked a lot more than this one). Titles mentioned were: Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, The Cape Ann by Faith Sullivan, The Friend by Sigrid Nunez, Crossing the Line by Kareem Rosser, The Garden of Small Beginnings by Abbi Waxman, Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, Healing After Loss by Martha Whitmore Hickman, The Awakened Woman by Dr. Tererai Trent. A Man Called Ove and Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrick Backman were also mentioned (love both of those).

Clean - no proFanity, slightest mentions of sex, gay characters (lovable Thom and Elliot)