2.5 stars

I think I'm done with Jennifer E. Smith. I've read four or five of her books and only enjoyed one of them, and I think that was more because of the quirkiness of the story rather than the writing or even the characters.

TIWHLL was just not great. It wasn't offensive in any way that I can think of, but it wasn't something I will even remember a couple of days from now. It was predictable, trope-filled, and boring. It was also at least 100 pages too long when you consider what actually happens in this book, which is a whole lot of not much.

What I liked:

1. The setting. I don't know that I've read many books set in Maine. I also liked that this took place during summer and specifically around the fourth of July.

2. The initial concept of two people meeting through email by accident and then hitting it off. I actually thought I was going to like this based on the first 20 pages, which was filled with their correspondence.

What I didn't like:

1. The characters were flat. Graham and Ellie never intrigued me, whether together or separate. I just didn't find them interesting at all.

2. The romance was too insta-lovey for me. I get that they've been trading emails back and forth for awhile, but the whole idea that he would orchestrate a meeting with her by getting his movie to shoot in her little small town without talking to her about it first is a little much. And when they finally meet, after a misunderstanding that ends up being pointless, they are immediately smitten. He is only there a few weeks,

and for most of that time they don't even talk or spend any time together because she's afraid of the paparazzi

and she talks about how much it's going to hurt when he leaves and blah, blah, blah.

3. Speaking of the misunderstanding,

it was a stupid plot point that only existed to drive a wedge between Ellie and her supposed bestie. It took about five minutes for Graham to realize his error and then he ditches Quinn to track down Ellie, which was actually kind of shitty. That being said, I didn't buy that Quinn would be so angry about the emails that she would start ignoring Ellie. After all, it's not like Ellie knew that she was emailing a movie star. She was emailing someone anonymous, and Quinn acts as though it's some huge betrayal. It's just not authentic. So then Quinn disappears for the entirety of the novel until she up and forgives Ellie right at the end. Pretty convenient, huh?

4. The 'big reveal' was really lame.

So Ellie's father is a senator who got into a relationship with Ellie's mother when he was already married. So yeah, he's a real winner. Anyway, Ellie's mother refused to take any money from him (sorry, but that's dumb) and eventually ran off with Ellie, changing both their names so Ellie wouldn't be in the news...or something. I felt like the reveal wasn't as shocking as the author seemed to think it would be. And honestly, the characters' actions and reactions seem blown out of proportion to me. Before we're told what the big secret is, it's made out like it something really big, something that would justify running away and changing your freaking name. But when it actually comes out, it's just not that big a deal. Even when it's thrown into the news people just kind of shrug it off. So why all the cloak and dagger stuff?! Also, they spend all this time setting up this trip that Ellie and Graham take to meet her father and then nothing ever comes of it.

5. This book was way too long. The first couple of Jennifer E. Smith books I read were pretty short. Recently I read Windfall and now this book, both of which are over 400 pages, and neither of which needed to be. Scenes are dragged out far too long, and they are boring. Almost nothing actually happens in this book.

The trip to meet Ellie's father is the only real action of the story, and even that becomes convoluted when they run out of gas, get stopped by the coast guard, find out their gas guage is defective, and then hop on a bus to get to where her father is just to turn around and come back...zzzzzzz.

6. So. Many. Tropes. The writing in this book is just so mediocre. And the tropes. Oh my goodness, the tropes.
- Fish out of water story where one character ends up in a small town that he/she is not at
all familiar with. There, he/she meets a local and love ensues.
- Love interest has a Super Secret Secret that keeps him/her from being open with other
love interest.
- Drama is manufactured in order to drive a wedge between supposed *best* friends.
- Famous person falls in love with the girl next door.
Now, tropes have their place. And I believe that almost any trope can work if the writing is great. Unfortunately, that does not apply to this story.

7. There is no plot. None. Now, if this story had amazing character development, I would forgive this. But it doesn't.

Like I said earlier, I think this is my last Jennifer E. Smith book. She is just not for me, and that's okay.