The winner of the mystery book is Dulcie! Congrats! Check your email and I'll send it right out to you.
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Look, I sort of read Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell because it fulfilled a Pop Sugar Reading Challenge prompt (a book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title), but I also sort of read it because it's Rainbow Rowell. I mean, is there a better character in fiction than Cath in Fangirl? Is there a more perfect YA novel than Eleanor & Park? Rowell is an autoread author for me. I don't care what the book is about - I'm going to read it.
Cath is in the middle of a divorce from her husband, a cartoonist who rose to fame writing a strip based on their relationship. She goes out to a concert and reconnects with a man she had a crush on in high school. But then Tom comes back to get his stuff and he starts eating dinner with her and walking the dog. What's going to happen with this love triangle?
Spoiler alert
I'm a prude. I don't like that she runs into a guy and sleeps with him that same night. I would not have done that when I was in my twenties. I would not do that now. But I kept going despite that because I trust Rowell as an author. Also, people don't always do what I would do in real life. Why should it be different in fiction?
There are some fair criticisms of this book. Cherry cries on almost every page, so I honestly don't know when things are really serious. Cherry is fat and I only mention this because she mentions it every chapter. I feel like that's an important part of the story, I really do, but I also found myself struggling with her complaining about it constantly, but not doing anything about it. I KNOW weight loss is hard, but so is being overweight, you know?
But I was also rooting for all of these characters. I wanted good things for Cherry, Russ, and Tom. I wanted really good things for Stevie, the Newfoundland-Great Pyrenees mix who did not get enough walks or training in this book. I read through it at quite a clip and found myself thinking about the characters after I had closed the book.
It's not perfect, but if you traditionally have liked Rainbow Rowell, you'll like this one. 4/5 stars
Line of note:
Tom had known all these kids since they were babies. He'd sat in the hospital waiting room when they were born. If you asked the little ones, they wouldn't be able to tell you that Cherry was their aunt by blood and Tom was their uncle by situation. (page 316)
This really resonated with me. My niblings have no idea who the in-laws are. I think that's great.
Santa hats (page 125), wool hats (page 245), matching hat (page 394)
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What's your favorite Rainbow Rowell book? Can you think of another book with any type of fruit on the cover or in the title (I immediately thought of The Grapes of Wrath, but didn't want to get messed up in that Depression)?
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