By now I know that every book in The Mother-Daughter Book Club series involves crazy over-the-top experiences. Still, it's possible to be TOO over-the-top, and this book, even more than the others, had me saying, "Really?!"
Occasionally, I felt downright disappointed. It was irksome enough when the author glossed over the actual public school vacation schedule in Concord in Dear Pen Pal - a minor annoyance as a MA native - but was she really too lazy to Google the age at which kids can get learner's permits in MA? It's 16. Which means Jess and Cassidy, both of whom got their permits in this book, were 16-year-old high school freshmen?! Unlikely. Just a few seconds on Google could have prevented that awkward inconsistency, which really wasn't even worth including in the book, since the girls' driving seemed to serve no significant purpose.
I liked the way Becca continued to become more and more accepted into the group (even though her mother unfortunately remained the comic relief), and again I thought it would've been nice to read some chapters from Becca's perspective. I understand the author needs to incorporate some kind of conflict into each book, and teenage girls are always struggling with queen bee social dynamics, but having Annabelle acting like a Becca 3.0 just felt tired. Certainly there could have been other conflicts that wouldn't have involved recycling old ideas. Emma, as the new girl in town, could have had trouble fitting in. Yes, Jess was the new girl at Colonial Academy last year, but she didn't have any trouble making friends with Adele and Frankie. Emma feeling lonely and homesick would have been interesting, especially since her expectations were so high going in. Or, Cassidy, being so over-extended this year, could have drifted away from the group, and the girls could have learned what it means to really work at maintaining friendships.
Most frustrating, however, was Megan's lack of character in this book. I know the girls are not meant to be goody-two-shoes, but I really just expected more from Megan. In this book, it really became clear how she used to be part of Becca's "Fab Four". This time around, it felt like the only reason she was friends with Jess, Emma, and Cassidy at all was because of the book club - that if the book club dissolved, so would her friendship with the other girls.
Anyway, my favorite story line in this book was Cassidy and Tristan (Cassidy apparently had a never-ending reservoir of time in which to pursue her interests and commitments), and I did appreciate the focus on Jane Austen, as she is one of my favorite authors. (The author pays homage to the works of Jane Austen with a number of references to characters in Jane Austen's books.) I'm still eager to read the next book in the series. I just thought this one fell a bit short.
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