Love? Maybe. -- Heather Hepler
Piper's birthday is on Valentine's Day. Thus, she has a huge collection of heart-themed items.
Which is ironic, as she's pretty cynical about the whole romance thing—although she's always been the dumper and never the dumpee, she's seen enough Romantic Trainwrecks to want to stay far, far away from it all.
But then, just a few weeks before Valentine's Day, one of her best friends suffers her own Romantic Trainwreck.
So, in the spirit of friendship, Piper agrees not only to help Claire find a date for Valentine's Day, but to attempt to find one for herself.
Pluses:
- Set in a candy shop!
- Gentle little romance starring a heroine who is a responsible daughter, great older sister, and good friend.
Minuses:
- Despite all of Piper's good qualities—and her complicated feelings about her father and ex-stepfather—she never became real to me.
- It moved along and technically had many of the classic elements of a likable romance—including the male best friend who is suddenly hot—but for a Book about Lurrrve, I never felt any real heart. It ticks all of the boxes—including a romance for Mom—but never does more than that. In other words, there was no swooning. To some degree, of course, that makes sense, given Piper's mindframe and disposition. But, no matter fair-minded I attempt to be, it comes down to this: a romance without any swooning is not a particularly enjoyable romance.
Recommended to: Someone looking for an inoffensive contemporary, but only if s/he's read everything else and/or is dying for a book set around Valentine's Day.
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Book source: ILLed through my library.