Bookworm

 Fiction by Robin Yeatman

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

I went into this book cold; that is, I didn't read the synopsis first. Here's how it went:

The story began with Victoria reading in a Montreal cafe, lost in a book as the world bustled around her. "A relatable character," I thought. "That's good." (I read in public all the time, of course.) Then she sees Him --the man of her dreams!-- getting coffee at the counter. He leaves without speaking to her but she KNOWS they will met again. It is DESTINY! "Okay," I thought. "It's a straight romance then."

But then Victoria goes home to her HUSBAND. Wait, she's married? He's kind of controlling. "Okay, maybe," I thought. "He's terrible and she needs to get away from him." But it turns out, it is VICTORIA who is terrible. I mean, yes her husband is bad and her in-laws are awful and her parents are worse. Indeed, the only character I liked was the best friend, who is apparently doomed to permanent unhappiness. But Victoria herself is truly terrible.

I gave her a chance to improve. I read over a third of the book. I began to truly hate Victoria. So I skipped to the end to see what happened. Maybe things got better? Did she learn a lesson, turn over a new leaf, any of that? NO.

The ending was also terrible. I do not recommend.