I am a huge fan of Penelope Ward. I love her books and her characters and read anything with her name on it. So I couldn’t wait for her newest standalone Just One Year. I enjoyed this book, but at the same time it wasn’t my favorite of hers. For some reason, it felt different than what I have come to know and expect from her.
While I liked the characters, I didn’t love them or connect with them as much as I would have liked. Their story was good, but it wasn’t one that had me staying up late to finish it and it was easy for me to put down and come back to later.
I think for me, something was missing here and I’m not really able to put my finger on it or say what it was but i’m sure it was me personally rather than the story itself. There were times that the dialogue felt a bit on the cheesy side and there wasn’t as much angst or urgency like I normally feel in her books. While this one might not have been all that I had hoped for, it was still a good read and I think readers will enjoy it. Penelope Ward is still one of my favorite authors and I am looking forward to her next solo book as well as her co-authored book. You can’t go wrong with any of her books, so I recommend giving this one a shot.
**ARC Provided by Author**