3.5 stars. Oh, JFK Jr. why do you still fascinate me more than a decade later? Basically this book is a love story told by John’s college/twenties girlfriend Christina Haag. That this girlfriend is now in her 50s is somewhat disconcerting. But that’s neither here nor there. The memoir starts out extremely slow, to the point I thought “this is the most boring book about the Kennedys ever written.” The first few parts are about the author’s early, privileged, easy days as a young girl in Manhattan. I realize it’s the context for her bigger story (and where she first encounters John) but there’s no drama, no intrigue and does not make for interesting reading (nor would my teenage years). However, once I reached the meat of the story, I found their romance surprisingly poignant and beautifully drawn. Honestly I was skeptical of this memoir, of her intentions, of how close they really were. But the writer won me over. I was right there with her through the ups and downs and then the relationship’s end. I got teary-eyed more than a few times and my heart broke for her.

The writing itself is quite lovely. My favorite part is when she says marriage is an ongoing conversation and romance is something else entirely. Romance comes from the French word for story and thus, by definition, has a beginning, middle, and end. (Instant tears). Also, I loved the end of the book when she is looking at Navajo pottery in the Southwest and a spirited, spinning, happy little girl draws her attention. I don’t want to ruin the review with spoilers but it was a very special part of the story.

It’s worth noting the author never married. Plenty of people never marry and plenty of people never want to. But one can’t help but wonder if her relationship with John was too present in future relationships. I read an interview with the author where she says they didn’t work out because of timing (or some such thing) and at the time I thought “yeah, right” but it really does come across that way. I found myself gravely disappointed that it didn’t work out. I would’ve loved to hear JFK Jr.’s take on it.

I wish the author delved more into their relationship after they broke up (if there was one) and how she felt when he did finally marry. Especially considering Cumberland Island was “her” place and, eventually, “their” place and then he married Carolyn Bessette there. Ouch. That had to have hurt. Also, oddly enough, I didn’t feel like I knew the author herself all that well. Why did the most sought-after man in America love her so much? I suppose that’s hard to address when you’re writing about yourself, versus a fictional romance. All in, though, when stripped of the things that didn’t work as well for me, this book is, at its heart, a moving, bittersweet love story.