My Two Cents

So, it’s time for another installment of My Two Cents – the column where I review a recently read book and tell you what I think. On the chopping block today is Neverending Beginnings by Mary Chris Escobar, a fellow self-published author. And, as always, it’s completely spoiler free. Here we go:

Remember the movie Groundhog Day where Bill Murray is forced to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right? Well, that is the premise of Neverending Beginnings, only here, Kate is relieving the same week. And boy what a week it is. Her best friend, Amy is getting married. And we all know how stressful that can be, right? But wait, it gets better. See, Amy is not simply getting married. She’s marrying Kate’s ex, Jack!

Yeah, I know. I could just stop right there, because I’ve said enough already. That premise alone tells you pretty much all you need to know to understand that this little book has some drama with a capital D! But I have to go on because, what that premise doesn’t tell you is that this is such a sweet, charming story and I simply could not put it down.

This book has everything – characters you will fall in love with, characters you will grow to dislike very much (I’m looking at you, Mrs. Moore), it will make you smile and laugh, and yes … it will make you cry. At least, it did me. But only because Ms. Escobar writes in such a genuine, relatable way. I could feel Kate’s fear and frustration at finding herself caught in this unimaginable time warp, her angst at being forced to go through the normal stressors of wedding mayhem while repairing her rocky friendship with the bride, her heartbreak over dealing with her mother’s death, and her nervous jittery flutters when she realizes that she’s falling for Ben – over and over and over again!

I had so much fun reading this book, and I found myself really rooting for Kate to figure it all out and to take a chance on Ben. If I had one complaint though, it would be that you’re left wondering what happened in December. But as I always promise a spoiler free review, I can’t tell you what I’m talking about! But an epilogue would have been much appreciated.

Now, there were some editing missteps here and there, but certainly not enough to diminish or take away from the very enjoyable plot or the truly charming characters. This is a first novel for Ms. Escobar, and I can’t wait to read more from her in the future!