A long time ago I read and enjoyed Perfect on Paper and It's a Waverly Life, two of Maria Murnane's earlier books. So when the chance came up to read Wait for the Rain, the first book from her new series, I jumped at the chance, especially given the fact that it contained a tropical setting - living in Northeast PA I find that any opportunity to vicariously live through the travels of others hooks me. Luckily, Wait for the Rain was a fun as well as romantic read, and more importantly, it introduced three likable characters.
Wait for the Rain revolves around Daphne White, a soon-to-be forty year old who is incredibly down on her luck. When the story first starts, Daphne is a shell of the girl she used to be. Back in college she was determined, hardworking, and passionate. Now she's divorced, sad, and uninspired by life. Throughout the book, I found it incredibly easy to root for Daphne. I wanted her to find her place in life again and also open up to her old friends. Over the course of the book, that's exactly what happened. Daphne let loose and began to life for herself again. I truly enjoyed seeing that transformation occur. In addition to Daphne, the book also focuses on KC and Skylar, her two best friends from college, and I loved the energy they brought to the book. KC is the typical free spirt. She lives for the moment and doesn't let the small things get to her. Skylar, on the other hand, is hotheaded and fierce - a force of nature in her work field. I can't say I had a favorite out of the three - they were all so different - but I liked them all for different reasons: Skylar for her blunt, truthful behavior, KC for her kindness and warmth, and Daphne for newly cultivated optimistic look on life.
The main focuses in Wait for the Rain is on friendship. As a recent college grad, it was fun for me to see that even after twenty years, Daphne, Skylar, and KC reunited for vacations. I can only hope my college friends and I stay as close as they girls over the years! It was enjoyable to see the adventures they experienced on the island and the funny banter that came with it. Often I felt like I was right there with them, experiencing the monkey forest as well as the yummy restaurants they went to. I also loved the seriousness that also came with their friendship. At the start of Wait for the Rain, they aren't as close as they once where, especially with Daphne's unwillingness to open up with how unhappy she's been; however, over the course of the book, they begin to find each other again, and see that no matter what curve balls life throws them, they'll always have each other. It was adorable.
The one aspect I didn't quite enjoy about this one was the fact that it was slow moving at times. There were certain parts of the book I felt took forever to get through, but in the end, I felt that it did help to solidify the story as well as the characters.
In all, Wait for the Rain is a fun read, and anyone who loves friendship centered chick-lit is sure to enjoy it!
Grade: B