Twenty Year Reunion

Just the name of this book causes a trip down memory lane.
The first thing that comes to mind is high school.
The things we wish to forget, the things we wish to relive.
But, what might have been with that high school sweetheart?
Worth the read!!!

***I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story.***

For the most part, I enjoyed “Twenty Year Reunion” by Ann Benjamin. The main characters, Rebecca and Quinn, were quite likeable, and it was easy for me to relate to their situation because I too am facing my twenty-year high school reunion this summer (or would be if it hadn’t been canceled due to the coronavirus). I particularly enjoyed watching Rebecca regain the confidence she’d lost after her divorce as she took steps to introduce more fun into her life. It’s certainly normal and expected to go through something of a mourning period after a divorce, but Rebecca seemed to come out stronger, and certainly happier, on the other side.

When Rebecca and Quinn met up again after not having seen each other for so many years, it almost seemed as if no time had passed for them at all. There were a few minutes of awkwardness, but they quickly fell back into their old friendship. Their romance reignited shortly after that, and although things between them moved quickly, the relationship never felt rushed to me. Quinn and Rebecca were obviously much happier together than apart, and they both seemed committed to making it work no matter what challenges they faced.

That said, there were some things about the story that didn’t make sense to me, which is why I wasn’t able to give this book a higher rating. For example, why did Rebecca’s former husband Peter, a dentist, move from the U.S. to London for work? The UK does not recognize dental degrees from the U.S. (or vice versa), so at the very least, Peter would have had to sit for a licensing exam before he would have been allowed to practice. The preparation for such an exam can be quite lengthy and sometimes involves enrollment in a local university for an additional degree. It wouldn’t have been as easy for Peter and Rebecca to pick up and move as the author seems to think.

Further, it made no sense for Rebecca not to block Peter from her phone and social media after they split. They didn’t have kids or anything else to tie them together, plus he cheated on her, so why would she have wanted to stay in touch with him anyway? IMO Rebecca was way too nice to Peter in general, and if she had cut him off sooner he may not have caused so many problems for her and Quinn down the line.

Aside from those plot issues, I found the writing in this book to be somewhat clunky and awkward in places, which detracted from my enjoyment of the story. For example, there were words in the wrong order or missing altogether, and some sentences or paragraphs used a strange mix of past and present tense. I’ve read much worse writing, but even so, IMO a little more editing would go a long way.

Overall, the positives outweighed the negatives for me, and I would recommend “Twenty Year Reunion” for all fans of contemporary romance. I would probably read another book by Ms. Benjamin in the future.

*ARC provided by the author/publisher via Hidden Gems Books. All opinions expressed are my own

Thoroughly enjoyable!
Former high school sweethearts, Rebecca and Quinn reunite for their 20-year high school reunion. Living in London, she has reached out to her former high school sweetheart when she was bumped from her flight home. She hopes that he is going and will give her a ride. What happens makes for a delightful story.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

This was a very quick enjoyable read. If you like 2nd chance love stories with a bit of humor in this this is your book. I am curious to read more of her books. So far I’d say she is my kind of writer.

Rekindling an Old Flame

The cover of this book alone tells you that, even though the hero is a rockstar, it is certainly not a typical rockstar romance as usually seen in contemporary romance. The focus is where it ought to be, on the couple who is getting to know each other again after 20 years of separation and as they start to rekindle their former high-school-sweethearts relationship. I did, unfortunately, have a few issues with this book. I thought the book started with a rather prodigious information dump, which I never like. Authors should just start where the action is and weave in the backstory where and when necessary. We need not know everything upfront—I swear! I also thought the book was somewhat awkwardly written in parts, as the author used turns of phrase and sentence structure that didn’t feel quite right and detracted from my reading enjoyment. I often felt that, even beyond the information dump sections, the story was more told rather than shown. To truly get into the heads of the characters and appreciate what they’re going through, we need to be shown what is happening, not told. In a move that is unusual for contemporary romance, the author restricts the point of view to the heroine. I found myself missing having the hero’s perspective as well. I would have loved to have known what he thought and felt throughout all that transpired.

One thing I have to say—why wouldn’t the heroine have blocked her nasty ex from social media? After the divorce, they had no lasting ties to bind them together, so she just should have said good riddance on all fronts. Of course, this connection was needed for the story, but come on!

Other than these issues—and if you can turn a blind eye to them like I was unable to—the basic story was a light and fun look at the rekindling of an old love relationship. I am partial to those, especially when the hero and heroine are middle-aged or older, as I don’t think the more mature age range is explored often enough in contemporary or historical romance. As this book demonstrates, the additional baggage brought to the nascent relationship by such people adds to the obstacles that need to be gotten over for love to flourish and ultimately triumph.