The Cover Design and Setting Roped Me In...
The cover design for 'The Gillespie County Fair' and the south Texas setting roped me in since I lived in Texas for many years and still travel there frequently. The back-office fixing of business deals between locals rings very true, and heaven knows there are plenty of divorces and less-than-bucolic teenage actions in some of these small towns, but the preview pages just weren't quite enough for me to form a solid opinion on this one. I'll be more than happy to revise my assessment if I win a copy and read the rest of the book; I am simply not sure at this point that the unhappy teen daughter with her wheelin'-dealin' dad are going to be my kind of story.
Below is my final review after finishing the ARC:
I was really looking forward to the advanced reader's copy of Gillespie County Fair. I had been wondering if this would be an updated, Texas wine country setting for something like the old 'Dallas' television series? The mix of small-town politics as well the exchanging of ex-spouses to form new small-town families could be quite a volatile mix. Then add in the fuel that comes with the possibility of becoming nouveau riche with this specific area's real estate boom, and it seems like there could be quite a story. When the story opens with Carel worried about pulling on his expensive boots rather than fighting the fire, I knew he was going to be a villain of sorts. The animosity is understandable that Carel's daughter Willow feels since she sees her mother struggling to keep the two of them going while her dad lives in the proverbial McMansion with a ready-made family provided by Dad's less-than-classy second wife. I think this basic story arc could be developed into a stage play and/or a televisions series. However, as much as I wanted to like the book itself, there were too many times where the characters' actions did not seem consistent to me. Would Willow really provide that drastic ending (no details provided to avoid a spoiler alert)? If Carel and his second-wife have such hot chemistry then how does it unravel so quickly in under 200 pages? And what about Willow's "almost sexual" hug to Thea on page 56? That description seemed to lay the groundwork for an important plot twist - but nothing followed. Something was missing;I am not sure that I have accurately pinpointed my description, but at this time I rate it as 3 out of 5 stars. This is my honest review in exchange for an ARC. Thank you Bookish for the opportunity to read this.
Below is my final review after finishing the ARC:
I was really looking forward to the advanced reader's copy of Gillespie County Fair. I had been wondering if this would be an updated, Texas wine country setting for something like the old 'Dallas' television series? The mix of small-town politics as well the exchanging of ex-spouses to form new small-town families could be quite a volatile mix. Then add in the fuel that comes with the possibility of becoming nouveau riche with this specific area's real estate boom, and it seems like there could be quite a story. When the story opens with Carel worried about pulling on his expensive boots rather than fighting the fire, I knew he was going to be a villain of sorts. The animosity is understandable that Carel's daughter Willow feels since she sees her mother struggling to keep the two of them going while her dad lives in the proverbial McMansion with a ready-made family provided by Dad's less-than-classy second wife. I think this basic story arc could be developed into a stage play and/or a televisions series. However, as much as I wanted to like the book itself, there were too many times where the characters' actions did not seem consistent to me. Would Willow really provide that drastic ending (no details provided to avoid a spoiler alert)? If Carel and his second-wife have such hot chemistry then how does it unravel so quickly in under 200 pages? And what about Willow's "almost sexual" hug to Thea on page 56? That description seemed to lay the groundwork for an important plot twist - but nothing followed. Something was missing;I am not sure that I have accurately pinpointed my description, but at this time I rate it as 3 out of 5 stars. This is my honest review in exchange for an ARC. Thank you Bookish for the opportunity to read this.