Began reading: 28.3.2015
Completed reading: 5.4.2015
Overall rating: 3.5 stars
Molly Jackson has it all: a supportive family, a caring best friend, a responsible job, and a dedicated fiancé. However, when Molly’s fiancé, Declan, announces that he must travel to Japan to train for his new job, Molly is forced to postpone the wedding. After dropping Declan off at the airport, she runs into her childhood sweetheart, and realises that she has so many unanswered questions for her ex, regarding a past tragedy. Molly is left with the opportunity to find answers to her questions, as well as decide whether or not going through with a marriage to Declan is what she really wants. Will she stay with Declan, even though he caused her pain, or will she choose a different path with her ex, Luke Fortune?
Always on my Mind is a contemporary fiction novel about the importance of family, and the risks of re-living the past. The story is under the genre of chick lit, and has traces of romance, mystery and suspense. The first time I read this book, I was not prepared for how good it would be. This time around, I was still expecting a predictable plot with bland characters. I was left feeling surprised for a second time!
The book was well-written, but had a few spelling and grammar errors. Disregarding the errors, I really enjoyed how the story began: with Molly driving Declan to the airport, and discussing the announcement that Michael Jackson had just passed away.
“That’s so sad, isn’t it?” Molly was crouched over the steering wheel, gazing absently at the lines of traffic in front of her.
Declan chewed on a nail and continued to stare out the passenger window. “What?”
“Michael Jackson, he’s dead, haven’t you been listening?”
“No, I’ve been busy wondering if I’m going to make my flight…” (p. 1).
This simple opening dialogue gives the reader an insight as to the personalities of these two characters. Molly is observant and understanding, whereas Declan is serious and direct. With this in mind, the reader is left wondering if this difference will impact Molly’s decision about which guy she chooses.
As the story progresses, we slowly learn more about Molly, as well as the other characters, including her family, friends and Declan’s brother, Gareth. This is demonstrated through Molly’s thoughts, dialogue, and the different points of view throughout the book. The different points of view are great because we get to learn how each character thinks, giving us a deeper understanding of how their presence influences Molly’s decisions.
The teenage characters: Ashling (Ash), Adam and Neil have been well-written. I believe it’s something that many authors have difficulty with. They usually rely on stereotypes, like parties, alcohol and drugs to make these characters more realistic. The problem with this, is that instead of making them seem realistic, they become clichéd and it becomes difficult to relate to them. Caddle did a good job, making them more realistic and relatable.
Laura: “Sometimes, Ash, I think your whole reason for being is to disagree with me.”
Ash: “Sometimes, I think your whole reason for being is to make me miserable,” Ash retorted (p. 314).
The plot itself was interesting. While the romantic side of it may seem clichéd, the issues that other characters face were unique. For example, Ash’s friend, Neil, had problems when he thought that his mother would leave the family, due to constant flirting with strangers. He felt that the only way to keep her from leaving was to do poorly at school and act disobediently.
My favourite characters were Isabelle (Belle) and Oliver — Molly’s parents. Their relationship is so adorable! They joke around a lot, and they are very supportive and accepting of each other and their children.
^^These two from Easy A remind of Molly's parents. If Always on my Mind was a movie, these two would be Belle and Oliver, haha!
I didn’t like Laura (Molly’s sister). She was very arrogant and annoying. I hated how she secretly despised her her family. “…though she would never have admitted it, she had resented her babies, particularly Ash” (p. 130).
I didn’t enjoy Molly all that much, either. She acted ignorant and dumb at times — sometimes, I just wanted to grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her!
Molly turned off the light and slid back under the covers feeling slightly shocked by her sister’s behaviour. She’d always labelled Laura as a bit of a prude, and here she was, rolling in drunk after cavorting around with a total stranger. Apart from seeming out of character, it was downright dangerous… (p. 145).
Recommendation time! If you like Jodi Picoult’s book “My Sister’s Keeper”, “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, or “Where She Went” by Gayle Foreman, you will love this book. I also recommend this book to anyone who likes “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold, or “Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver.
Happy reading!
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