Bookends by Jane Green

     The start of the book was a bit boring, to say the least. I grew up stealing (borrowing without intent to return) my moms James Patterson novels. I like a quick start in a book, and although I know that's not always feasible, it took a bit for me to really get into this one. It starts very slow, with the majority of the characters in college, and then, gradually, it starts to pick up a little later on.

     You enter this story with the group of friends who's friendships have almost all already started. One of the characters who is actually introduced very well, and who you expect to be a bigger part of the story (and I, for one, am happy that she didn't have quite as big of a part as I expected) was Portia. Almost everybody has had a friend (ex friend for me, ain't nobody for time for that) like Portia. The type of girl who's your best friend when they're the center of attention, but when they're not, you see a whole different side of them. While the beginning of the book does take a while to introduce you to almost everyone, most of this story takes place when the group is in their early to mid thirties. It's about the trials and tribulations of being in love with your significant other, not wanting to find that kind of love, and then eventually succumbing to it, because there was no way you were going to avoid it. It is also about taking the risks that are involved in following your dreams, and dealing with trauma after drama after trauma.
     The dialogue in this book was on point. There were quite a few times where I laughed out loud while reading (I would include my favorite part, but it is highly inappropriate for this forum). The characters were developed fairly well, although sometimes you wanted to punch them. There were quite a few twists that you didn't really expect, and the author did a good job of really pulling the emotions out of you for a few of them. The writing was funny, witty, and overall very well done. The biggest problem in the book is that the story wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I think it went off on too many different tangents. I also think that there were too many ( very possibly life altering) changes happening, all at once, to make it seem realistic. It seemed as though the author wanted to cram as many of the traumas, and as much of the drama, in there as possible. I'd give this book a 3.5. It was very well written, and some parts had you turning page after page, unable to stop, but there were some parts that were a bit tedious. Some of the characters were extremely annoying at times, and not always easy to read about, but I can almost guarantee you will fall head over heals in love with Lucy. I'd recommend this book, but I would also add on the disclaimer that it was not my favorite from this author.