Review: Edenbrooke

Pin It Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, the key demographic for a novel like Edenbrooke. With that said, I consider myself as having a relatively eclectic taste in books and have enjoyed several romances and other fiction that probably aren't meant for me. I don't think anyone would consider me a manly man. I can't grow proper facial hair and I barely tolerate most sports. I grew up with all sisters and, as a result, have worn more dresses and nail polish than most modern women. Well, when Edenbrooke was given to me as a recommendation for my 2018 challenge to read books out of my comfort zone, I jumped at the chance. Not only was it different but several friends and acquaintances have rated it very highly on Goodreads.

I truly went in with an open mind while trying desperately to overlook the flaws in the writing and the painfully juvenile prose but this was simply too painful for me in the end. The first mention Marianne made of wanting to 'twirl' made me cringe but when this was repeated over and over I honestly started wanting to punch something in the face. If anything, this book made me MORE aggressive and 'manly' out of pure rage and frustration. Even if I weren't a man, I can't imagine anyone considering this book enjoyable or of literary merit.

There are high-quality romances aplenty that can be found in any bookstore so I find it inconceivable that anyone would want to finish this. I made it to just shy of 50% of the way through and I consider that a feat of great self-control.

I would recommend this book to:
-people who really like twirling
-no one else

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