Cathy C. (cathyskye) - , reviewed on 11/2/2013 + 2309 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I appreciate it when authors create characters who evolve throughout a series of books, but they don't always grow in the directions I would prefer. This is what's happening in Victoria Hamilton's Vintage Kitchen mysteries. I enjoyed Jaymie Leighton in the first book, A Deadly Grind, but not so much in this one. For one thing, there's very little to do with vintage kitchenalia in this second outing, and although there's a bit more about the second cookbook she's putting together, there's not enough of that either. It's a natural outcome of all the part-time jobs she's accumulated in between books, but I still missed my collectibles fix.

Most of the book has to do with Jaymie's high school feud with best friend Kathy Cooper. Kathy has always refused to tell her what caused the blowup, and in Bowled Over, Jaymie spends way too much time trying to worm information out of others-- and making matters worse. Her actions show her to be naive and a little bit strait-laced. If she's nice to someone, she expects to be liked, and she can't leave it alone if that's not what happens. She's thrown for a loop if someone she's met proves not to meet her perceptions or her expectations. More than once while I was reading, I wanted to tell Jaymie to grow up.

With all this grumping, you might think that I didn't like the book. Surprise-- I did because the mystery was so good. All in all, I'm undecided about continuing to read Jaymie's further adventures, but don't let me stop you from reading either book in this series. Bowled Over touches on a period of my life that I did not like and seldom think about anymore. I can almost guarantee that your mileage in high school-- and your enjoyment of this book-- will vary greatly!

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