This book was actually made into a movie—starring Alyssa Milano and Eric Winter—some years ago, which is how I first learned of the story.
The movie I promptly fell in love with, and the preview excerpt for the book itself also seemed promising.
Did it deliver? Well, somewhat.
The relationship between Jane and her mother was intriguing, and I did enjoy some of the very emotional and bittersweet moments between Jane & Michael. What’s more, the book has done a better job than the movie of making the romantic rival unlikable enough to justify how things play out, and the way the overall relationship was handled worked better in some ways.
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However, I didn’t like Michael as much in the book. He wasn’t a completely different character—he still had some of the sweetness and charm and playfulness that I loved in the movie. But I don’t feel that he had those qualities as strongly. Also, the book version of the story made him “worldlier,” but often not in a good way.
One of the most fun and appealing things about him in the movie was how pure and innocent his motives and worldview were. He would say or do things without realizing how they might come off. One of my favorite moments in the movie was when he encouraged Jane to hop in the shower for a surprise. (Ahem?) Suffice it to say, it wasn’t the usual reason a guy might suggest that to a lady he likes—but it was still pleasant. (Hey, a spoiler would ruin the fun!) It tickled me how he could say and do things that came off very seductive or heartthrob-worthy without meaning to. That really just made it all the better.
Now, the difference wasn’t all bad; there were moments where the grittier edges he had in the book version ended up coming in handy. Those boxing classes were not for nothing, clearly.
Still, I find Eric Winter’s version of him substantially more likable and to be someone I can more easily root for. And he also had this sheer uninhibited playfulness and joie de vivre that I also felt shone better in the film version.
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A bigger point of frustration I had with the book was that and the pair also ended up spending a lot of their time not interacting at all, to the point where I was getting impatient, since their relationship is what I was looking forward to in the first place.
In the film it’s not like they actually get involved in a romantic relationship right off the bat; it’s just that for most of the movie they are interacting and we get to see their friendship and the dynamics between the two of them. After having seen that, the time the book spends with avoidance and near-misses gets tougher to swallow. I’m generally a patient person—to a fault, even. And I vocally oppose the idea of having characters rush into things, romantically speaking. Indeed, it’s a pet peeve of mine.
But watching this slow-motion chase unfold was not what I had in mind.
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On top of all of that, I had to deal with the annoying (im)moral and spiritually-related comments added in. Most notable was that ridiculous line about how surely your immoral actions couldn’t be sinful if you “love” the other person so much. I hear that weak, self-indulgent bull way too much as it is, and I certainly didn’t need to see more of it here.
And the same people who say that kind of mess probably wouldn’t be impressed if their spouse or significant other cheated on them and said about the third person, “But we ‘love’ each other! That makes it okay that we’re screwing, right?” Yeah…let me know when that excuse works out.
It’s worth keeping in mind that the movie, as far as I recall, didn’t especially delve into the spiritual side of things, but guess what? I was fine with that; I’d much rather have a story use a minimal touch rather than delve into a topic in a way that just ends up causing aggravation. I’d have much preferred it if the book had stayed quiet about that rather than saying what it did say.
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Wrap-Up
For me, the best part of the book was probably the relationship between Jane and her mother. It was very entertaining to watch, and had some unexpected twists to it.
The worst part was the dabbling into the spiritual, followed a close proximity by the lack of a sense of sufficient development and time spent together when it came to our key couple.
And while I at least appreciate what they tried to do in terms of Jane’s developing a better appreciation for her curvy figure, I did have this niggling feeling where I wanted there to be less need for outside validation from Michael and more of a look into how Jane was able to deal with her own issues and the root causes of her troubles with food. Even though that’s not the focus of the book, Jane is the co-lead here, and I feel like she could’ve been developed more and better in that regard.
Though again, I at least appreciate the idea of getting her to appreciate her natural body type and also the fact that this didn’t cross into that excessive zone where obesity is glossed over or promoted. We need truth here, people.
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How Did I Rate This Book?
The ratings on iBooks don’t allow half stars, but I’d rate this book anywhere from 3 to 3.5 stars. No way would I round it up to 4, however, and I feel 3 isn’t unfairly low, so 3 is what I gave it there.
Including a Book Shot, this is my fourth James Patterson book…and my least favorite so far.
Not terrible, but nothing I’m excited or enthusiastic over.
Even though I did have issues with the movie as well, I’d definitely recommend it instead. (And it does a much better job of handling the age situation between the couple. The way it was handled in the book felt insufficient and gave this constant uneasy undertone—muted but present—and I honestly think they knew when they made the film adaptation that it flat out wouldn’t fly on-screen).
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If you’d instead like to check out the film, it’s available via iTunes, Amazon video, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play. You can watch the trailer right here:
I’d love to hear from you guys! What did you think of the book and/or movie? If you’ve got anything you’d like to contribute or questions you want to ask, comment below!
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