Review: A Girl’s Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber

Title: A Girl’s Guide to Moving On
Author: Debbie Macomber
Pages: 352
Genre: Romance
Source: Free ARC from Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley

Rating: C

Note: As stated under the Source (above), I received this book for free from Random House Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review (and trust me, honest is always what you’ll get).

Review: Let me start by saying that Romance is not my genre. I’ve read some Nicholas Sparks in the past and enjoyed it tremendously. Just this year, I read my first Nora Roberts and liked that pretty well. And some would classify Outlander as Romance (though I might consider fighting them to the death on that one), and I LOVE me some Outlander. But this is my first Debbie Macomber.

In the Romance genre, she’s a pretty prolific and popular writer. She’s ranked #12 for Romance on Amazon, and on Goodreads nearly all of her books are ranked a 4 or better. So, wanting to expand my horizons a bit, I decided that Debbie Macomber was a good place to dive in, and how fortuitous that I was able to get my hands on her upcoming new release!

So…here goes. I enjoyed it. I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it. Having no previous experience reading her, I haven’t a clue if this is typical of her work. Having very little experience in the genre overall, I have little to compare to in terms of writing style, etc. It’s a light, easy palate cleanser. That should, by no means, be taken as degradation of her work.

There are all kinds of books because we need different types of books at different times in our lives, and in between the emotionally or intellectually heavy reads, we need books that make us feel hopeful, that are simple, light, easy and cheery. And this is that kind of book. The perfect thing to read when you need to let go of the emotional burden of reading A Little Life or to take your mind off your own troubles.

The writing was a little on the basic side for me, and there was a bit more cheese factor than I tend to go for, but shoving that aside, the characters were well developed, the story line was sweet and thoughtful, and I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Rocco and Nichole. Having been divorced with a small child myself, having dealt with custody issues, etc., it was very easy for me to relate to her and what she was going through. Coming from a different world than I did, there were times when I found her and her ex mother-in-law’s perspectives a bit…privileged…but they were trying and they were good, likable people. Rocco was right up my alley. What can I say? I like male characters who are a little edgy.

Overall, I enjoyed it enough that I’ll pick up a book from one of her more established series in the near term. I won’t be running out to get every Debbie Macomber novel ever written, but when I need a light feel good read, she’ll definitely be on the list of possibilities.

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