I feel their personality, their actions, their energy, their emotions, but as I wrote in a recent review, physical descriptions are lost on me. That’s not on the author at all, I almost never “see” characters. There’s also a Morning Show feel to this story and she could have looked like Jennifer Aniston, with Skyler as Reese Witherspoon, but my brain rejected the possibility, which means I have no idea what Skyler looks like.

I need to mention that all through my reading, my Twitter TL was full – even more than usual – of photos and videos of Cate Blanchett, because of the César Awards, and now Caroline and Cate look very much alike in my mind. Skyler stole my heart immediately, Caroline – Carrie – intrigued me, and getting to know her through Skyler’s eyes, I had no trouble imagining how sexy she is. But when Caroline finally lets her guard down, Skyler’s entire world seems to suddenly shine more brightly. Even if, at first, the older woman isn’t as welcoming as Skyler could have hoped. That the desk next to hers belongs to her all-time idol Caroline McNamara only adds to her motivation. When Skyler Ruiz leaves her small local TV station for a much more exciting job as a reporter in San Diego, she’s intent on proving herself and making the most of the opportunity. I’m still a Brayden fan however, I’m still cheering for her and rooting for her, and if that means yelling at characters for part of the book, so be it. For about 80% of the book, I was in Brayden heaven, then the requisite breakup occurred and from then on, it felt off. With Exclusive, I found that feeling I love when reading Brayden’s books. Because there was something new, something exciting. That’s why I found a lot to love in Marry Me, despite the second part ruining the first one for me. I know I’ve overrated some of her books in my reviews because I want to love them so much, but in recent years, they haven’t worked for me as well as older ones.

I’ve said it often, I was lucky enough to translate two of her books and I loved it, loved every word. I loved 80% of this book and yelled in my head for about 15%.

Strawberry Summer by Melissa Brayden