Emily Pennington
Well, yes, this format of emails, journal entries, chat, text messages and diaries did make the reading go faster – but it was more like a “build-your-own-story-line” from instant snippets and impressions without knowing the characters at all. I can’t say it was enjoyable for me. My first impression of Crystal was that she was a doormat, gladly allowing everyone to step all over her with no consequences whatsoever. I realize the steamroller types, like her mother, don’t listen and will do what they intend to do regardless. But that’s where saying “no” and meaning it really matters. If mom had bought her ticket to Hawaii despite valid protests, she would have had a lovely time alone while I went elsewhere with my fiancé (who already needed to de-stress). Ahhh, but I see protests were totally missing from Ms. Doormat’s responses. I am sure her fiancé, David, was always coming in second in her priorities. Crystal’s mother, the lonely and misguided Margot, is totally clueless about crossing lines and indulging her inappropriate behavior. I think my teeth were clenched throughout the reading of her diary entry about being delighted that the hotel upgraded them to the honeymoon suite so they could all be TOGETHER. (I kept hearing a growling sound while reading this, and I don’t own a dog, so maybe it angered me more than I was aware.) Through mom’s interference in Crystal’s life, she lost her fiancé, became homeless and unemployed, and had to compound the issue by moving back in to live with the clueless person who caused it all (hint: her mother). I even felt sorry for the android “Smart Companion”, Adam – unless he had a kill or stun setting to defend himself? I understood we were looking for the whole point of the book, which was relationships, most specifically between a mother and daughter. It’s fine to love a toxic parent, but without boundaries the daughter is willing to enforce, it’s not going to turn out well in the long run. In the right frame of mind, maybe I could try to chuckle at the antics. But I just couldn’t get over the clueless mother unable to catch any social hints and the weak-willed daughter ready to let her just about ruin her life without standing up for herself. Moms are supposed to help us prepare for handling the events in our lives, teaching us coping skills for problems we come up against, teaching how to compromise where situations warranted, sharing joy, love, and compassion. But this mom was a train-wreck and I found little to laugh about. This book completely missed the mark for me.
