Reunion, by Therese Fowler

Reunion, by Therese Fowler
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: March 24, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 336 pages
Rating: Recommended

Devastated by the end of her relationship with Mitch Forrester, Blue Kucharski went through a wild period in her life and as a result gave birth to a son whom she gave up for adoption.  She emerges from her experience determined to make a life for herself and after years of hard work emerges as Blue Reynolds, a wildly successful Oprah style mogul, talk show host and queen of all media.  Now that Blue has more money than she knows what to do with, she discretely begins the search for the son she put up for adoption all those years ago with the help of a private investigator.  A location shoot in the Florida Keys leads to a chance meeting with Mitch Forrester and his family, a collaboration on a project, and the promise of a new start; but everything is complicated by the secret that Blue is keeping, and also by the disapproval of Mitch’s handsome and brooding photojournalist son Julian.

As soon as I started reading this book, I was hooked.  It is a fast and fun read.  I loved the characters and I got into their story right away.  The writing and the dialogue flawed and the characters were well-drawn and distinct, lovable and flawed. Fowler seems to effortlessly present characters who are wonderfully human, and caught between what are often times conflicting emotions when they haven’t yet figured out all of the answers.  Blue has been shaped by the experience of having a free-spirited mother and in response to her upbringing and other circumstances in her life she grows up trying to control everything and stifling a lot of herself, so it was lovely to see her start to grow out of that to reach for something different.

The minor characters were also very interesting.  Mitch Forrester’s father has suffered a stroke that has left him not only with his own persona, but that of an astronaut as well.  His family has to live with the other character intruding upon them at any time.  Blue’s best friend is charming, and has been involved with her life for so long and cares so much. I loved the subplots with Blue’s crazy mother, and while the relationship with her sister isn’t fully addressed it is interesting to see that there is a difficult dynamic there as a result of Blue’s fame and fortune.

This is a great “escape” read. It is suspenseful because you really want to find out how everyone will end up. It comes together rather quickly and a little conveniently in the end, but it completely sucks you in and you just love all the characters. I could hardly put this book down once I started and read it in just a few short sittings.  A perfect summer read, it’s great for not only  the beach, but also planes, trains and automobiles.

About The Author: Therese Fowler holds an MFA in creative writing. She grew up in Illinois, and now lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, with her husband and two sons.

Check It Out: Therese Fowler’s blog, Making It Up.

Read More Reviews At:

• Redlady’s Reading Room
• Bookopolis
• Book, Line and Sinker
• Jenn’s Bookshelf

Have you reviewed Reunion, by Therese Fowler? Please e-mail me your link or leave it in the comments, I’d love to have it here.