The Corner of Bitter and Sweet

The Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Robin Palmer

 

2.5 Stars

This book could have been a homerun, but the characters made it a base hit at best.  I like the premise of this book and the Hollywood setting.  The characters flopped in my opinion.  I couldn’t rap my head around Annabelle’s relationship with her mother, Josie.  I think if I was put in that situation I would have hard feelings, or be mad. 

I had a hard time relating to the characters and the plot.  I felt like maybe the subject of addiction was too deep for the characters written into this plot.  The plot was a complex idea and the characters were almost too amateur for this story-line.  They would probably work for another scenario and plot, but didn’t quite fit for me.

I also had a hard time sticking with this book.  The beginning was so slow and drug on.  The pace in the middle was not much better, and the ending felt rushed.  I might be the right book for someone who had been exposed to addiction, or a reader between YA and NA, but I would not recommend for 17 or under.

Synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old Annabelle Jacobs never asked to be famous, but as the daughter of Janie Jacobs, one of the biggest TV stars in the world, she is. Growing up is hard enough. Having to do it in public because your mother is a famous actress? Even harder. When your mom crashes and burns after her DUI mug shot is splashed across the internet? Definitely not fun. Then your mom falls for a guy so much younger than she that it would be more appropriate for you to be dating him? That’s just a train wreck waiting to happen.

From Robin Palmer, author of Geek Charming and Wicked Jealous, this is a novel about the most complicated relationship a girl ever has: that with her mother.