Pub. Date: August 27th, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Paperback
432 pages
Every once in a while I get the urge to read a pure love
story. That is what I expected Love
Overdue to be – a love story. And don’t get me wrong it is - but it’s not
only a romance love story, it’s also a love story about a town.
Hired as the new Librarian in
small-town Verdant Kansas, from her clothes to her tightly wound bun, DJ Jarrow
is intent on living up to the Librarian stereotype. Her strict control stems
from one moment of humiliation as a teenager when she allowed herself to just
let go. Eight years later, DJ is faced with a different type of humiliation –
small town gossip. Worst of all, rumors start spreading that DJ was really
hired because the head of the library board was hoping for a bit of matchmaking
between DJ and her son Scott. Much to DJs dismay, the son – Scott Sanderson,
happens to be the source of her humiliation years before. Waiting for the day
Scott is able to figure out why she seems so familiar, DJ actually starts getting
to know the adult Scott, and she’s forced to question if the Scott she built up
in her head, reflects the real Scott. Intent on building a life in Verdant, DJ
has to get past the past, and learn to live her present and her future for more
than just her job.
I will be the first to admit that I
was probably irrationally in love with this novel because as a Librarian myself
there were so many little library details that just made me smile. From DJ
naming her dog Dewey/Dew after the creator of the Dewey Decimal system, to Dewey
Decimal style chapter headings, and all the Library talk, I couldn’t help but
love DJ and appreciate how much she loves her job. But, my favorite part of the
novel was DJ. Sure she keeps herself controlled to the point of almost
annoyance, especially in her personal life, but she knows who she is, she’s
very open to other people, she’s non-judgmental, and she’s completely devoted
to her new life. To me she represents a real person that I thoroughly enjoyed
reading about, and appreciated being able to relate to. The secondary
characters were truly the icing on the cake for me. They were thoughtfully
created, and from the recluse, to the full on hostile library employees, all of
the characters were realistic, full, hilarious, and entirely loveable.
The overarching theme throughout
the novel is that you never really know the whole truth about a situation, and
you never really know what someone is going through, until you take the time to
ask. I found the twists and turns in the storyline, though entirely unexpected,
compelling, effective, and always true to the overarching theme. This novel was
a really entertaining and cute read, with so much more substance than the
synopsis gives it credit for.
Rating 8/10
I received a copy of this novel
from the publisher to read and honestly review. I was in no way compensated.
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