The sample of this book automatically popped up on the Kindle app of my phone. They thought is was a great suggestion for me to read. After reading the sample, I definitely wanted to read more despite the plethora of typos, but Amazon reviews warned me against it. So seeing as how I still wanted to finish it, I got a hold of a free copy.
Why it gets three stars? The same reasons that Amazon reviews will give you. Ward apparently couldn't remember the spelling of her own main character's name through the first couple chapters (Sidney or Sydney). There was also a page where Sidney was wearing a shirt at the beginning of the page, but by the end of the same page she was slipping off a dress. And as another example there is a page toward the end of the book where she starts a sentence, but never ends it. This doesn't even count the numerous amount of typos.
However, I really liked the characters. This was by no means erotica although being labeled as such. There were some make out scenes, but that was about it. It really was just about two characters who are damaged in their own ways and I really like how they developed and attempted to come to terms with those parts of themselves.
What's really interesting to me is the concept. Sidney is a TA in the English department, in Texas no less. As I am, however, she's the undergrad kind of TA that helps the professors grade work. In my Texas University though, our English classes never get big enough to need an undergraduate TA, and the TA's we do have (such as myself) actually serve as instructors, teaching their own classes, for rhetoric and composition, i.e. English 101 and 102. So I found a lot of things in this book that I identified with. Though I promise I'm not sleeping with any of my bosses or instructors ;)
There were some hilarious points as well. "Are you sniffing my couch?" was one of them haha. He always seemed to walk in on the worst possible times with her. But also striking with me is when he gave Sidney chocolate because it totally reminded me of Remus Lupin giving Harry Potter a chocolate bar. And in all, I like the way Ward described a lot of things, like the bear on a pink string that weighs on Sidney's chest.
So if you count all the things I love about the book it'd probably get a 5 star rating. But as a composition instructor AND as a writer myself, I just can't get past the glaring typos and writing issues. Didn't stop me from enjoying the book though, just made me glad I got a free copy instead.
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