Book Review: Something So Beautiful

Title: Something So Beautiful

Author: Lee Dawna
Pages: 334
Publisher: Lee Dawna Books, Inc
My GoodReads Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thirty-two-year-old widow Mary Willams has had a hard life. Having lost her mother when she was just nine, she was abandoned by her father a mere six months later. Since then Mary has made her own way in life. 

After the death of her husband, Mary withdraws into herself. That is when her childhood best friend Kim and her husband, Kevin, convince her to go on a double date (a blind date) with one of Kevin's friends, John Beller. 

Meanwhile, Mary is suffering delusions and acute paranoia. She hears footsteps when there's no one at home and receives calls with no one on the other end of the line. She wonders if she is losing her mind and worries that her intuition is malfunctioning. It is not the right mindset with which to begin a new relationship. But John ís completely besotted by her, is a man driven ín his desire to woo and win her. Slowly Mary gives in to John's persistence. 

Returning from a date at John's house, Mary's car is driven off the road by an insane driver. John finds her and takes her home after she is discharged from the hospital. But will she be safe in John's house, or will danger find her anyway? 

The story is written mostly in the first person present tense PoV of Mary and briefly in the first person present tense PoV of John. Each chapter ends not exactly on a cliffhanger, but certainly prodding you to read the next one. The chapters are short, even so at 136, there are far too many. I thought the book would have done better if it had been slashed around the middle. 

The parts that show Mary's weakening grasp on reality were well written. There was more than a hint on Gothic suspense about them,  and I wish there had been more of that. Instead, what we got was the insipid romance between John and Mary. A woman who finds herself falling for a man she knows nothing about, even as he proceeds to dig into her past and ferret out all the secrets she holds. 

I didn't like Kim very much. She doesn't offer Mary the support she needs and is dismissive of her fears. It is better to not have a friend, than to have one like her. 

I found John extremely overbearing. He was very possesive and seemed to think his wealth and other talents were more than enough for the two of them. It was almost as if he felt he owned her. He presumed to speak on behalf of Mary, never letting her make up her mind. Whether his intentions are honourable or not , I didn't appreciate his effort to bulldoze his way into her life. Definitely a red flag there. 

I was grateful to his mother, Katherine, and sister, Shiela, for objecting to his behavior. I agreed with them, the relationship was smothering. Mary certainly seemed to be utterly charmed by him. 

Chapter 101 had some typos. 

This book would have benefited with less of John and more of Mary's delusions. 

(I read this book through NetGalley. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley)