Review: Book Smart by Amanda Pennington

Rating: 4/5  Work for It 3 SPRU

Book Smart is a sweet romance and very upfront about that so if that is not your jam, just skip this one. That said even if sweet romances are or you are good with them this is a SLOW burn. Melanie Hirsch and Cameron Whitacre have been coworkers and friends for five years and both had an instant attraction to each other. However, they seem to be clueless about the mutuality of their interest. They both have had life go in less than intended directions but are not necessarily unhappy, just hoping for someone to share a future. 

Melanie has really been hoping to become a published author and when she finds a 1950s article about how to find a husband, she thinks she will use it for inspiration. Of course that means recruiting the help of both of her friends, Ivy and Cameron. This idea was fun and made for some interesting situations. It was almost painful at times to watch Cam and Mel dance around each other. And as frustrating as their advoicence of taking the next step is, it is realistic for two people that have been integral parts of each other’s lives. I wish we would have gotten just a bit more of them as a couple. 

This is Amanda Pennington’s debut novel and you can tell that she has taken the time to develop strong characters that are imperfectly perfect. They each have their own things in life to deal with beyond the central storyline.The side characters of Toby and Ivy were very supportive and I could see them getting their own story in the future.