Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I finished Goodbye, Mr. Terupt today, and I have to say, as much as I enjoy Rob Buyea’s books, I’m not sure this one was quite as good. It had poignant moments, to be sure, but…I don’t know. I imagine that part of the problem is that I’m too old for the eighth grade romances to feel anything but SO YOUNG; I also felt, however, that Peter’s character was a bit all over the map. (Then again, maybe the mix is more realistic than I realize–my son has yet to hit puberty, and my only brother is too much older than I am for me to remember him at that age.) The bucket list idea was fun, but–I guess the plot as a whole felt a bit contrived to me in the way Buyea’s other books haven’t. They’ve all been improbable, but that’s never been a problem for me before; this one just felt different.

I don’t know. I still totally enjoyed the story, so maybe I’m splitting hairs. I do know that fans of Mr. Terupt and the Gang will most definitely want to experience their last year together; my 11-year-old is eagerly anticipating her turn to read about it. Ultimately, I’m interested to see how she and her older sister feel. If you read it, let me know what you think!