Southwestern Daydream

I actually really enjoyed this book. I liked how messy both of them were. They can be petty, stubborn, and not always great at communicating, but that made their dynamic feel more real to me. The forced proximity worked well, and I enjoyed seeing their rivalry slowly turn into something softer as they had to depend on each other.

I would have liked a little more time inside Brooke’s head in places, especially with everything she’s carrying emotionally, and a few scenes could have been smoother. But overall, I found this a really enjoyable, character-driven adventure romance with a grumpy, imperfect couple I ended up rooting for.

1/5

Thank you Saphly for providing me the opportunity to read and review Southwestern Daydream by C.N. Kline.

Oof. Ok. I truly hate to leave such a bad review but I would feel dishonest doing otherwise. I unfortunately have a lot of thoughts and will do my best to keep this brief.

This book does not read like a finished product. I dare say, it felt more like reading an early copy of a rough draft. Paragraphs lack flow and are repeated nearly word for word and dialogue feels stilted and unnatural. Not to mention frequent inconsistencies in the story and confusing descriptions that sometimes seem to outright conflict with the scene being described.

Curiously enough, this uses a third-person omnicient POV, which I personally believe can be hard to achieve effectively. In fact, I would argue the story would be marginally improved had it been solely from the perspective of the protagonist, Brooke, as the minimal perspectives outside of her own don't add anything to the story that could not be achieved through her eyes. One of the greatest issues I have, though, is the reader rarely, if ever, get a chance to know what's going on in her head.

There is almost no internal narrative whatsoever throughout the book. Things happen one after another as if checking off a list with occasional emotionless banter. The book does it's absolute best to tell you every little thing that happens but never really attempts to show it and as such, I never really felt the chemistry of a growing connection between the two leads, Brooke and Heather. Ignoring the fact they're both dislikable, petulant children, there's just no build up to them getting together that doesn't feel strong armed into them doing so just because that's what the narrative demands.

If you've made it this far, I'm sorry.

I need to talk about the tone. Through sheer will of incompetence alone, Brooke and Heather find themselves hopelessly lost in the woods of southern Colorado during a hiking/climbing trip but hardly does it feel like they are ever in any real danger. The duo themselves seem barely bothered by their circumstance all told. Plenty of crappy MRE leftovers to go around. Low on water? No sweat, just refill at the EVER PRESENT stream nearby. Let's take as many breaks as we like, it's fine. Screw it, let's waste half an entire day doing nothing but resting. Where is the urgency? Where is the tension and danger?

It's not that kind of story.

I don't believe you.

There is an incredible story here hidden between the lines. One of will, found strength and survival against dire straits as two apparent strangers come together to beat the odds. But what is presented is a barren romance trekking through lifeless landscapes and for that reason I sadly cannot recommend Southwestern Daydream.

An ode to the Southwest!