Review: Starry Night by Debbie Macomber
“I fell in love with you that starry night.”
The Basics
Title: Starry Night
Author: Debbie Macomber
Published: 2017 (originally published 2013)
Publisher: Ballantine Books — Random House
Pages: 231
Format: Paperback
Genres: Fiction — Holiday, Contemporary fiction, Romance, Contemporary romance, Holiday romance, Clean romance
Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org, and I will earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you click through and make a purchase.
Book Synopsis
Society-page columnist Carrie Slayton has grown tired of writing about gallery openings and fancy parties; she dreams of writing about more serious, newsworthy topics. So, when her boss makes her an offer –she can stop writing society articles if she interviews the bestselling author and notorious recluse Finn Dalton – she eagerly accepts it. Only, nobody knows where Finn lives, and countless journalists have tried and failed to track him down. Carrie, however, is undeterred, and after some sleuthing and maneuvering, she finds herself face to face with the world’s most sought-after man. He, however, is nothing like she had imagined, and before long, she finds herself growing attracted to him. But she cannot have both him and her story, so which will she choose?
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: A book that is too much of a fluff read, even for this fluff lover.
Something that I never thought would happen has finally come to pass: I have read a book that is too much of a fluff read. As someone who relishes a cheesy rom-com from time to time, it is truly saying something when I find a book to be overly fluff, especially when that book is a holiday romance. I make extra allowances for this genre; after all, holiday romances are intended to be lighthearted and fun. Starry Night, however, is too superficial and saccharine, even for a book of its genre.
The biggest knock against this book is its pacing. Everything happens too quickly with little-to-no buildup. Take, for example, the romance between Finn and Carrie. They are head over heels for one another almost immediately upon meeting. There is no sense of uncertainty as to whether or not they will get together, because they are together before we can even begin to ponder if they will be. Once together, their relationship continues to progresses at breakneck speed. Within the blink of an eye, there is talk of love and starting a family, and they become a tad too possessive of one another. I wanted to step into the story and tell the two of them to simmer down.
While we are on the subject of things that happen too fast, I have to touch upon Carrie’s discovery of the location of Finn’s cabin. It is mentioned several times at the beginning of the book that no one, not even the hordes of reporters who have been scouring Alaska, have been able to track him down, yet by the end of the second chapter, she is at his cabin. For someone who is supposed to be illusive, he was rather easily found.
Besides pacing, the characters are the other primary issue with this book. Owing to their rudimentary backstories and lack of depth, both Carrie and Finn feel superficial. At times, they even come across as walking stereotypes, with Carrie being the girly girl from the city and Finn being the manly man, unkempt beard and all, from the Alaskan bush. Their dialogue also leaves a lot to be desired; it often feels unnatural.
My final critique of this book relates to my edition. Namely, the size of the book is misleading. Looking at the book, you would think that you are in store for a 300, maybe 400, page story. Nope, the final 100 pages consist of book bloatware: Christmas letters written by the author, an unrelated short story, an excerpt from another book, and an interview with the author. Who asked for all of that?
The good
There are a few positives to Starry Night, including that it is a quick and easy read. It also has a happy ending, which is something that I appreciate in holiday romances.
Overall
Starry Night is simply not my cup of tea. Even for a fluff read, it comes across as slapdash. In my opinion, there are more worthwhile holiday romances that you could read.
Have you read Starry Night? If so, let me know what you thought of it in the comments section below!
