Haiku Review Number 2

One More Time by Claire Cross

Couple still in love,
No longer communicate,
After shock, he leaves.

Neither is honest,
With themselves or each other,
Flawed but warm story.

Comments from the Peanut Gallery:

My feelings about this book are similar to the ones I had about Double Trouble: that it was flawed, but enjoyable. Ms. Cross is a skilled writer, her books have a nice emotional depth. Like Double Trouble, One More Time deals with expectations, the high ones that people have of themselves and the ones they love. How sometimes these expectations can stifle a person. This is definitely a romance, with an HEA, but also a novel about marriage and family, learning to be honest with yourself and others, and how to live with others.

OMT is about Matt and Leslie Coxwell, who have been together eighteen years and have somehow lost what made them fall madly in love. After Matt loses a court case, with awful and unexpected consequences, he leaves Leslie, convinced that she doesn't understand him at all. He takes off for New Orleans, home of a sexy ex-girlfriend. Understandably, Leslie is hurt, angry and resentful. But they both have a lot of self-examination to do, figuring out where and how they went wrong, before they could come together.

This one definitely resonated with me (especially having some communication issues of my own), but it wasn't perfect. I found the characters unsympathetic at times. Matt had just been a huge trauma, but I was a bit confused about his motivations in going to see his old girlfriend. He was definitely still in love with Leslie, but then it seems like his intention was to get together with the ex. Leslie was a bit hard. There were reasons why, but she was frustrating at times. I would've liked a bit more romance, it was a bit "How Leslie and Matt got their Grooves Back." I'll still give it a B-. It was a satisfying, emotional read. Try it if you like stories about married couples.