Carr’s previous Thunder Point novel impressed me. This one, I’m not so sure.
As a romance, Wildest Dreams might be a miss. Blake was a great guy and I loved his friendships with Charlie and the other neighbors. But I just didn’t see him falling in love with reserved and cool Lin Su.
Mainly I don’t think I felt any connection to Lin Su, so it was hard to see her in a romantic light. I believed her as a hard-working mom, fiercely loving her son, but not really as a love interest to an energetic, effusive athlete who pushes boundaries.
The beginning was more telling than showing, but the dialog and character interaction improved as the book went on.
As a family drama, Wildest Dreams succeeded. Carr made me cry for Lin Su as a child, not having her real mother, not ever feeling like she belonged. I appreciated the sense of community that Carr built, and addressing the social issues of race and having a baby out of wedlock and adoption and status.
Robyn Carr is one of my favorite writers, and though it seems she’s moving slightly away from romance in Thunder Point, I will adjust my expectations and look forward to the next novel in the series.
-calliope
Random Book Muses 