Official Review: Cookie Cutter by Jo Richardson

SpiMer · Post by **SpiMer** » 06 Aug 2015, 18:57

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Cookie Cutter" by Jo Richardson.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Cookie Cutter, by Jo Richardson, is a romance novel that tells the story of Iris, the recently divorced mother of a teenaged daughter, and Carter, her new neighbor. Iris separated from her husband a year ago, and feels her life is too busy to have room for a romantic relationship. Unfortunately, Iris is drawn to Carter in spite of this, and in spite of his smug and frustrating personality.

Carter also has qualms about getting to know Iris better. She seems difficult and demanding. He is also recovering from a previous relationship that went sour, and doesn’t feel like he can trust his feelings now. However, he can’t help but insert himself into Iris’s life- carrying her groceries, running into her around town, and helping her with volunteer work.

Their attraction is further complicated by the fact that Carter is flipping his house and does not intend to stay in town. Iris wonders if getting involved with him would be worth it, since he will be leaving. She feels she needs to consider her daughter, Ally. Ally is the most important person in Iris’s world, and Iris doesn’t want to make Ally uncomfortable by dating someone, especially someone who would be, at best, a temporary part of their lives.

Cookie Cutter was a quick and enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed scenes involving Iris and Ally. Their relationship seemed realistic. There were times that Iris longed to see some sign of the younger, sweeter girl Ally used to be, and times that Ally showed she actually did appreciate her mother, even though she did not act like it very often. The love Iris feels for Ally was clear throughout the book, even when she was fed up with Ally’s behavior.

I also enjoyed Carter’s character. He was a sincere, kind person. I never felt as aggravated by him as Iris did. I believe that is because Ms. Richardson switches back and forth between writing from Iris’s perspective and Carter’s perspective. This is a difficult task to complete successfully. I usually feel like female authors make a good effort, but in reality, men and women do not view things the same way, and do not think about things the same way. These kinds of stories often end up feeling like the male characters’ thoughts are written the way females wish males would think. That thought did not strike me as I read this book, and I feel Ms. Richardson did a good job with Carter.

I give Cookie Cutter 3 out of 4 stars. It was a sweet story and I enjoyed learning about all of the characters and discovering their backgrounds. I would recommend this book to anyone needing a pleasant diversion on a lazy afternoon.

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Cookie Cutter
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