Anywhere but Here by Jenny Gardiner

Summary:
**Formerly titled "Over the Falls"**

Mary Kate Dupree has been spinning her wheels for too long. Trapped in an abusive marriage to an overbearing good ol’ boy, she finally decides break the cycle when she heads out to pick up her husband's dry cleaning and instead picks up a handsome hitchhiker. They impulsively set off on a road trip of self-discovery, peeling away layers of their dark pasts en route to Niagara Falls, but once there will they take the leap?
Summary taken from GoodReads.com
Length: 198 pages (approx.)
Source: E-book purchased for free on Amazon
Publication Date: October 20th 2010

Every month my favourite GoodReads group does monthly buddy reads. This time I was partnered with a wonderful new friend and we decided since we both had gotten this one for free from Amazon that this should be one of the books we read together. I was really excited to start this one because last year I found one of the author's other books at my workplace and have been meaning to give her a try.

I was looking for something nice, light and easy to read with my buddy and this one had a really cute cover so I was hoping judging by the cover and the synopsis that I would love this book.

I didn't.

I mean I liked it well enough but it just fell sort of flat for me. I couldn't connect with Mary Kate or Smoothie. I did find both of them funny but I felt that they were both a little one dimensional. I felt bad for Mary Kate for how her husband Richard "The Dick" treated her I really did but to me it seemed strange that she didn't portray very much emotion through out the book which I feel kind of threw the book off balance. I thought she was strange too for picking up a hitch hiker (Smoothie) and running off with him to Niagara Falls where she plans to jump to her death just so she will have done something in her life.

Yes I get the fact that she was trapped in a loveless abusive marriage but come on the author seemed as though she were over reaching a bit trying to make this book really funny or quirky but for me it didn't work out that way.

It did have it's funny moments I mean Mary Kate when she gets nervous types weird things out with her fingers in mid air, and Smoothie's wife cheated on him with HER best FEMALE friend and then he later found out that the girl he diddled and lost his virginity to was his cousin just days after he left his wife was hysterical. However I don't think that the funny bits were enough to carry this book and I think the author should add more dimension to her characters and rely less on humour and more on her strengthening her story telling abilities. It was okay as a fluffy read but it fell wa short of my expectations. I do still plan on trying the other book I own by her out.

I do recommend this book though to people looking for a light, cheesy read with low expectations.

P.S. My Buddy rated this 4 stars so once again it depends on the person on how good a book is.

★ ★ 1/2