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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Decent premise, impossible story., March 2, 2009
*This review contains spoilers.*
This story covers a basic premise: broken girl meets broken family and together they heal each other. But the unraveling of the story is so beyond the imagination it leaves possibility and realism behind. Kendra, a woman grappling with the effects of a rape in her past and feelings of self loathing for loving a married man, is a hard heroine to get to know and love. Her reactions to things and condemnation of herself over her relationship (or lack of, see next paragraph) with Will become quite tedious as the story unfolds.
Kendra and Will love each other after having a pseudo relationship for 18 months with very little contact? I find this hard to believe. I just don't know how this relationship could be so profound with so little foundation. And when Kendra gets the letter from Will and refuses to open it...well, I just wanted to reach into the page and wrestle the thing out of her hands and open it myself!
Kyle is the perfect man. Sure he is flawed, ignoring his alcoholic wife's problem for too long, but when called upon he steps up. Kendra seems to think he and Ashlyn belong together, but I think Kendra and Kyle belong together and Kendra is too blind to see it.
The author does a good job of catching the reader's attention and making us wonder who will she end up with, will she abandon the children and Kyle for a life with Will? Or will she finally notice what's right in front of her eyes and grasp the life with the children AND their father. Unfortunately the way it plays out is disappointing and too far fetched.
I did like the way the story is written in a 1st person POV, but then switches to Kyle and Ashlyn's stories to give more depth to their history. But what this managed to do for me was make it seem even more impossible for the two of them to end up back together. Why couldn't Kendra see that?
I don't know, the whole thing was just not what I expected or even wanted in a story. I read this author's previous book "My Best Friend's Girl" and I loved it so I was excited for this one. It just didn't measure up to my expectations. The writing is great, the story is lacking.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
intriguing family drama, February 3, 2009
This review is from: Marshmallows for Breakfast (Paperback)
After spending time in Australia, Kendra Tamale returns home to England to escape with a fresh start. She rents a room from Kyle Gadsborough. Her plan is to keep everything simple and with her landlord, mind her business while paying the rent on time; no personal relationships.
However she feels sorry for his twin six year old children who are in shock that their mom left them and their dad. As she learned upon her first meeting with the kids, Summer cannot shut up reminding her she is black while Jaxon with his thumb in his mouth looks like the world has ended. The pair are pros when it comes to taking advantage of their dad. Unable to adhere to her plan of non-involvement especially when Kendra becomes Kendie, Kendra creates the sugar Saturday breakfasts even as she falls in love with the single father and his two kids. However, she believes her past will taint her in their eyes and prepares to give up to live a lonely wretched life as she expects Australia to surface especially when the mom returns to take the children with her.
This is an intriguing family drama in which one person's choice destroys another individual's equilibrium. The story line is character driven by obviously the four prime payers, but also subtly by the wife and by what happened in Australia as the past strongly influences the lead quartet. Fans will appreciate MARSHMALLOW FOR BREAKFAST as Dorothy Koomson provides a deep look at relationship failure and how little it takes to bring a glimmer of hope.
Harriet Klausner
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lightly toasted magic, February 28, 2008
Kendra Tamale returns to Britain from Australia following a failed affair. She goes back to work for an old friend. Life should become much simpler for her now, but it wouldn't make much of a story if that were the case.
Of course there are many complications, and her awful history catches up with her. There are quite a few imaginative twists and turns along the way, which keep the reader interested. There are also plenty of amusing parts to stumble across.
For me there was only one upsetting aspect of this fiction. The evil wrongdoer shares my name, Lance. That aside, I would recommend this marvellous tale to any of my friends and family.
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