Running Barefoot by Amy Harmon

I wanted to love this book, I expected to enjoy it as much as I adored "Making Faces" which made a HUGE impression on me, yet they have nothing in common... it was, just, well, boring! I made myself read almost half of it, then when I picked it up the day after - meaning today - to continue I couldn't be bothered with it, even though the exact place I put it down was were things were about to take a turn. Yet I just couldn't keep on going.. Even if things are going to change, the way this story is portrayed won't change.. 


The book starts with a general feel of the town Josie Jo Jensen grew up in, in SUCH details that you know of every shop, store or bar and where it is located. You also learn of the people who live in this town and the way they handle life and mainly tragedy since Josie lost her mother when she was 8 years old, which was exactly the day she became a grown woman, taking care of her father and 3 older brothers. We learn how she started cooking, what she was cooking and how she managed to learn more. Yep, interesting staff and also very important to a romance novel.. sorry for the sarcasm I was reading and reading and trying to figure out WHY I"m learning all those details and if there is going to be an exam in the end.. 

Things got interesting when Samuel Yates came into the picture. I really enjoyed the way their (friendly) relationship was building. Josie was so naive sweet and Samuel so messed up with his life (being half American half Native American and not finding his place in either world). Josie was truly the only one who accepted him as he was. They were just the perfect match. Too bad she was only 13 while he was already 18 years old which made him realize it could never work between them. So after joining the marines he cuts her lose in a very hurtful one sided way. It hurt but Josie managed it up until her life started to fall apart (again?) and she needed a guiding hand. Samuel is the one who suppose to be helping her now, as she helped him back then. I stopped reading right when they meet again when she is 23 and he 28. Exactly 10 years after it all started. 

I guess it was the time to rejoice, but I couldn't. I knew that even though we are going to get to the "good part" now when they are both grown enough to have a relationship, not to mention that now he is the strong one and she the weaker one - opposite to how it used to be, it would still be drenched with details about everyday life I couldn't be bothered to read about. So sadly at the 58% marked I let this one go. 

There is a whole section about Josie learning to play the piano and how much music meant to her. I actually enjoyed these parts with how much her teacher was a true mentor to her (ans somewhat a parent) yet as Josie was growing up her connection to the music started to fade and with it came all those terrible daily life details we had  BEFORE she started to play.. 

I should say that this is mostly a Young Adult novel. Half of the story is of Josie (being our sole POV) when she is either a child or a teenager. The story DOES continue when she is older but since the growing up part is so crucial to the story I'm considering it a YA. I'm usually not into this genre AT ALL, yet none of the problems I had with this story had anything to do with the characters but the writing. It wasn't that the writing was "bad" so to speak, it was too detailed on everything I wouldn't put any thought on.  

I have 2 more books planned by Amy, one even scheduled to next month, I'll give them a go because of "Making Faces" but I truly wish they would be better than this one. 

  (DNF 58%)

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 443 pages, 16-17 February 2015 / On GoodReads