I was also disappointed with how the romantic aspect of the novel was concluded. I felt that the resolution of the main plot (how to change someone's life) was disappointing and predictable. I never really felt emotionally invested in any of characters there was never a moment even close to making me think about crying (and I cried during Harry Potter books!). I never really felt any sense of connection to the main character. I was expecting this book to tug at my girlie heart strings and take me on an emotional roller coaster of tears and laughter and leave me with an over all feel-good sense. Or perhaps my expectations for my first book that could really fall into this category were not realistic. Perhaps "chick lit" isn't really my thing. I thought this book was an easy read and while I was reading, I have to admit that I wanted to know what happened next, but overall I was disappointed with the experience. I just joined a book club with friends and this was the book they chose to read. We get one shot, one opportunity, one moment to shape our own lives - so jump in and take it. And more than anything, what I took away from the novel was this: live your life to the fullest. Nothing kills a novel faster for me than a dry, one-dimensional ensemble.įans of women's fiction will enjoy June's adventures and maybe shed a tear or two (I won't judge). June's coworkers were all very funny, fleshed-out folks, too.
I surely appreciated the change of pace and enjoyed reading about the world of advertising. For once, June isn't a publicist or a magazine editor or a New York City fashion maven she's a copywriter for an L.A.-based group which encourages carpooling as a way to cut down on traffic. Smolinski also did a great job of balancing June's personal life with what she does at work - which is where most of us spend all our time, anyway. I laughed out loud so many times in the book, dog-earing pages with quotes I wanted to remember. When we could have easily become mired in a depressing tale, Smolinski's humorous and fast-paced writing kept us moving forward. The Next Thing On My List struck the perfect balance between remembering Marissa and her life while still allowing the characters to grow and move on. Any off-color jokes would certainly have not been well-received by the audience - me - but we never got that point.
The strength of book, for me, came in the form of June and Smolinski's sense of humor, which was pitch-perfect. It's actually an incredibly entertaining, heartwarming and inspirational novel that had me flipping the pages from day one. Jill Smolinski's The Next Thing On My List isn't anywhere near the sobfest you would expect it to be, considering our narrator is completing tasks dreamed up by a dead woman. Still, the plot moved forward and there were some situations that really captured my attention and kept me reading, as well as scenes that were quite entertaining. And I really didn’t like how the relationship with a young girl she is supposedly mentoring played out.
I also wasn’t much of a fan of most of June’s friends. As she worked to complete Marissa’s list it really became all about HER, not about honoring Marissa. I was not a big fan of the main character, June, who really seemed to have her priorities backwards. To assuage her guilt, June races to achieve each goal herself before the deadline, learning more about her own life than she ever bargained for. From the book jacket: After a car accident in which her passenger, Marissa, dies, June Parker finds herself in possession of a list Marissa has written: “20 Things to Do By My 25th Birthday.” The tasks range from inspiring (run a 5K) to daring (go braless) to near-impossible (change someone’s life).
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