Always Something There to Remind Me

"Everyone has a first love, one person they never completely got over, right?" Well Erin Edwards never forgot her first love: Nate Lawson. Twenty-three years later, she still remembers him and the old feelings. Nate was the only man she truly fell in love with. It doesn't matter if they were teenagers. It was real. It was emotional. And it was heartbreaking when he got away and their relationship abruptly ended over a petty misunderstanding.

Now Erin has a successful career, a beautiful 16-year-old daughter, and a boyfriend who just proposed. Sounds like the good life, right? Except Erin still hasn't gotten over Nate. She can't stop thinking of him. Her every thought, literally, is about Nate. She just can't seem to forget the past and move on with her future. There is always something there to remind her. It certainly doesn't help when they happen to cross paths and meet.

The chapters alternate between past and present. I usually don't prefer this writing style, but it flowed in Always Something There to Remind Me. I actually preferred the narration of the main character's past rather than her present. Erin's younger self seemed way more smarter and focused than her adult self. It is even more apparent when Erin gets sound advice from her teenage daughter. Maybe her indecisiveness is why the book sort of moved slow to me. I wanted to just tell Erin to make up her mind already! Stop wallowing in self-pity and get it together, lady!

I am a fan of Beth Harbison, bestselling author of Shoe Addicts Anonymous, Secrets of a Shoe Addict, and Hope in a Jar just to name a few. She's one of the few chick lit authors that write with more than fluff. There are actually story lines and well-developed characters. Always Something There to Remind Me is no exception. I wouldn't call it a page-turner, and doubt the characters will linger around the fiction portion of my brain. And it did drag out (because of the character, not the author's writing style). However, the concept and life lesson rings so true. You never forget your first love, or the one that got away. It leaves you wondering about your own past experiences or lost love. Hmmm, what if...?

Title: Always Something There to Remind Me
Author: Beth Harbison
Published:  July 2011
Pages: 358
Edition: Hardcover
Rating: ♥♥♥