Book Review: Because of You by Kathryn Starke

Reviewer: Allie

I received this book in exchange for an honest review

Lily is a young principal in her late twenties (which I didn’t know was even possible) who finds herself in the position of always being the bridesmaid.  Even though all her friends are getting married, Lily doesn’t panic about her single status.  She’s certain that she’ll find her true love.  On a girls’ weekend in Miami, she meets Patrick and they fall in love, date for two years and plan to get married.  On her wedding day, Lily gets trapped in an elevator with a stranger named Michael, which is the catalyst for her to question whether or not she’s marrying the right man.

The book is technically very well written.  The plot, although a bit clichéd, is intriguing.  What happens when a bride has jitters on her wedding day?  Is it just nerves, or a signal from your gut that something’s not right?  Unfortunately, the dilemma in this story didn’t resonate with me, because there really weren’t any signs leading up to the wedding that Lily doubted her commitment.  Patrick seemed like the perfect guy and Lily was in love.  I get the “love at first sight” thing, which is what I assume happened in the elevator, but it was never really shown to the reader.  I didn’t feel any chemistry between Lily and Michael, nor did I buy that his asking her “if she was happy,” would lead to her cancelling the wedding.  Throughout much of the book we were told how Lily, Patrick and Michael felt, but due to the shortness of the story and the speed of the plot, I couldn’t relate.  Actions speak louder than words and I didn’t see enough.   I don’t feel like I got to know any of the main characters.    Additionally, it was hard to like Lily after the wedding fiasco, because she didn’t show much remorse for Patrick, who didn’t do anything wrong.

3 stars