I’ve just learned why they say not to judge a book by its cover. My general (and probably terrible) philosophy is, if a book looks appealing from the outside, then it probably is. Unfortunately, despite the cute beach scene depicted on its binding, Claire Cooke’s “Summer Blowout” disproved this theory.
Written by the bestselling author of “Must Love Dogs,” I expected great things from “Summer Blowout.” And while it had its moments, it just didn’t live up to my hopeful expectations.
This novel told the tale of Bella Shaughnessy, a member of a large and very complicated Boston Irish family whose patriarch wants nothing more than to be Italian – which explains the faux-Tuscan chain of salons owned and operated by the Shaughnessy clan. Bella, a makeup aficionado with a strong affinity for lipstick, is recently divorced from her husband after he cheats on her with her half-sister – just one example of the intricacies of this family.
After being left by her husband, Craig, for her half-sister (and closest friend), Sophia, Bella is, understandably, pretty bitter toward men and life in general. This mood continues throughout most of the book, but there are a couple pick-me-ups that start to turn her luck around — a tiny dog who wins her heart and an attractive man who helps her start up both a new business and a new life.
“Summer Blowout” is full of quirky and lively characters, and the aforementioned dog (originally named Precious, but later changed to Cannoli) is one of the main ones. For dog lovers, this might make the book all the more endearing, but I do not fall into that category.
Perhaps I’m biased, but I found Bella’s immediate change of heart from “not an animal person” to treating little Precious as the love of her life fairly grating. Her constant conversations with the dog, not to mention the fact that she buys it clothes and actually gives it fur highlights seem just a little over the top. I understand that the unconditional love of a dog can be very healing, but focusing your entire life around one just can’t be healthy — and is definitely annoying to read about.
Bella’s burgeoning relationship with entrepreneur Sean Ryan felt similarly contrived. There was nothing inherently wrong with his character or their encounters, it just didn’t feel real or particularly easy to relate to. Their conversations felt awkward and forced when they were supposed to be falling for each other — not an appealing factor in a romance story.
However, Sean did incite Bella to start a business selling personalized makeup kits, which was one of my favorite parts of the book. Cooke must have acquired a vast store of knowledge of makeup to write this book, or else she faked it impressively. Either way, the details about the different cosmetics and how to use them properly added a believable touch to the book that saved me from rolling my eyes at a few key points in the story.
Though there were warm, touching parts of the novel, overall I felt that it just tried too hard. I couldn’t quite get on board with Bella as a character I really wanted to see succeed — while her pessimistic attitude was reasonable in light of her situation, it certainly was not winning. Her family was amusing and quirky but just a little off. Her father’s overwhelming obsession with all things Italian could have been endearing, but just came off as making him seem a bit crazy.
As a whole, the book just felt disjointed. Scenes in the book seemed to cut off before they were finished, while others seemed to have no point at all. A majority of the dialogue felt unnatural, and I frequently found myself irritated with Bella’s constant interjections and outspoken mannerisms.
Both the storyline and characters of “Summer Blowout” have a lot of potential, but somehow, Cooke lost her way. This book did have some redeeming qualities, but unless you share Bella’s obsession with lipstick, resentful disposition, and lap dogs, it just wasn’t worth it.