Enter Marshall Hendricks, a psychologist searching for distraction as he struggles with a life-altering blow of his own. Though Wren initially rebuffs Marshall’s attempt at hiker small talk, she’s beyond grateful when he rescues her from a horrifying encounter farther down the trail. In the interest of safety, Marshall suggests partnering up to look for additional caches. Wren’s no longer quite so trusting of the universe―or men in general―but her inner circle might argue that a smart, charismatic psychologist isn’t the worst thing the universe could place in her path.
What begins as a platonic road trip gradually blossoms into something deeper, and the more Wren learns about Marshall, the more she wants to know. Now all she can do is hope that the universe gets it right this time.
Comment: The blurb of this novel made it seem like it would be a cute, perhaps a little angsty, romance while the main characters were doing a trail in Oregon. Although I'm not a fan of this activity in my personal life, I still find plots with this hiking and trailing business interesting, not sure why!
Wren Waters is about to start a trail in Oregon, which also includes geocaching, which is something she feels passionate about, when she meets Marshall Hendricks, who is doing the same. At first she is determined to be aloof and his offer to partner up is refused, but later one Wren finds some trouble and he helps her. From then on, trust is expected and they decided to keep up the geocaching quest together, which means plenty of time to share things and become closer. But both are dealing with past sorrows and heartbreak. Is there any hope for something solid between them or this adventure something they will forget when they separate?
Years ago, another book by this author (On the Island) was on the list of many of my friends, or at least the ones I have more contact with on goodreads. I was not sold on the idea and I have never tried that other book but when I saw the blurb for this one, it really sounded great. Since I had read other books in the past with the theme ( trail setting), I thought I'd enjoy this one too.
At first, I was quite engaged and I've found the author's writing style to be fluid and easy. I liked the setting, of course, and just like it happened with those other books I had tried before, while reading this one I also felt like I could imagine myself in those locations, seeing those landscapes and such. Well, in my mind, because I'm not really athletic. But the setting up seemed great. I was also invested in Wren, she is the narrator, and what she was going through. We are told she is mourning her deceased fiancé, but there is more to this than what seems at first, something that is developed throughout the novel.
Marshall is the romantic interest and we meet him right at the beginning, he does seem like a good guy. He happens to be a psychologist, which is an interesting choice, considering what we learn as the story advances. I think there was a time that I felt this was too convenient because they could have conversations in such a way that advice/counseling almost seemed to be included, which was more like a handy tool the author was giving us for our understanding and reflections on what was being shared, and not a real believable progress of the characters' relationship.
As they go on, they become closer and the shared experiences make this even more obvious, especially since we see everything through Wren's eyes. They click so easily, in fact, that it felt this would lead towards a predictable path, with them falling in love and worrying about geography, because Wren lives in Ohio and would need to go back home at some point. Again, conveniently, her job allows her to work anywhere, so I could see where this would go once they solved their issues.
At this point, the story was entertaining enough and I was having a good time, but it wasn't spectacular, it wasn't as addictive as I imagined. I figured this would lead on to something pretty average but then the drama intensified and a few new details were added, mostly regarding Wren's future and the way these new elements would interfere with her relationship with Marshall, who also was going through emotional drama of his own. I knew this would be more a woman's fiction type of novel than romance, so the drama and the dealing with it didn't bother me.
However, it is a fact that this new turn of events made their connection change a little, or at least caused it be seen through a different perspective and I admit I've started to feel a bit bored. It's not that things were now bad, but I just didn't find the same eagerness to know what happened next. I've kept going because I wanted to see how the author would solve the distance thing, what handy situation would make it easier for them to move in together at last, and this included a lot of conversations and "dealing with one's feelings".
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