I approach every book I read with the intense desire to love it and give it a 5-star rating. Most times, this is not possible. I gave Ups and Downs by D. B. Carter 5 stars on Goodreads and Amazon.
This book was particularly difficult to rate. While I would’ve rated the first half only 4 stars, the second half is much more convincing, which led to my final rating.
Why I Picked Up the Book
It all began with #indieapril, a Twitter event that promotes indie authors, and my post inviting authors to share their books. Ups and Downs is one of five books I bought on this occasion.
What made me choose this book out of 300+ replies? Two reasons. In the first place, I’ve been meaning to read a romance novel for a while now (they’re not normally my cup of tea), as I’m working to improve the ‘romance’ in my own novels. The blurb made me think it was focused on the relationship, which was what I wanted to read. In the second place, this novel is rather short, so I had better chances of finishing it. Reading romance for me is similar to ripping a bandage–I want to do it as quickly as possible and move on.
Big Pluses
I already mentioned I think the second half is way better than the first. There’s a scene there I particularly enjoyed. To avoid any spoilers, I’ll just refer to it as The Staircase Incident and let you read it and figure out what it’s all about. The way the suspense was raised and maintained significantly improved my opinion of the author.
A (rather small) part of me wished the story would go in a different direction, but in the end I was glad it didn’t.
Minuses
As I already mentioned, I wasn’t all that impressed with the first part of the book, mainly for one reason. There’s a significant scene, where Carol spills out her backstory to the nosy assistant. The scene seemed to be there only because the author wanted to reveal that particular information to the reader, and it was done rather mechanically and in a way that felt out of place. Carol’s confession is followed by her assistant’s own back story, which felt just out of place as the first. I would’ve preferred for the mystery to be kept a while longer, and for it to be revealed bit by bit. But hey, maybe that’s just because I love mysteries.
The Characters
The protagonist is Carol, a woman in her late 30s with baggage consisting mostly of a failed marriage plus a few other youthful mistakes that haunted her. When it comes to love, she’s lost all hope of finding anyone, mainly because she considers herself wildly unattractive (an opinion that hasn’t been confirmed by other characters).
I disliked Carol. Every time she was at the office, which was most of the time, I kept thinking, ‘Man, life would be terrible with a boss like her!’ She’s in desperate need of some people management courses.
Lila is the aforementioned assistant. She is a great character. At times, she was even able to put her boss in check, which is impressive. Lila’s role in the story was the classic friend of the protagonist, the one who pushes Carol to live and take chances with ‘the guy’. I would’ve loved to know more about her, but I understand there wasn’t space for it.
The Guy – the protagonist’s love interest. He has a name; I just can’t remember it. (I’m smart, I swear). I rooted for him ever since he appeared on scene (which happened much later than I would’ve wanted, by the way). As I want this to be a spoiler-free review, I’m afraid I can’t share all my thoughts about this character.
The Plot
The plot of Ups and Downs revolves around Carol’s business and the danger of losing it. She runs into a string of bad luck, as unlikely events keep happening as if the Universe itself wants her to lose her business. I will let you discover what happens in the end and whether she succeeds or not.
The romance itself fell on the back-burner. Turns out the only person who can help her save her business is The Guy (still don’t remember his name…was it Jeffrey?) The only problem is, she’s hurt him in the past. Will he be willing to lend a helping hand?
Who Would Enjoy Reading Ups and Downs?
Fans of clean romance, who enjoy a story set on relationships. The book leaves readers with a ‘feel-good’ sensation. Also, people who want a quick read in a rainy afternoon.
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About the author
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2021
- Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
- joanne paulsonReviewed in Canada on November 17, 2020
Wonderful romance with a brilliant twist
- Jan MapleReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 5, 2020
Warm, Believable Characters and a Lovely Romantic Read
