Book Review: Just Destiny by Theresa Rizzo (no spoilers)

Book: Just Destiny
Author: Theresa Rizzo
Publication: March 31st, 2014
Source: From Publisher for Review
Read: May 8-19,2014
Summary (from goodread):

What would you do if your whole world fell apart?

Jenny Harrison made some poor choices in the past, but marrying Gabe was the best thing she’d ever done. They had the perfect marriage, until a tragic accident leaves Gabe brain dead and her world in ruins. Devastated by grief, she decides to preserve the best of their love by conceiving his child, but Gabe’s family is adamantly opposed, even willing to chance exposing long-held family secrets to stop her. Caught in a web of twisted motives and contentious legal issues, Jenny turns to best friend and attorney, Steve Grant. Steve wants to help Jenny, but he has reservations and secrets of his own.

When something so private and simple turns public and complicated, will Jenny relent? What is Steve willing to sacrifice to help Jenny

My Thoughts:
* I received this book free from the publisher for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation for this review. All thoughts and feelings about this novel are my own.*

The author of this novel was kind of enough to send me a copy of this book. When I recieved the email and read the summary I thought it sounded like a great book. I do have to admit that it wasn't my cup of tea. There were so many things that could have been fleshed out. There were moments that could have been more developed instead of just dragging on the moments that had little importance.

In the beginning of the book I was enamored by Jenny and Gabe's relationship although big age differences are usually a red flag for me. I couldn't help, but feel how wonderful their relationship was. Then Jenny's life got turned upside down and my interested was steady through those pages. After Jenny leaves the hospital the whole book slows down. Jenny wants to conceive Gabe's child and she has to go through a court case against Gabe's uncle, George, who raised Gabe.

My problem with the middle of this book is that it was all about waiting. There was no action there was just waiting. Maybe that realistically what life is, but in books I like characters to be taking chances and getting hurt or finding the solution they need. I don't want characters that complain about their bad luck. Jenny's decision was controversial to say the least, but she needs to be the one to take action on the decision and choose her own destiny.

Then there is Jenny's friend Steve. He is a lawyer and lives next door. He also happens to want more than a friendship with Jenny. Now with Gabe gone Steve doesn't know what to do. He wants to have a happy life, but can he do that without Jenny. I enjoyed Steve for the most part as a character because his feelings were honest.

Then towards the end of the novel I was again interested in the book. The court case was intense and well written, but certainly not to the level of Jodi Picoult's or Kristin Hannah's court cases. I don't think the result of the court case was super predictable either which was good. I don't like when I can clearly guess the outcome. I think the author was realistic with the waiting period in this point of the book. I was okay with the lack of things going on. Jenny still has a lot of decisions to make. The ending of Just Destiny was surprising and then not surprising. In some ways I guessed the ending, but in other ways I saw a different life for Jenny. I was satisfied with the ending of this novel.

I gave this book a meh rating because of how much I struggled to make it through the book in the middle. As I said I believe their were parts that could have recieved more attention. Jenny's relationship with her little brother Michael one that I would have loved to learn more about and not just through the court case. I believe that with more action this book would have been more interesting. I neither loved it nor hated it so I gave it a neutral rating.