Butterface by Avery Flynn (Book Review)
Butterface by Avery Flynn centers around the very independent heroine, Gina Luca. Bullied terribly in her youth because of her facial features, she’s built up a coping mechanism to deal with the post-traumatic memories haunting her. Nevertheless, the pain of her past doesn’t keep her from a fulfilling life with friends and family. She also has a successful start-up wedding planning business that she’s proud of. She’s wounded, yes – but also practical and realistic. She finds meaning through long-term goals that she’s actively achieving.
She’s come to terms with her looks, accepts herself as she is, yet continues to struggle with paranoia and anxiety around being mistreated. She meets police officer Ford Hartigan while working at a wedding she’s planned. Together they move through a predicable plot: They are attracted to each other, but the woman is hesitant, she finally begins to trust him, she feels betrayed after discovering he’s a liar, she forgives him, they get back together and live happily ever after.
This contemporary romance was an entertaining read. I listened via audio book and found the narrators to be top-notch. It has its funny moments sprinkled here and there along with plenty of heartfelt sentiments to round it out. What I enjoyed more than the plot was the writing style of Avery Flynn. Her description of every little thing – the particulars of the character’s feelings and the way emotions were conveyed without words – is outstanding writing. I will be reading more of Avery Flynn. I would definitely like to experience how her conceptually descriptive writing style might play out in another story.
The heat level was flirty and sexy with a ton of physical attraction. I would have been able to connect more with the characters if their emotional attraction matched their physical. I did appreciate how Ford never let Gina get away with negative self-talk while on his watch. He was a good guy over all, but a bit too perfect. I still liked him anyway.
Despite the predictable plot, the themes of the story were executed beautifully: (1) There are some adults in leadership position who still act like immature children – don’t waste your time on these fools. (2) We can accept ourselves as we are and take charge of our future, but that doesn’t mean our past won’t bite at our heels once in a while. Finally – (3) don’t yuck on another person yum.
Avery Flynn is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling romance. Learn more about her at her website website, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest, like her on her Facebook page or friend her on her Facebook profile. She’s also on Goodreads and BookLikes.
You can also check out this review on Goodreads here: 3/5 stars.
I invite you to read all of my book reviews by clicking here.
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