CLOSER TO FINE
MERI WEISS
ISBN: 978-0-7582-2690-7
July 1, 2008
Kensington Publishing Group
850 Third Ave. New York, NY 10022
Trade Paperback
$14.00/$16.95
320 pages
Fiction
Rating: 3 cups

Alex is working on muddling through life even 4 years after losing her brother, which hurt her more than she thought it would. Her mother constantly asks her if she is okay. Her best friends Jordy and Jax are there to support her through it all. Sometimes she is not sure that is enough, but is unsure about what she is missing.

Jordy has been best friends with Alex for a very long time. She has seen Alex through her ups and downs and has been there when it mattered most. Yet she has kept something to herself for a very long time. Working on her dissertation has kept her very busy and so hopes that Alex will understand.

Pulling herself together after her brother’s death is not easy for Alex. It seems like her family was never able to accept her brother being gay. She enjoys the last few months that they have together, but it sends her into a spiral of emotions that she has a difficult time getting out of. Jax and Jordy are there to support her. Her sister Teddy does not know what to do with her. Even her psychiatrist knows there is more below the surface than even Alex does. The only person who lets her be is herself is Uncle Carchie whom she loves a lot. She is able to reminisce about the good old days and take some time to work on her dream. She just wonders if she can do everything and enjoy the free time she has thanks to what her brother gave her.

While humorous at times, this story was very touching. To deal with discrimination in this society when it comes to homosexuals is very prevalent in this book. I found the balance between sad and humorous moments very well done. That is not always easy to accomplish in this type of setting. The character of Alex was at times refreshing because she has such careless abandon toward life, but I also felt she had a lot of growing up to do. Her struggles were justified but a little too drawn out. Ms. Weiss has a fabulous debut novel on her hands and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Krista
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books