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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Book Review: Weightless

By Gail Allison

Hanging out on the fringes of her 10-year high school reunion, Annabel isn’t surprised when no one comes racing up to her with squeals of “Oh my gosh I haven’t seen you in sooooo long!!!” She’s planning to spend the party the same way she spent her high school career: hiding in the shadows and hoping that no one, especially Christy Blake, notices her. Christy Blake was a bully who specialized in making Annabel (or AnnaBall as she was known) feel terrible about herself. Annabel managed to pull herself out of the mire of horrible feelings and find a career that is fulfilling, as well as lose 70 pounds, but she still feels the barbs that Christy Blake stuck into her ten years ago.

So when her high school crush Jack Winslow mistakes her for the infamous Christy Blake at the reunion and asks her out, her high school sensibilities kick in and she says yes…without bothering to correct his mistake. One thing leads to another, and Jack and Annabel become closer and closer, and end up falling in love. Unfortunately Annabel has never corrected the initial case of mistaken identity. Instead, she has come back with half-truths and tricky answers to his questions about her life in and after high school as Christy Blake. It’s a precarious house of cards, and Annabel’s counseling people at her job about how important it is to find inner beauty and peace, yet living the complete opposite. Will Jack be able to deal with it when the truth finally comes crashing down between them?

Michele Gorman’s short story, Weightless, is a really fun read. The premise is easy to follow, and even though there are multiple cringe-worthy moments, you never really want to put it down. I think Ms Gorman chose the right route when she decided to tell this tale as a short story. I feel like a full novel would just drag out the situations a little too much. This was the perfect vehicle for the given plot line. She managed to inject humor, tension, and enough details that you never felt like you were missing out on anything into the 40-ish pages of this story.

Weightless is a well-told story that flows comfortably and reads easily. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, why not treat yourself to this charming little gem? It’s currently FREE through February 14th (see details below) and if you miss that special offer, it's still only $1 for Kindle and I promise it won’t give you cavities or go straight to your hips. And that’s the honest truth.

Thanks to Notting Hill Press for the book in exchange for an honest review and for offering it as a FREE download on Smashwords! Use the coupon code ZH34Q (not case-sensitive) between now and Friday to take advantage of this generous offer! After that, it is available for $1 at the following sites:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Barnes and Noble

You can also check out the first two chapters here!

More by Michele Gorman:

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