The Placeholder by Lynda Wolters
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
There are so many things that upset me about this book that I think the five-star reviews and I must have read different stories.
‘The Placeholder’ starts like a romance novel. The main character is going through a heartbreaking divorce and decides she needs to have lighter relationships for a while and enjoy herself. And then she proceeds to make decisions that make no sense. She proceeds to take one unsafe action after another and then when there are terrible consequences the reader is left to think that any woman who chooses to have lighter relationships deserves these dire consequences. This very serious triggering event happens pretty late into the story and while it’s handled a little bit, a more terrible thing happens to overshadow it.
The book takes a sharp turn from there onward and completely changes tone. Then it becomes about the main character’s legacy and her ability to be content with who she is. While her best friend sticks with her and is there through thick and thin, she also says things that are quite judgmental that doesn’t make sense in their relationship.
This book is not light. There are many trigger warnings and it’s hard to even classify it. While there was a sweet ending, I left it feeling disappointed and dejected.
with gratitude to edelweiss and mascot books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review
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