Review on Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Ok I’ll admit it, I’m not someone who is easily amused. I truly wish I was the person that laughed at the drop of a hat, but I’m not. With that being said, I want to share that I laughed out loud numerous times when reading this book. Save the Date by Jenny B. Jones at first glance looks like a classic, cute, chick- lit kind of book. I’m thinking, it will be sweet, charming and a nice read. There is nothing wrong with that, but as I got into the book, I discovered much, much more- funny, great characters and a “deeper than meets the eye” storyline.
Our heroine, Lucy Wiltshire is sort of a modern day Cinderella. Growing up in Charleston, South Carolina with a mother who earned her living as a maid did not give her social status at the prominent Montrose Academy where she attended as a child, and as a result endured teasing and bullying there. Fast forward to the present and Lucy is the founder of Saving Grace, a home for foster girls aged 18-21 making the transition to adulthood with her help and guidance. A major problem erupts- one of her biggest backers has pulled the plug on their contributions by a significant amount. She is in danger of losing the home and panicked about her girls, where will they go. Poor Lucy, what’s a girl to do?
Well, the hero of the story has the answer to that query- enter Alex Sinclaire- a former attendee of Montrose Academy and famous former professional football player as well. He has decided to run for a Congressional seat and Alex needs a little help overcoming his somewhat “Playboy” public perception problem. So after a chance meeting at a local gathering where both are present and pictures are taken of them together, he finds that his approval points have skyrocketed. It seems that the public likes a good Cinderella story and he hatches a plan- a staged romance with a win-win scenario- Alex gets a girl on his arm for public events and Lucy gets the funding she needs to keep Saving Grace open. Sounds like a no-brainer for everyone, but add in Lucy’s social awkwardness and propensity towards clumsiness and you get some really hilarious situations.
There is so much more going on in this story than the general romance between these two characters, Alex is dealing with grief and guilt over his twin brothers disappearance and probable death. Lucy struggles with feelings of great inferiority and worth as she describes herself at one of the many social events as “ a cubic zirconia in a sea of diamonds”. They truly go on a journey together in dealing with their respective “stuff”. Their chemistry and banter between each other is fun and amusing in one moment and truly deep and probing in the next. Add in Lucy’s love of all things science fiction, specifically Star Trek and the book just gets better and better. I couldn’t go into detail on the supporting characters here, but they are well written and really, really funny. When a well know socialite winds up at one of Lucy’s gatherings of her sci-fi friends and is asking questions about Star Trek, I about bust a gut.
It truly is rare for me to find a book where I am laughing uproariously in one moment and shedding tears the next, while seeing great spiritual elements in the whole thing. Elements like our struggles with our worth and figuring out the whole man-pleasing versus God-pleasing dilemma. I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed and I will be keeping my eye on Jenny B. Jones in the future. I know this is a Niagara Falls kind of review- much gushing- but I still stand by it. Great book, great characters and great read!

I was graciously provided a digital copy of this book by Thomas Nelson through the NetGalley program. All opinions expressed were my own and I was not obligated to write a positive review.





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