Review by mdr94 -- Girl with the Flat Tire by Leon Loy
Posted: 26 Aug 2020, 20:04
[Following is a volunteer review of "Girl with the Flat Tire" by Leon Loy.]
A young lady, in need of a change of scene from her parents’ home in Mississippi, goes on a ‘where the wind takes me’ road trip that turns into a whirlwind romance with misunderstandings that show how quickly impulsive decisions can turn deadly in this novel by Leon Loy. Set in 1975, Girl with the Flat Tire follows Anna Nevin on a trip to get out of the monotony of her post-divorce life. After suffering a flat tire on a deserted stretch of highway during the late evening in the middle of Texas, Anna is luckily saved from spending a lone night in her car when Travis Anderson happens upon her.
The chemistry between Anna and Travis is immediate but it is soon disrupted when John Brookner shows up in Flat Mountain the next day and spots Anna. Guns, drugs, and rock ‘n roll take center stage in this novel that does not disappoint when it comes to twists and turns.
What I liked most about this novel was the setting, both time and place. I’m a big fan of any author who decides to add music into their work as, for me, it really helps me connect to a character when I can figure out more of their personality based off of what music they like versus an author telling me outright. This book highlights so many artists and songs that defined this era and really helped sell the ‘seventies experience’ but also bonds certain characters together. I also really liked Flat Mountain for the setting. This cute little town where everyone knows everyone became the perfect setting for this story that wouldn’t have felt right in a large city.
What I disliked most about the book was the time span from beginning to end. This story takes place over about three full days. While there are plenty of books where that short of a period works, I find that it detracted from how ‘real’ the connections felt with other characters. Anna bonds quite quickly with several characters and, while that is perfectly plausible to some, to me it came off as rushed. Had the story been more spread out, for example over three weeks instead of three days, I think the emotions that everyone is feeling at the end of the story would feel more appropriate in the intensity.
Overall, I give Girl with the Flat Tire 3 out of 4 stars. The book is exceptionally well edited, no errors in spelling or grammar that I noticed. I’m giving it 3 stars instead of 4 because, as mentioned above, I find the time span to be just a bit too short, which left me a tad disappointed with the resolution of the story in the end. However, this story has little cliffhangers in many of its chapters, keeping the reader guessing what will happen next. I think that anyone interested in a story with danger, romance, suspense, and some classic seventies feels would enjoy this novel.
******
Girl with the Flat Tire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A young lady, in need of a change of scene from her parents’ home in Mississippi, goes on a ‘where the wind takes me’ road trip that turns into a whirlwind romance with misunderstandings that show how quickly impulsive decisions can turn deadly in this novel by Leon Loy. Set in 1975, Girl with the Flat Tire follows Anna Nevin on a trip to get out of the monotony of her post-divorce life. After suffering a flat tire on a deserted stretch of highway during the late evening in the middle of Texas, Anna is luckily saved from spending a lone night in her car when Travis Anderson happens upon her.
The chemistry between Anna and Travis is immediate but it is soon disrupted when John Brookner shows up in Flat Mountain the next day and spots Anna. Guns, drugs, and rock ‘n roll take center stage in this novel that does not disappoint when it comes to twists and turns.
What I liked most about this novel was the setting, both time and place. I’m a big fan of any author who decides to add music into their work as, for me, it really helps me connect to a character when I can figure out more of their personality based off of what music they like versus an author telling me outright. This book highlights so many artists and songs that defined this era and really helped sell the ‘seventies experience’ but also bonds certain characters together. I also really liked Flat Mountain for the setting. This cute little town where everyone knows everyone became the perfect setting for this story that wouldn’t have felt right in a large city.
What I disliked most about the book was the time span from beginning to end. This story takes place over about three full days. While there are plenty of books where that short of a period works, I find that it detracted from how ‘real’ the connections felt with other characters. Anna bonds quite quickly with several characters and, while that is perfectly plausible to some, to me it came off as rushed. Had the story been more spread out, for example over three weeks instead of three days, I think the emotions that everyone is feeling at the end of the story would feel more appropriate in the intensity.
Overall, I give Girl with the Flat Tire 3 out of 4 stars. The book is exceptionally well edited, no errors in spelling or grammar that I noticed. I’m giving it 3 stars instead of 4 because, as mentioned above, I find the time span to be just a bit too short, which left me a tad disappointed with the resolution of the story in the end. However, this story has little cliffhangers in many of its chapters, keeping the reader guessing what will happen next. I think that anyone interested in a story with danger, romance, suspense, and some classic seventies feels would enjoy this novel.
******
Girl with the Flat Tire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon