Review of Bar Maid

zarlyn joy delmo · Post by **zarlyn joy delmo** » 07 Jan 2022, 01:10

[Following is a volunteer review of "Bar Maid" by Daniel Roberts.]

4 out of 4 stars

Share This Review

Fresh from his stint on Camp Shining Star as a counselor, Charlie was ready to set off to college - or so he thought. On his very first night after settling into his dormitory, Charlie's visit to the Samson's Street Oyster House changed his life. At 18, he fell in love and his college days were over before it even began. He became the knight-in-shining-armor for Paula, the brown-eyed barmaid of the Oyster House and from then on, she became the center of his universe. Now, Charlie has to learn how to navigate his young love for Paula and his education because as fate would have it, the universe has so many plans for both of them.

Set in the 90s, this book has given me so much insight into how the world and society were from decades back. The book was written in such a way that readers could really look back on how it was like in the 90s. The author did a great job in this approach as the book doesn't sound very modern. Another thing I love about this book is the young adult concept set in college. Most young-adult novels are set in high school and reading a young-adult character in college seems fresh and remarkable for me since I believe, the real coming-of-age happens mostly in college and not in high school.

As for the characters, I love how they are written and presented in the book. At first, I thought that it was hard to connect to both Paula and Charlie's characters but as I go, I realized I related to them in more ways I did not expect. Charlie taught me how important it is to learn from my mistakes and how I can correct them so I can move forward. He taught me a lot about one's life bookmark and how it is for an 18-year old to be in love in the 90s for the first time. Paula's sense of self-achievement and self-love is something we need to be reminded of at times when we enter a relationship. On the whole, the characters were beautifully written. Even if at most, they are only shown through Charlie's perspective, I could still feel the other characters' personalities towards the story.

More than the romance, more than the young love, I believe this book is more like a coming-of-age story. It perfectly shows how one could grow up so immensely fast and how life could be exciting and challenging in just a short period of time. The romance is exciting. The characters are lovable and the story is remarkable.
The book is a perfect afternoon read. The one you could devour in one sitting.
I gave the book 4 out 4 stars as I really enjoyed reading it and did not note any errors in the writing.

******
Bar Maid
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon