Book Review: Sweet Thing - Renee Carlino

Title: Sweet Thing

Author: Renee Carlino

Release Date: April 14th 2013

Publisher: Self-published

Source: ecopy from author for review

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Mia Kelly is a twenty-five-year-old walking Gap ad who thinks she has life figured out when her father’s sudden death uproots her from slow-paced Ann Arbor to New York City’s bustling East Village. There she discovers her father’s spirit for life and the legacy he left behind with the help of an old café, a few eccentric friends, and one charming musician.

Will Ryan is good-looking, poetic, spontaneous, and on the brink of fame when he meets Mia, his new landlord, muse, and personal heartbreaker.

A story of self-discovery and friendship, Sweet Thing shines light on the power of loving and letting go.

Mia Kelly had just lost her father, and now she was flying to New York to take over the cafe he'd left behind while mulling over what she wanted to do with her life. But she never thought that Will Ryan, the man who sat beside her in the plane, was about to be a big part of that future.

Sweet Thing was reminiscent of Jamie McGuire's Beautiful Disaster, in the sense that they both started with a bang before going down Frustrating Road—they even had the same reason for being that way! Yep, I'm talking about the MC, and in this case, it was Mia. Let me warn you: Mia angered me so much more than Abby did, so if you hated the latter enough to make you abhor Beautiful Disaster, then you probably shouldn't bother with Sweet Thing. Heck, you probably shouldn't even bother reading this review.

Now, I'll tell you why I disliked Mia:
- She'd always known that she liked Will, but she refused to give him a chance because he was a "starving musician", and she wanted a man with a future. (Totally understandable, though, because Will was so alike her deceased father, and she didn't want to end up like her mom: knocked up after a week of a whirlwind romance.)
- Despite her deepening feelings for Will, she continued dating a guy so boring, my eyes wanted to pop out every time he was on the page.
- About halfway through the book, I became confused as to why Mia was still avoiding a relationship with Will; her goals became vague.
- I especially hated how she'd get jealous when Will was with another girl, when she was the one who kept pushing him away.

The whole time I was like "Will, baby, come to me!" because he was the perfect mix of sweet and hot. He confused me at first, probably because the story was so focused on Mia that he came across simply as her roommate and love interest. Soon, though, he became his own person: a neurotic man who could play the guitar, harmonica, drums, and several other instruments, if I remember correctly; someone who valued his musical identity so much more than fame.

Aside from Will, what I liked about Sweet Thing was the music, how it overflowed with it, and I'm thinking of making a playlist with all the songs that were used/mentioned. And even though, overall, this book didn't amaze, the unhurried and sweet ending brought a smile to my face.

MY FAVORITE PART was Mia and Will's first meeting.

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