Man, I have been saving this book since it was released, afraid to read it too quickly, lest I would regret having exhausted this precious new material too soon. Of course, I knew what would happen when I finally gave in to it yesterday. I loved it, but it was over way too soon, of course. Still, thank you SEP, for continuing to perpetuate one of my favorite biannual pleasures 
My favorite scene was definitely the final showdown at the landfill. It was just so emotionally charged and Ted finally de-roboted and became a real boy. I didn't mind him telling Meg Lucy broke his heart so much, because it only showed how confused and distraught he felt, which was a relief from his actions up to that point, especially since we had no idea what was really going on in his head at all. I definitely understand the reason SEP deliberately didn't let us do that, but this was supposed to be "Ted's book," so even after I finished and understood the logic behind it, I still feel a little bit like I wanted to know him more. I loved Meg and wasn't sorry to see so much of her thoughts and feelings in the book, but I really wish there could have been at least a few glimpses into Ted's head throughout, if only for the enjoyment of a few hilarious surface observations. I mean, it's TEDDY! How long have we all been waiting for this book? It's not that I expect dual POVs from romance novels, but I do expect them from SEP, because of prior experience, so I was just a wee bit frustrated to keep turning pages and hoping, hoping the next section would be told from Ted's perspective. I felt the same way about Bram in WID4L, even though he had a few more things to say than Ted, so I'm wondering if this is maybe something we can expect to see more of from SEP from here on out?
Either way, I loved MEG's book and can't wait for Lucy's. Do we know for sure that the guy she hooks up with in CMI is going to be The One?
I love that SEP walks the line between romance and chick lit so well; the dual POV thing is definitely one of the big reasons why I prefer the romance genre, but I love the humor and dialogue of women's fic, and SEP always manages to blend the best of both worlds in her books. I also love Kristan Higgins and she writes purely in first person POV so you get NONE of the male perspective, yet I don't even notice it because her characters are so richly drawn, just like SEP's.
One final question about CMI: I noticed this was the first one in a long time where we didn't have a secondary romance. I figured with the reunion of so many previous characters, there wouldn't have been room to really develop a new couple, so I didn't miss it. I actually appreciated having that extra attention focused on the main couple instead, especially since we were already missing the male POV. Still, I'm curious as to the reason for this change in MO. Has SEP talked about this?
Bren
Printer-friendly copy
