Book Review: Catching Air

A chance to run a B&B in snowy, remote Vermont—it’s an offer Kira Danner can’t resist after six soul-crushing years of working as a lawyer in Florida. As Kira and her husband, Peter, step into a brand new life, she quells her fears about living with the B&B’s co-owners: Peter’s sexy, irresponsible brother Rand, and Rand’s wife, Alyssa…who is essentially a stranger.

For her part, Alyssa sees taking over the B&B as the latest in a string of adventures. Plus, a quiet place might help her recover from the news that she can’t bear children. But the idyllic town proves to be anything but serene: Within weeks, the sisters-in-law are scrambling to prepare for their first big booking—a winter wedding—and soon a shy, mysterious woman comes to work for them. Dawn Zukoski is hiding something; that much is clear. But what the sisters-in-law don't realize is that Dawn is also hiding from someone... (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)

Amy Bromberg:

One of my top author crushes is Sarah Pekkanen. I met her last year at Watchung Booksellers and I started jumping for joy when I saw her walk into the store. I look forward to her new books every year.

As always Sarah brings her characters to life. She does exactly this with Alyssa and Kira. Alyssa is a free spirit, while Kira is a bit of a control freak. At first these two sister-in-laws are more or less strangers, but as they work together, side-by-side, at their new B&B, and get to know one other, they develop a strong friendship. They actually end up balancing each other out, which benefits them greatly when it comes to running a business together. Unfortunately their husbands, and brothers, Peter and Rand, don't balance each other out, or, in fact, get along that well. Dawn ends up appearing at the perfect time when they need an extra set of hands to run the B&B. Her story adds a sub-plot line which is nice. I really enjoyed the setting, a B&B in Vermont. For years my dad wanted to run his own B&B so it was nice to see what actually goes on to run one successfully. I'm not a ski person but it seems very peaceful in the Killington mountains.

Catching Air is relatable and delves into issues that many women encounter, some of those being the highs and lows of marriage, infertility, heartbreak and friendship. If you're looking to cozy up with a book over a weekend, then you've definitely got yourself a winner here!


Melissa Amster:

I always know that when I pick up a Sarah Pekkanen novel, I can expect interesting characters who jump right out of the pages, allowing me to feel like we're all in the same room. They're easy to sympathize with in various ways, and when the last page is turned, I end up missing them. Catching Air is no exception to this feeling. In fact, it's my favorite of Sarah's after The Opposite of Me. I had a hard time putting it down so that I could focus on stuff in the real world. The descriptions made me feel like I was right at the B&B, smelling and tasting Kira's delicious food. I especially enjoyed the camaraderie between the three women and the feeling of empowerment that each of them was able to attain. While some things seemed to come easy for the women when all was said and done, I still felt like it wasn't neatly wrapped up and that I was left wondering what would happen down the road.

On the side of the book cover, it indicates that this book is for fans of some well-known chick lit authors. I see that being a draw for a debut novel. However, this is Sarah's fifth book and it needs no such justification. She has come into her own so much that other debut novels should say "For fans of Sarah Pekkanen" and new authors should be compared to her instead!

I recently asked Sarah who she'd cast if Catching Air were made into a movie. I couldn't resist making my own choices, as well!
Dawn: Emily VanCamp
Alyssa: Alysha Umphress (America Ferrera is another possibility)
Kira: Amanda Seyfried
Rand: Channing Tatum
Peter: Ryan Gosling (Mainly so that Sarah could work with him on the set, but I also could see him fitting into this role.)

Thanks to both Engleman and Co and Atria for the books in exchange for an honest review.

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