Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Amina Akhtar for the copy of Kismet. This book was so good it made me rethink my whole book rating system! Five stars just isn’t enough. When I finished the book in the wee hours of the morning and was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I started wondering how I was going to write a review that didn't sound like it was written by a love-struck teenager.
The characters were a revelation. I couldn’t help loving Ronnie who followed her friend Marley to Sedona, Arizona in a bid for independence and a new life.I loved how Ronnie dealt with the other townsfolk and their casual racism and prejudices with grace and hidden anger. Seeing how Ronnie grows and discovers herself was a joy.
Marley becomes consumed with her desire to become an ‘influencer’ that includes an alliance with Caroline, who offers to help her. Will Caroline change the dynamic between the two friends?
The other people in the town are a mix of tourists, retirees and young people all looking for the path to wellness - crystals, tarot, health foods, healing and the like.
This might be my first book where birds are characters, but I can’t imagine this book without the ravens. I’m going to step up my attempts at befriending the ones that like to hang out in my tree!
The writing was so good I was immediately wrapped up in the story and Ronnie’s life. The words and the plot flowed together seamlessly and before I knew it I had been reading nonstop for hours. I was a little worried about the description saying this was “viciously funny” and to be honest my funny bone might be in hibernation, but I found nothing funny in the book at all.
I loved this book and will recommend it to anyone who asks, and to some that don’t ask too!