When Privilege Meets Grit… Sparks Fly in Maine!

A State of Maine hooked me with its slow-burn collision of opposites—think small-town sass meets Capitol Hill swagger—and I couldn’t stop rooting for this unexpected, fiery duo to break the rules and rewrite their destinies.

Brian and Rebecca have a chance meeting at the place she works, and then seem to seen each other in other random places, including Maine. Will they both fine what they are looking for?

📚✨ REVIEW ✨📚
A State of Maine by @authorclementinerowe
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

Brian is on the verge of "great things". He recently graduated, has an internship offer with a senator, and a fiancée eager to plan their wedding. So why does it all feel so wrong? Suddenly, Brian doesn't feel like he belongs in the silver spoon world he was raised in.

Rebecca is downtrodden. She works at a gas station convenience store, where her coworker is her only friend. She is estranged from the daughter she gave up to live with her aunt. She is drifting through the life she thinks she deserves.

A chance meeting at the convenience store puts Brian and Rebecca in each other's orbits. Through a series of coincidental meetings, they come to understand each other and question whether life could change for the better.

This book was a complete surprise. I was struck by how quiet it felt. Authentic, as most of life is a series of quiet days passing by. I connected with both characters - Brian for his ennui and Rebecca for the walls she has built to keep others out. When I finished the book, I found myself wishing it went on for another 100 pages.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Fredrik Backman or Sally Rooney, someone who enjoys quiet yet immersive storytelling.

Special thanks to Clementine Rowe and BookBuzz.net for providing a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

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what happens when your path has been mapped. maybe you dont even see it. maybe in the deep depths of your gut you do know it. but some paths are easier to stay on. but in all class systems there is questions, pressures. from high above there are pressures from legacies forged. it takes bravery to see different, it takes bravery to be different.
our two main characters have their own ways, they have their own slots so to speak. but the two come across the other one night and cant hide away from the chink it causes. from the light it causes. even if at first it just seems to be an annoyance!
so what happens next. will they decide?will fate? what do we believe? what do they believe? who gets to decide?
i liked the themes covered in this book. there's a lot going on behind the main characters daily "faces". and i was rooting for them both to push through. i was really interested to see how the author might cope with both ends of the spectrum. their is one of privilege here and one very much of struggle. and to talk of both and not be biased or stick to stigmatic tropes can be hard. i thought this was handled well. or at least in a realistic way and reminded me of how much work still needs to be done in our society in this area. or at least to make me keep thinking when i come across these things.

I read 25% through the book and I felt like I was reading through sludge and that may have been a choice. I understand the author is trying to show how stuck the characters are but the style is not for me. I also didn’t like that it was in third point of view omnipresent. I personally just don’t like that pov. I think the story has potential but it’s just not the book for me. It just moved to slow if it moved faster I think I would have enjoyed it more.