Class Reunion

Imagine having a chance to live out youthful fantasies, correct old wrongs, and take new chances. That's exactly what happens to Jennifer Moreland, Sheila Hoyt, and Heather O'Brien in this story of their high school reunion and the antics that result. Jennifer reluctantly attends her high school reunion after her sister begs her to visit her hometown. Jennifer left town after high school and has only visited on occasions like the birth of her sister's children and deaths of family members. She has bad memories from high school, especially the heartbreak she felt when her teen lover, Sheila, refused to disclose their relationship and subsequently married a man. Sheila is anxious and hopeful she'll see Jennifer at the reunion. She and her husband show up ready to party - both in their own ways. Sheila is determined to get Jennifer in bed. Sheila's husband is determined to take revenge on Jennifer for her high school relationship with his wife. Jennifer, at first excited about Sheila's advances, realizes how much the other woman has changed. Her physical self finds Sheila hard to resist, but her heart struggles with the whole situation. Top things off with Heather's return as well. Heather was the ugly duckling all through school: glasses, braces, and an all-around nerd. She has certainly changed - and everyone, including Jennifer, notices. Heather remembers how kindly Jennifer treated her in school and sparks old memories for the other woman. Both are surprised at how things turn out. So is Sheila. This is a great, light read with a zany cast of characters and a lot of emotional highs and lows. I like Linda Hill's writing. She creates lovable characters and delivers them in a logical, enjoyable fashion. They're as real as the gals next door.

Linda Hill has a sweet, almost retiring style that tells a story without histrionics and improbable actions. She draws a character with care and lets the reader come along as the characters grows and copes. Class Reunion is about facing the past before you've really had a chance to cope with it. At times the story had me laughing out loud and many times I thought, "That is so true." Sometimes, a book like this is just what I need.

Linda Hill's Class reunion came out a couple years before Karin Kallmaker's oddly reminiscent Unforgettable. Much as I love Kallmaker's romances, I have to say that Hill's version of going home for a high school reunion and discovering the love of your life was already then when you weren't looking for her is the better of the two. Imagine explaining to your brand new girlfriend why the head cheerleading invited you up to her hotel room...

Imagine leaving a painful past behind and then reluctantly revisiting it-only to face your worst fears in the form of the love of your life and her husband. But wait. Enter an attractive secret admirer who just might be the one. The characters are nice and you find yourself cheering for a happy ending. Not a red-hot romance, but a romantic tale that will make you think twice about giving your high school reunion a miss.

Linda Hill's characters have a very real feel as you read the story, you want to get to know them. The book's optomistic view is refreshing without being silly. It is "old fashion" because the characters don't just hop into bed - real romance is alive and well.