Always Something There to Remind Me

March 7, 2011
Harbison (Shoe Addicts Anonymous) serves up a deliciously light blend of 1980s nostalgia and women's fiction. Parallel story lines pair teenage Erin Edwards, suffering the intense and melodramatic throes of first love with Nate Lawson, and contemporary 30-something Erin, an event planner and single mom. When contemporary Erin's good-looking if otherwise bland beau proposes, Erin's first thought is of Nate, and she finds herself waffling in the present as she dwells in the mysteries of the past: what happened to the perfect love she shared with Nate, and why can't she forget him now? Harbison packs the teenage flashbacks with age-appropriate miscommunications and emotional indecision, and cleverly uses an otherwise thin present-day story line involving the sweet 16 party of a spoiled teen to bring Erin to a point of understanding. Unsurprisingly, the adult Erin and Nate have a chance reunion, but a nice twist leads to some uncharacteristically unpleasant complications that are nonetheless neatly resolved. Harbison raises the emotional stakes and gives this story a little more bite than readers may expect without losing her fun, breezy style.

August 29, 2011
Twenty years after her breakup with Nate Lawson, Erin Edwards has a successful career, a beautiful daughter, and a stable relationship. But when her boyfriend pops the question, Erin is surprised to find herself haunted by the past and the first love she thought was lost forever. Orlagh Cassidy—who has read many of Harbison previous titles—again turns in a fine performance. But her emotive, leisurely narration can’t disguise the book’s obvious weaknesses, abundant clichés, and absurd plot points. Cassidy portrays Erin’s conflicted emotions with empathy and sincerity and displays excellent comedic timing, particularly in scenes involving a spoiled rich girl’s birthday party and a reality television show. But in the end, Cassidy’s fine effort can’t overcome the banality of the prose. A St. Martin’s Press hardcover.