Monday, March 12, 2018

Review: One House Over by Mary Monroe

One House Over by Mary Monroe

Where should I begin with One House Over by Mary Monroe? Based on the star rating I've given, there's obviously somewhere to start... It's just whether it should be with the good or the bad.

So let's just start at the beginning...
Once upon a time there was a woman named Patrice, who longed to read Mary Monroe's work. After reading and hearing how stellar her work is in God Don't Like Ugly and the series that follow, Patrice was ecstatic to see she'd been approved for Monroe's latest through Netgalley. What could be a better way of rounding out Black History month with a period piece about a prosperous black couple who have everything going for them during the 1930s when the depression was ripping at the core of the country? These two, O'dell and Joyce seemingly not phased by the hard times, financially at least, managed to remain pillars in their community with a romance that seems as stable as their bank accounts.

One House Over was exactly what Patrice was looking for... until it wasn't.

That's where I leave the fairytale behind as well as the 3rd-person because this is about to get real.

So...

We're introduced to Joyce first in One House Over who is educated and works as a teachers aide in a school for colored children. She lives with her parents who are the proud owners of a colored grocery store. Because they had her late in life, Millie and Mac often pressure Joyce with getting hitched. Yet, they can't help reminding her in the same breath of how homely she is and she shouldn't be too picky. I mean really... 

The references to Joyce being unattractive just becomes too much after a while. I mean EVERY character makes sure to never let Joyce, Odell (her husband), or the reader forget that she's not pretty and could possibly look like a devil spawn. 

Wait!!!! Don't get me started on Odell.

Odell initially describes his self as a hustler from the beginning. While he's employed as a stock boy for Joyce's parents, Mac and Millie, he meets Joyce. He woes her and you know... the rest is history.

But not really... that's when the story really begins.

I feel that One House Over is riddled with mines that could blow any efforts I have of remaining spoiler free in this review so I will tread carefully. What I was hoping for was a good period piece, great writing, mixed in with a juicy story line. Instead I got a host of characters I could not hate more... and I mean EVERY SINGLE character was shit. To top off those shitty characters, the story line was fattened with drama or unsavory characters in an effort to make the plot seem thicker, more dense, then it really was.

AND what sucks the most for me, and hurts my heart to say, is that I actually hated the writing. Monroe is a seasoned author so I had high expectations for her. It's not fair to be this thin with your fans. It's not fair to shut out potential new fans such as myself. There were so many missed opportunities to make One House Over rich and a worthwhile read. Instead we get the cliched handsome man meets troll woman. They live a happy life until they don't. Then enter a sleazy, bootlegging couple that can knock them off their high-horse and... what a high-arrogant horse it is. And instead of me rooting for anyone to come out on top, I was secretly hoping for the demise of every single person encountered in this book.

Odell is either bipolar or Monroe is not sure if she wants him to be seen as a villain or devoted husband. That was frustrating enough...

LET ME STOP HERE. My review is turning into a rant that has no direction, similarly to One House Over

I'll end by saying... I was definitely not happy with Mary Monroe's latest. Maybe I set the bar too high. Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I'm the glass house, one over throwing rocks when I really shouldn't be. Regardless, I appreciate the review copy and am still looking forward to reading the God Don't Like Ugly series. But one house over is seriously not enough space for me to get away from my disappointment in this book and the ones to follow in this series... **

Copy provided by Kensington Books via Netgalley

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