Review: The Girl Most Likely To by Susan Donovan

Sixteen-year-old Kat Cavanaugh hitchhikes out of Persuasion, West Virginia and vows never to return. Who could blame her? She’d just stumbled upon her father’s adulterous affair, found out she was pregnant, got dumped by her boyfriend, and kicked out of her house and school . . . all in a single afternoon. Twenty years have gone by and Kat’s back—gorgeous, rich, and looking for an apology from everyone who’d turned their backs on her.

First on that list is Riley Bohland, the boy who broke her heart before she could tell him about the baby. But Kat didn’t count on Riley having his own axe to grind, or that he’d be just as delicious as he was at sixteen. She also didn’t count on her heart opening at the sight of him. When their anger ignites a passion intense enough to burn through two decades of secrets and lies, Kat must question everything she thought she knew about her past. And what about her future? The only place to find the answers may be in Riley’s arms…

Susan Donovan has been one of my favorite authors ever since Casee forced me to read He Loves Lucy. The Girl Most Likely To is another great example of why Susan Donovan is a must read author. Check out Casee’s review here. Since she outlined the plot I’m just going to go into what I liked and disliked.

I think the best thing about this book is the way it deals with real life issues in a believable way. Riley and Kat both had reasons to be angry with and resent one another, and they – and their actions and reactions – were written in a way that allowed the reader to connect with them.

I think we’ve all, at one point or another, wanted to make something of ourselves and show up people from our past. It was easy to relate to Kat in that way. I understood what she was feeling and why she’d run all those years ago. I also understood why she came back and her need to show all those people who had treated her badly that she was fine.

I was prepared to side with her completely and hate Riley for abandoning her in her darkest hour, but I couldn’t. It was obvious that he cared for Kat and his actions were those of an immature boy. I couldn’t fault him for breaking it off with her anymore than I could be upset with him for his anger at Kat. After learning he had a child the year before, he spent months searching for them, running into dead end after dead end. The fact that he cared so much for Kat and wanted so badly to have a relationship with his son made him a totally sympathetic character. As a matter of fact, I ended up being firmly in his camp as the novel progressed.

I really loved the chemistry between them and their obvious bond. I also liked that Donovan showed us glimpses of their past. The scene when Kat was 13 was amazingly tender. It gave us great insight into their past, I think. I also love that they admitted up front that they were angry, but that they still cared for each other and had major chemistry. The issue wasn’t whether or not they cared, but if that would be enough to overcome twenty years of hurt feelings and anger.

I loved the way Aidan, Kat’s son, dealt with the news that Kat had lied to him. It was another strong part of this novel. The way he and Riley bonded was great, too, and I love that both of the men were pissed at Kat but understood where she was coming from and why she’d one what she’d done.

Despite how much I enjoyed the relationship aspects, this book wasn’t one of Donovan’s best. There was way too much going on in the background: Kat’s crazy father; Riley’s stalker ex-girlfriend; The B&B owner wanting Riley’s brother; Aidan’s relationship with a girl who’s family didn’t like him. Taken on their own those elements work, but putting all of them in one book just made everything seem unbelievable and farcical.

Something else I didn’t understand was the way Kat suppressed so many of her memories. Not only do I not understand why she did, but I don’t think it was dealt with completely, either. There was no big revelation for why it happened or how she was going to deal with it.

Despite the fact that there was way too much going on, I really enjoyed this novel. The relationship aspects were stellar and made up for many of the flaws. Although this isn’t the best example of her work, it’s still a great novel and one I’d recommend.

4 out of 5

This book is available from St. Martin’s. You can buy it here.

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