Grounded (May Hollow Trilogy, #1)

by Angela Correll

• ISBN10: 1938467566
• ISBN13: 9781938467561
• Publish Date: 1 October 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Somerville LLC
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 274
• Language: English

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

I thought Grounded was an endearing story. Annie is a charming character throughout the story, starting with her enviable jetsetting lifestye at the beginning of the book all the way up until the ending at which point she has simplified her life significantly. Although it wasn't an easy road for her, the story had a happy ending--my favorite kind!

The story begins in New York City. Annie is leading a fast-paced life, working as a flight attendant and travelling the world. She has an apartment and a boyfriend who makes plenty of money. Seemingly, Annie has it all. Then she finds out that her boyfriend isn't so perfect and that her job is no longer.

She returns to her roots in Kentucky. Her only family there is her grandmother with whom she has a rocky relationship. Annie left Kentucky as soon as she could, so she is a bit reluctant to go back. After some time back home, however, she begins to discover things about Kentucky she never really appreciated. Annie re-discovers her faith, mends her relationship with her grandmother, and develops a real love for farm life. An added bonus is reconnecting with her childhood friend, Jake.

This is a touching story. I liked it, but it may be a little sappy for some readers.

Reviewed by Joelle for Cocktails and Books

[Lianne]

Grounded is a pretty light, easy read. It’s a bit of a slow read which in a way reflects the way of life that Annie’s grandmother and her community live in. The contrast is definitely stark in comparison to Annie’s New York City, jet-setting life, which only lasted some three chapters. I wished we spent a bit more time in her life before the move back home just to establish where she is in her life, her plans and her desires.

The message about going back to your roots, that less is more and how the world these days is too much based on “wants” to really appreciate what we do already have and the good things in life–family, friends, people who care about you, good food and good times–is very much prominent in this novel. At the same time though I did find it a tad bit preachy at times.

There are however some good themes and stories present in the overall plot that I wished had been more fleshed out. I wasn’t thoroughly convinced by Annie’s turn of heart that led to her change of relationship with her grandmother (I thought it was a little too sudden, too early in the story). I was also under the impression that Annie and Jake’s reconnection would’ve been one of the forefront plots in the novel. Yes, they hung out a few times both before Camille’s arrival and after but the romance element seemed almost like background noise to everything else and popped up at the end, which left me rather unsatisfied.

Overall Grounded was pretty straightforward; there’s nothing too intense or overly emotional about the novel so there’s nothing that’ll stress you out or yank you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. At the same time the character development could have been more fleshed out but otherwise it was a nice novel.

You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/11/14/review-grounded/