The Insufferable Adam James (Moonshine Romances)

by Brooklyn Dean

[The Romantic Comedy Book Club]

I can’t even begin to describe how wonderful it was to return to Moonshine! In the third book of the Moonshine series, we turn our attention to the town heartthrob, Adam James. We were given a hint of something going down at the end of “The Write Way for Love,” and it turns out these two books are set within the same timeline. While this can be read as a standalone, reading the books out of order will reveal spoilers for the previous books. If you intend to read “Meet Me in Moonshine” (where it all begins), definitely read it first, as this will give away the ending of that book (and trust me, the mystery is what makes that book so much fun!). With Lissy’s sass and Adam’s ability to turn anything into an innuendo, get ready to laugh, swoon, and fall in love with the people of this quaint little town.

Sixteen years. Sixteen years had passed since Adam James broke Clarissa Wilson’s heart. But you know what they say, revenge is best served cold. Adam may think it is a cute game of Truth or Dare with the new stranger in town, but Clarissa (now known as “Lissy”) has other things in mind. She’ll take Adam up on his little three-kiss dare, doused with much-deserved payback. The problem is, this kindling is fanning a flame she had hoped was extinguished. She wasn’t looking for complicated; she just wanted to return to her hometown of Moonshine under the cover of night, live her life, and maybe grab a singing gig at The Pope. Instead, she has become the star hairdresser at the local beauty salon and can’t seem to shake the attention of the last person she wants to recognize her. All games aside, the past and the present need to stay separated, which means keeping Adam as far away from her heart as possible. She has survived worse; surely, she can survive the gravitational pull of one “Adam freaking James.” How hard could that be?

Brooklyn has an incredible talent for creating characters that you not only admire but also want to be best friends with. From Lissy’s vivid imagination to Meredith’s admirable free spirit, good nature, and electric personality, to Adam being an enigma of a person that you want to hate, love, and everything in between—you don’t just enjoy these characters, you fall in love with them.

I don’t even know where to begin with everything I liked (and absolutely loved) about this book. Let’s start with the leap between past and present. The story structure is always my favorite because it provides the best foundation for the relationship between characters. We are not being told second-hand how they “used to be”; we get to witness it. This tethering of the past and present intensified the emotions, feelings, and fallout. Again, we weren’t just hearing about what happened or sympathizing via a retelling (which can be skewed); we were there—forming our own opinions.

I also appreciated the slow burn of the story. It wasn’t a “Will they, won’t they” per se, but more about whether they could overcome the past to build a future. This prevented the story from magically resolving and allowed for a much-respected realistic aspect. 

This structure also allowed Brooklyn to focus on the secondary characters of the story instead of solely on the intensity between Clarissa and Adam. By doing this, she did an excellent job recapping the important highlights of prior stories to bring the first two books into this one. While you don’t need to read “Meet Me in Moonshine” or “The Write Way for Love” to enjoy “The Insufferable Adam James,” it does give you a more complete history of sub-stories referenced and the wonderful town of Moonshine.

My absolute favorite aspect was the war between the angel and demon on Clarissa’s shoulders. It felt as if there were times they didn’t even understand what side they were on! This added an additional dimension to Clarissa’s character—the innocence and rawness of her past warring with the sassiness and strength of her present. By personifying these parts of her, we were given an even better understanding of the inner turmoil of her feelings towards Adam.

Brooklyn focused hard on bullying in this story and the destruction it could cause. She also highlights that whether you run away or stay, the greatest obstacle to overcome is the healing process. 

Perspective, assumption, and orchestrated narratives were also ongoing themes. 

While I am sad to close the book on Clarissa and Adam, I was very excited to get a sneak peek at a pairing I have always been suspicious about. For those who are as much of a fan of the Moonshine series as I am, get ready for a little festive magic coming later this year!