Monday, February 10, 2020

Sweet Dreams #27 Too Young for Love and #28 Trusting Hearts

Sweet Dreams #27, Too Young for Love, Gailanne Maravel, 1982

It looks like Tom and Killy's friendship is turning into romance... but then Tom finds out she's two years younger than the other kids at school.

Killy is miserable, until she leaves the whole mess behind, for a glamorous vacation in Italy.

When she gets back, she feels sophisticated and grown up.  But will Tom think so, too?

At first I thought that I wouldn't enjoy Killy's trip to Italy, but that is the best part of the book.  Killy meets Fabrio in Italy, and it is not a silly romance.  Killy and Fabrio are just very good friends, and Fabrio helps Killy grow as a person.  When Killy returns home, she is able to handle teasing better.

I enjoyed the fact that the main plot of the book wraps up a few chapters from the end, so the reader gets to enjoy Killy being happy.  So many of these books wait until the last one to three pages of the book for the protagonist to be happy, and I feel like that kind of ending is too abrupt.

This is a very good to excellent book.

Sweet Dreams #28, Trusting Hearts, Jocelyn Saal, 1982

When Kathy lands an after-school job as the assistant to the town's veterinarian, she knows she's found a career she'll always love.  At the same time, her old friend Dean has become more tender and romantic toward her.

Kathy's overjoyed, until Dean starts resenting the long hours she puts in at the animal hospital, and their new love seems about to fall apart.  She'd be lost without Dean, but she loves her new job just as much.  Will she have to make a choice between them?

I like this passage from page 171.  I removed some words so as not to spoil part of the plot.
"He was a fine vet, a good husband and father, a terrific practical joker, and a ------, too.  Just like a diamond, see, with lots and lots of facets.  That's what makes a person precious, Kathy.  That's what makes him interesting."
I thought of Wildfire Romance #38 The Searching Heart as I read this book.  Both books were published in 1982 and have similar titles.  In both books, the protagonist wants to be a veterinarian.  The difference is that the Wildfire book is boring, and even worse, the Wildfire story includes three different scenes featuring animals being put to sleep.  What the heck?!

This book has none of that.  The details about the veterinarian clinic are interesting, and so is everything that Kathy does in her job.

This book is excellent.

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