Official Review: Going Going Gone by Cerian Hebert

[jhollan2]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Going Going Gone" by Cerian Hebert.]

---

Share This Review

---

Going, Going, Gone by Cerian Hebert is a great, quick read that I enjoyed to the end. There are thousands of romance novels, most of them uninspired and formulaic. I went into Going, Going, Gone expecting much of the same, but I was pleasantly surprised. Though it follows many of the conventions of its genre, Hebert has created compelling characters who face unexpected hurdles and challenges in their pursuit of love.

Penelope Moreno is no longer the overweight wallflower who fled her small town after high school. She has worked hard to transform herself into a successful fashion designer in New York City, confident in her abilities and her considerably slimmer body. She returns to Harper’s Grove to help her sister sell their childhood home and no one she meets recognizes her as Penny “Pudge” Goodwin. At a charity Firefighter’s Auction, Nell impulsively bids on a weekend with Eli Knight, one of her childhood tormentors. She plans to work the former jock hard fixing up the old house and maybe flirting with him a bit so she can knock him back. Figuring there’s no harm in a little payback, she introduces herself by her new name and he doesn’t recognize the beautiful urbanite as someone he’s known since childhood. Nell soon discovers that Eli is no longer the cruel jerk that she once knew. He has matured into a compassionate father of two who is the captain of the volunteer fire department and coaches baseball for the Special Olympics. He and Nell bond over their failed marriages and soon find themselves falling into bed and in love. The secret of Nell’s past looms between them and when the truth comes out, it threatens to destroy everything they've begun to build.

The unexpected depth of Going, Going, Gone set it apart and made it a truly amazing book. Nell’s niece Autumn has Down Syndrome and throughout the book mention is made of characters who are coaching and participating in the Special Olympics. Eli was a bully as a teenager, and Hebert explores his reasoning for doing so and how he broadened his mind to realize how harmful his actions were. His ex-wife, who was also a bully, is conversely portrayed as having never grown beyond her spiteful nature and seems to have developed very little since adolescence. Nell specializes in designing lines for plus-size women, which causes controversy in the fashion world and has harmed her career. As a heavy teenager, she is passionate about making sure that plus-size women have fabulous style choices and are not punished for being overweight by being limited to shapeless, drab clothing. Both of the main characters have been divorced and have painful memories of betrayals and rejection to deal with. It was also refreshing to read a romance novel that stresses the importance of contraception and responsible sexual practices.

There are a few typos and places where the phrasing is strange or incomplete. It is well polished for the most part and reads smoothly, but a bit more editing would have helped in some places. Love scenes are always difficult to write and there was some awkward phrasing and word choices in places, but overall I found little to nit-pick about or criticize in this book.

I am giving Going, Going, Gone a rating of four out of four stars. The plot was gripping and the characters captured my heart and my imagination. Though it is a romance, there is plenty of plot and depth outside of the relationship between Nell and Eli, and they have to go through tribulation to reach their happy ending. Readers will finish this book satisfied with the resolution and looking forward to reading more from this author.

***
Buy "Going Going Gone" on Amazon

[maggie mundy 57]

This is a great review and definitely makes me want to find out more about these characters. On my TBR pile.

[jhollan2]

Thank you Maggie! It is definitely worth the read.

[Reading lady]

This is definitely going on my reading list. Will look for it right away.