The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs

Title: The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs
Author: Matthew Dicks
Published: September 8, 2015 by St. Martin's Press
Pages: 224
Source: Purchased
Rating: 3.5/5
Goodreads

Caroline Jacobs is a wimp, someone who specializes in the suffering of tiny indignities in silence. And the big ones, too. But when the twinset wearing president of the local Parent Teacher Organization steps out of line one too many times, Caroline musters the courage to assert herself. With a four-letter word, no less.

Caroline's outburst has awakened something in her. Not just gumption, but a realization that the roots of her tirade can be traced back to something that happened to her as a teenager, when her best friend very publicly betrayed her. So, with a little bit of bravery, Caroline decides to go back to her home town and tell off her childhood friend. She busts her daughter out of school, and the two set off to deliver the perfect comeback . . . some twenty-five years later. But nothing goes as planned. Long buried secrets rise to the surface, and Caroline finds she has to face much more than one old, bad best friend.

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs is an enchanting novel about the ways in which our childhood experiences reverberate through our lives. It's the story of a woman looking to fix her life through an act of bravery, and of a mother and daughter learning to understand one another. Deceptively simple and highly engaging, this latest novel by Matthew Dicks is perfect for those of us who were last to be picked at sports, and for everyone who is thrilled not to be in high school any more.

My review:

I really liked the premise of this book. Who hasn't been wronged by someone in their past that they'd love to go back and even the score with? In this case though, Caroline Jacobs sets out with good intentions, but she gets cold feet, and her daughter has to come through for her. Great plot idea, good mother-daughter relationship mending, and a look into how something in our past can effect our entire life without our realizing it is happening. I was more impressed with the first part of the book, than when Caroline actually confronts her nemesis. While I could understand why things were unfolding as they did, I was not as engaged with the characters as I was at the beginning. Having said that, I did love the building comraderie between mother and daughter from beginning to end, although perhaps a bit far fetched in spots.

This is a short read, and brings up questions from our own past. Who would you go back and confront, and could you do it? Are any of those past relationships having any impact on the person you are today?