About the Author
Mary Carter is a freelance writer and novelist. Meet Me in Barcelona is her eighth novel. Her other works include: Three Months in Florence, The Things I Do For You, The Pub Across the Pond, My Sister’s Voice, Sunnyside Blues, She’ll Take It, and Accidentally Engaged. In addition to her novels she has written six novellas: Return to Hampton Beach in the anthology Summer Days, A Southern Christmas in the upcoming 2014 anthology Our First Christmas, A Kiss Before Midnight in the anthology You’re Still the One, A Very Maui Christmas in the New York Times best selling anthology Holiday Magic, and The Honeymoon House in the New York Times best selling anthology Almost Home. Mary currently lives in Chicago, IL with a demanding labradoodle. She wishes she could thank her gorgeous husband, but she doesn’t have one. In addition to writing she leads workshops.
Mary can be found on Facebook, Twitter, her website, and at her writing workshops.
Book Information
Meet Me in Barcelona by Mary Carter
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: July 29, 2014
Genre: Mainstream Fiction
Purchase: Amazon
Synopsis
A surprise trip to Barcelona with her boyfriend, Jake, seems like the perfect antidote to Grace Sawyer’s current woes. The city is dazzling and unpredictable, but the biggest surprise for Grace is discovering who arranged and paid for the vacation.
Carrie Ann wasn’t just Grace’s foster sister. Clever, pretty, and mercurial, she was her best friend — until everything went terribly wrong. Now, as she flees an abusive marriage, Carrie Ann has turned to the one person she hopes will come through for her. Despite her initial misgivings, Grace wants to help. But then Carrie Ann and Jake both go missing. Stunned and confused, Grace begins to realize how much of herself she’s kept from Jake — and how much of Carrie Ann she never understood. Soon Grace is baited into following a trail of scant clues across Spain, determined to find the truth, even if she must revisit her troubled past to do it.
Mary Carter’s intriguing novel delves into the complexities of childhood bonds, the corrosive weight of guilt and blame, and all the ways we try — and often fail — to truly know the ones we love.
My Review
Meet Me in Barcelona mainly follows Grace Sawyer, a bartender and hopeful country music musician, who is on a relaxing trip in Barcelona with her boyfriend, Jake. Jake is a veterinarian who won their trip in his practices raffle…that he did not enter. Grace and Jake decide to go on the trip anyway and enjoy themselves, however, after only a day or so there they receive an email from Jake’ partner letting them know it was all a deception and that he hopes they enjoy the wedding. Instead of immediately throwing their clothes into their suitcases, folding can wait, and hightailing it onto the next plane out of Barcelona Grace thinks that this is Jake proposing to her. Once she realizes that Jake knows no more about this than she does Grace still isn’t on the next plane out, instead they decide to head to the beach and just relax. While I just told you about part of the beginning, I don’t want to give to much away!, this is pretty much Grace’s thought process throughout the whole book. She kind of leaves you asking her throughout the book “WHY would you do that?!”
That all being said the book is an overall good book with a great story line. While Grace tends to have a lot of ditsy moments it doesn’t detract from the journey that she and the other characters are on. Reading Meet Me in Barcelona really makes me want to try more of Mary Carter’s books. Seeing whether or not Grace chooses to save Grace, did anything happen to Grace in their childhood to make her the way she is now, and if Jake will ask Grace to marry him really make reading the book worthwhile.
My Rating
3.5 out of 5
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Looks like such a great book! Would be a great gift!
Sounds like a good book. Thanks for sharing. I’ll check her out1
This sounds like an all right book. I might just read it if I get the time. thanks for the good review.
Thanks for the information on the book. That’s exciting. I would really like to write a book and been told by many that I need to. Thanks for the inspiration.
Sounds like a wonderful book to read.!
This sounds like a great read. I always love these kinds of books. The setting sounds wonderful.
Thanks for the great review. It sounds like a good book I will add it to my must read list.
What a nice book. I have got to get back into reading so i can enjoy these books.
Wow! Looks like a great book! I wish I had more time to read!
I love reading book reviews, this one has been added to my to-read list
My sister is a bookworm and she might love to read this book! The storyline is interesting for young adults.
I have to say, it sounds like fun. I’ll have to pick it up.
i need more time in my life to actually read.
Looks like a great book! I love barcelona and anything that makes me think of it so would enjoy this
Sounds like a good read! 🙂
Sounds like a great book! I need another vacation so I can load up my kindle and read 🙂
Thanks for sharing about this book! I am always looking for new reads!
This looks like a interesting book. I will have to take a look at it the next time i am at the book store.
Romance with mystery is my kind of book. Sounds like a good read.
Sounds like a good REad. I hope someday write a book.
Looks like a good book. Thanks for the review!
I love these kind of romance mystery stories., I will have to read this One. Thanks for sharing.
I’ll keep this title in mind. thanks!
Sounds like a wonderful book! On a side note, I wouldn’t mind visiting Barcelona someday.
Hmmm.. Looks like a pretty story here.. 🙂
The cover is amazing and I’m going to read this book. I love, Romance and mysteries. This will be the book that I will read this weekend.
sounds like a goof read!` I’ll check it out this coming weekend. Thanks for sharing!
Ohh, this looks great overall.. seems like a great one to keep reading on
I read this book too, awhile ago. I love the author Mary Carter. Great review!