Two Meryl Wilsner Books

I briefly touched upon these two books, but since I have had some problems lately finding books, it makes sense to say a bit more. 

They were such easy reading. I read chunks of them at a time when I have repeatedly been unable to get into or complete both fiction and nonfiction. 

A pleasure sometimes when you just don't want to think too much and get into a good book. They also had some "nutritional" value, too.

Julia Roberts was on Stephen Colbert recently. I wanted to reserve this Julia Roberts film (the title, that is) and saw this book during the NYPL library search. It's a lesbian romance.

A Chinese-American showrunner and former actress (41) has a great Jewish-American assistant (27). Among other things, she "clicks" with her, and the assistant knows how to make her happy. So, she takes her to an awards show as a "buffer." 

They have a personal moment that is taken by the tabloids as a sign that they are actually an item. It takes them the rest of the book to realize that deep down they are. 

We get alternating points of view from each woman via an all-knowing narrator. I like those sorts of things -- like multiple perspectives. 

The showrunner is a successful celebrity/professional with an "ice queen" persona with a softer side. The assistant is more likely to wear her heart on her sleeve and is more at the beginning of her (promising) career path. Good match.

The book takes its time (it spans most of a year), and the attraction develops slowly. The sex scene is at the very end. Overall, I thought it was well-paced. 

It also throws in things such as sexual harassment (it was published in 2020), feminism, bestie/sister relationships, and more. And not "too much" either. 

There is a bit of an "easter egg" in that the television show involved in this book is referenced in passing in the second book. Nice drop-in for fans. 

The author's second book continues the age difference romance angle. Cassie (one review calls her a "chapstick" type) is a college senior. She's apparently bi, though she seems to lean more same sex. Erin is her bestie's mom, who is 38, bisexual, and a doctor. 

So, there is an age difference, but smaller than you might think. The bestie is a frosh. At times, from Erin's comments, you'd think she was in her 40s at least. You are 38, Erin. That is still pretty young.  

(The couple in the third book is closer in age.) 

It is like someone said, "loved your first book but hoped for more sex." This book has sex from the first chapter, which is when both thought they were just having a one-time hook-up. They have a lot of sex after that. Cassie also spends a lot of time thinking about how MILF-y Erin is.  

The book, overall, was well-paced. I liked the characters. Cassie had more engagement with other people. Erin often was by herself when the two were not together. That was somewhat unfortunate. A bit unbalanced. We get more of a sense of Cassie's life. 

Cassie had a bad childhood (father absent, trailer park/mom has issues), but found a way to create a family. That part of the book, including her dealing with some self-assurance issues, was nice. 

The college crew drinking a lot got a bit old. And, hey, it's nice, but Cassie and Erin having sex got a bit old, too. Their relationship developed into more than hook-ups. The book covered that. 

But the sex at some point got a tad repetitive. Again, it's not like I skipped over it. I think, however, the first book had more character development material. OTOH, two women enjoying sex has its place.

I'll add a bit of a spoiler since no one reads these things. At some point, the daughter obviously finds out about the romance. We then wait for the other shoe to drop. It takes a LONG time to do so. 

And, it turns out that in effect the daughter works things out "off screen!"  I think it might have been a good idea, at least for this portion, to have a section from the daughter's point of view. I know it might have required taking out a couple of sex scenes (both books are about the same length). Be worth it.  

One theme is that Erin needs to give herself the chance to be happy doing things for herself, as compared to what others expect from her. The willingness to enjoy a relationship with her daughter's friend (they are both consenting adults!) is a sign of this. Nice moment when she tells her therapist, and the therapist just says, "Okay." 

Erin expected judgment. Being a therapist is such a niche skillset. You have to handle people with serious issues and treat them correctly. You cannot judge them TOO much, but you also need to pick your spots. Of course, some mess things up. 

A final question would be if there is anything wrong with their relationship. There really isn't. 

It would be somewhat weird if your bestie turns out to be going out with your parent. But people do have relationships that overlap in comparable ways. 

A 17-year age difference might be a problem, but there are couples with that sort of age difference. Often, the problem is that the older man/younger woman relationship has a power differential. It is often less evident in same sex relationships. 

My biggest concern is that the cover photo doesn't do the characters justice. Cassie lusts after Erin regularly. I wanted a picture of her, even fully clothed! Cassie, too, but Erin sounds sexier! 

One more thing added in her second book was a firm happy ending. There is an epilogue, taking place four years later, that has a marriage proposal. 

The first book ends with them admitting to each other they like each other, having sex, and then again going to an awards show, now firmly as a date. A blurb talks about "happily ever after," but that is not assured.  

ETA: June Lockhart, well-known classic t.v. mom and doctor in Petticoat Junction, who replaced the mom when the actress died, has died at age 100.  

We need a list of really old people (Dick Van Dyke, for instance) to keep track of people who are still alive. Then, we don't need to do the "still alive?" bit.

One article, in a curious place, referenced her "cougar" past when she was 47 and dated someone 21. The relationship lasted for over five years. 

The NYT obit references her liberal beliefs, including a comment she made about the Hollywood Blacklist. 

Her Wikipedia entry (which doesn't mention the cougar bit, but I found many hits via a search) notes she was a Roman Catholic and met the pope. OTOH, she was divorced twice. Seems a tad bit off. 

But her off-screen life—bold, unapologetic, and full of joy—adds depth to a legacy that continues to inspire.

That is from the "cougar" article. Erin would agree. 

Cleat Cute: I did not like her third book as much. 

It also has the competing perspective approach, but for some reason, she no longer labels the chapters by the person involved. Makes the book seem one continuous novel instead of a parallel affair. It's a minor thing, but I liked it better the other way.  

The characters are much closer in age (a few years apart), though different in personality and status (one is a long-term pro soccer player, the other a newbie). Again, though people of about the same age are fine enough, the age difference in the first two helped. 

(Neither was that old, as noted, but they were at different times of their lives and careers.)

I could not get into the story as much here and got bored. I stopped reading about a third in. Oh well. Will see how the fourth is. Two good books are fine.