Book Talk: Everyone Else's Girl by Megan Crane

Everyone Else's Girl by Megan Crane

Released: October 2005
Genre: Adult - Women's Fiction - Contemporary
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 264

Amazon | Goodreads

Meredith McKay has gone to a lot of trouble to create the picture-perfect life for herself-far away from her troublesome family, thank you. When her father's car accident forces her back to her hometown, however, she soon discovers that there's no running away from family issues--there's only delaying the inevitable. Can anyone sort out a lifetime of drama in one hot summer? 


Throw in a hot guy from back in high school with an ax to grind, a best friend turned enemy turned soon-to-be-sister-in-law, and of course, the sometimes irritating, sometimes delightful members of her own family, and Meredith is on her way to figuring out that a trip through the past is the best way to move forward. With one revelation after another coming to light, Meredith must reexamine all the things she's ever believed, including the truth about herself. Could it be that she isn't the picture-perfect good girl she always thought she was?

---

Meredith has always been the "nice" one.  It isn't a big surprise that she'd be the key one to help take care of her dad during the summer after he's broken his leg. No biggie that her siblings live right there in Jersey and are more than capable of helping, but they don't. Most of the time a doormat type of character drives me bonkers. Meredith had this strong witty tone to her that makes the book easy going and even though you just wanna be like: Yo, Meredith! Tell them to kiss it and go back to Atlanta! you still love her.

Family dynamics are a top favorite of mine when I read a book. In this one, everyone bounced off one another and it was perfect. The younger sister, Hope, who is fresh out of college and basically being a bum, is a hoot! She doesn't mind spouting off her mouth, but you can tell she doesn't like anyone messing with her big sister either. Their brother Christian is the perfect example of the golden boy. He's also protective, but he also wants things to go his way. When the three of them get into the same room especially if Hope isn't seeing eye-to-eye, personalities just come alive on the pages! I was cracking up so many times reading this family together.

There's no way anyone can go back home without having to run into their past. The biggest past for Meredith is her brother's fiance, Jeannie, who used to be her best friend throughout high school. A lot of how people have perceived Meredith really comes out when these two are around one another. Then there's Scotty Sheridan, the one who was always the dweeb and suddenly turned hot. (How those guys always come back to bite us!) Meredith might be a taken girl with her boyfriend back in Atlanta, but sparks are starting to fly with Scotty around. By sparks, I mean this love/hate type that was having me grinning. It really brings out the true personality Meredith has for some reason hidden.  During her summer stay, Meredith has a lot to answer for and she's making those around her answer for themselves too.

Crane has an obvious knack for witty moments, true relationships, and a free-flowing writing style that made this easy for me to finish in one night. What what truly made this book for me is the reminder that it's okay to NOT know who the hell you are in your 20's. Thanks for that, Megan Crane!