Things We Never Got Over

By Lucy Score

Summary

Things We Never Got Over tells the story of strangers Naomi and Knox as they navigate their feelings for each other and real world issues in small-town Knockemout, VA. At first meeting, Naomi is flustered and frustrated at being treated like enemy #1 by Knox and seemingly the whole town. With heavy coercion, Naomi is finally able to get Knox to see that she is in fact, not her twin sister Tina, the town con-woman and troublemaker. Naomi realizes she’s been duped by Tina when her car goes missing and her hotel room is ransacked. But to top off the already exhausting first day in this unfamiliar town, Naomi is left to take care of her 11 year old niece Waylay, whom she didn’t know existed. As Knox witnesses Naomi’s day go from bad to worse, he shows generosity to Naomi and Waylay by giving them a place to stay and introduces them to the great support system that is Knockemout, VA. Things We Never Got Over illustrates the ebbs and flows of Naomi and Knox’s dynamic relationship in this heartwarming small-town story.

General Thoughts:

A lot of classic stories begin with some one coming into town or leaving town, in order to start the chain of events to set up the plot. Frodo leaves The Shire, Nick Carraway visits Long Island, and Dr. Darcy attends a ball in a new neighborhood. My observation of the small-town trope in romances tend to follow the coming and going of a character for the plot. Sometimes, a character returns from an extended period away from the small-town, in which case the town and/or the character has changed since their original time there. However with this book, I couldn’t help but feel excited and refreshed at Naomi’s entrance to Knockemout. She wasn’t there for a change in scenery or to start anew. She wasn’t there by accidentally breaking down and has no choice but to stay in town. She was there because she was told to be there under the guise of Tina needing rescuing and circumstances resulted in her extended stay. Naomi never planned to drive from Long Island to NOVA (North Virginia) until her twin called feigning distress and Naomi fled immediately. Instead of reading about a character knowing that it was time for change, Naomi was forced into at the last minute. Naomi being wholly unprepared made for a more interesting and intriguing story. I found myself needing to know how she was going to come out on the other side and if she was going to stay or not.

The relationship between Knox and Naomi is filled with perfect tension and a push/pull dynamic that makes their first time together satisfactory for the readers. Knox is classified in the romance world as an “alpha.” He is assertive and domineering but so is Naomi. Though Naomi also exhibits being a caretaker and the person to clean up other peoples messes. This puts strain on their relationship and is part of the reason why they agreed to only one night together. Knox can’t help but be compelled to take care of Naomi and Waylay, though Naomi can’t find it in her to allow him; it would go against her nature to accept help. Knox’s “alpha” tendencies make him an asshole the majority of the time, even though his generosity seems to outweigh his asshole-ness. The townspeople are of the opinion that Knox is a good guy and a great neighbor but they also tell Naomi that he wouldn’t be helping her out as much as he was if he wasn’t attracted to her. So what I’ve concluded is that pretty privilege is alive and well in literature. Another strain on their relationship is that neither believed they would make a suitable companion, thus the “one night only” clause. Naturally, that shifts the more time they spend together and the more time Naomi sees how great Knox is with Waylay. Naomi’s priorities since the beginning and finding out about her is Waylay. As time passes and the more involved he gets, Knox’s priorities also shift towards providing for Waylay and Naomi.

Knox’s character develop happens seamlessly while Naomi doesn’t appear to have much development at all. I thought at first that this was like the Ferris Bueller conspiracy where Ferris is in fact NOT the main character regardless of the movie title. But rather Cameron is the main character. Ferris does not change at all throughout the movie. His character remains strong and consistent to what we are presented at the beginning of the film. Cameron, on the other hand, was hesitant and fearful of being caught playing hooky at the beginning, but throughout the day he opens himself up to the experiences and adventure and thus Cameron at the beginning of the movie is a different Cameron to the Cameron at the end of the movie. So in this case with Naomi, we know she has always been the one to handle the aftermath of Tina’s fallouts, and her need to take care of Waylay stays the same the entire book. Yet, upon further contemplation, I believe Naomi’s development is there, just microscopic. While she’ll still always be a caretaker, she now accepts help from others and knows she doesn’t have to do it all by herself.

Quick Review

I really liked this book and I found it to be a great day read. Whether at the beach or cuddled up with a warm beverage on a cold and rainy day, this is the book I would reach for. The story is compelling and heartfelt and, hot and steamy. The topic of an abandoned 11 year old and her unstable/rough life is heavy, but we are rewarded by getting to read about the incredible people who are there to right that wrong. The book ends with a happily ever after.