Published synopsis:
The Cinderella story takes on a fresh twist when told from the perspective of a slightly depressed glass slipper salesman. One Size Fits All is a breezy, modern romantic-comedy tale of love at first sight -- and of realizing that it's never too late to write the ending you want for your own fairy tale.Review:
Roman has become so disillusioned by his chosen life path that he is just walking through the motions of living, not actually living. He goes to his shoe store every day; he puts on his fake smile and his fake personality, and he sells some shoes to his wealthy clientele.His evenings are spent in front of the television, though whatever is on barely registers as his mind tries to determine what his life is missing.That is, until the day Tara and her Aunt Freda walk into his store. Roman is intrigued by not only Tara’s beauty, but by the way she seems to be at the same crossroad in life as he is. He finds his pain and disillusionment mirrored in her eyes. Roman wants to get to know this woman and he’s willing to leave his comfort zone to do it.
In One Size Fits All, Gary Scott makes a strong statement for the need to live the life we love, not the life we should love. It takes Roman some time to figure out how to do that, but when he does, a weight is lifted from both his heart and his mind. As the novella progresses, it is inspiring to read the transformation from the man who is consumed by immobilizing depression to the man who is willing to recreate who is. He climbs out of the black hole in search of happiness, and forgets the life he leaves behind. But throughout, I felt like there wasn’t quite enough information regarding Roman’s past to fully appreciate his character. I wanted to know more about him – why did he get into the business to begin with, when did his downward spiral begin, what is his strange relationship with his father about and why are they living together. As a reader, I needed more information to truly understand the depths of Roman. But I did enjoy reading about his journey.
Much as I enjoyed Roman’s transformation, though, I was not as impressed with the romance aspect of the novella. I kept waiting for the spark of all-consuming, can’t resist you love between Roman and Tara, but I never felt it. I probably would have enjoyed the novella more if Tara’s character had been further developed. The reader never truly gets the feeling that she is looking for true love or that she has found it in Roman. As a symbol of his epiphany, she is a good tool; but as her character is written, the romance portion of the novella sometimes came off as awkward and mostly unrequited. If there had been more interaction between her and Roman, some of the awkwardness may have been avoided. To me, the novella felt more like a journey of the soul than a love story.
I thank the author for providing me with a review copy and I give the novella three stars.
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