The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld
First in a Series. Stands Alone.Ā
I requested The Back NineĀ by Rachel Blaufeld from Net Galley because I noticed it was about an older couple, which is my favorite now that Iām in my fifties, and I enjoyed the other book I read by her.
Ford and James (Aka Jamie) were close childhood friends even though they were from opposite sides of the track. Fordās nanny was best friends the Jamieās mom, so the kids played together all the time. James always crushed on Ford, but she was poor, a little chubby and had frizzy curly red hair, and she never felt good enough for Fordās upper class family.
They spent one amazing night together the night they graduated college, then Ford ghosted her. For 20 years.
Now heās back in town because his dad is in the hospital, and who does he run into? Jamie. He almost doesnāt recognize her because she slimmed down and straightened and dyed her hair. But he remembers, and he wants his old James back
āArenāt we a little old for that?ā
āYou need to cut it out with that. Weāre not too old for anything⦠Is there a rule book?ā
Ford is a famous Hollywood producer, no kids. His sister Billy is a famous actress, no kids. James is a hospital administrator, no kids. So it kind of feels like none of them has a lot of baggage, except for Fordās mom, who is completely horrible, and it bothered me that Ford tolerated her at all. We learned very little about the intervening 20 years, so I never really felt that passage of time, Ā felt them missing big chunks of each otherās lives.
Likes:
- I love an older couple.
- I really loved Jamie.
- Her friend Val.
- Iām intrigued by Billyās story.
- Spicy scenes that included her insecurities about her age and weight.
Dislikes:
- In real life I love boyās names for girls, but every time I read āJamesā and āBillyā my brain did a little skip and I had to think about it for a second. This never went away for me, and it pulled me out of the story every time.
- I sometimes had trouble following who was speaking, it needed some more āshe saidā/āhe saidā.
- None of these people in their forties seem to have kids or much personal baggage at all.
- There was very little discussion of the 20 years they missed and I felt like I never really got to know them.
- OMG Ford was such a pussy with his mom, and Jamie kept taking him back.
The Down & Dirty:
I enjoyed The Back Nine by Rachel Blaufeld. Itās rare to find books about older couples and I so appreciate when an author writes a sexy one. Iām curious to read Billyās story, and I hope thatās next, because I will grab it.
Rating: 3.5 Stars, 4 Flames

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