Book Review: The Great Escape by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

The Deal: Just moments before she was supposed to get married, Lucy Jorik came to the realization that she couldn't go through with it. So she bolted on The Perfect Guy and ran off, leaving her family and friends in shock.

At thirty-one, Lucy has spent half her life people-pleasing her way through life, ever since she and her baby sister were adopted by a world-renowned journalist and a former president of the U.S. she has felt like she has to be perfect and never cause trouble to be deserving of the love her her adoptive parents. 

So, running out of the church and hitching a ride with a biker guy who claims his name is Panda - and who might or might not be friends with her would-be groom - was completely out of character for Lucy. Or was it?

The Biker Known as Panda isn't sure. He had figured he would give the runaway bride a ride for a while, and then scare her into going back to her perfect life. But the farther away they are from Wynette, Texas (where the wedding was supposed to happen), the harder it's for him to shake her off. 

My Thoughts: I'm just describing about the first half of the book because there are plenty of spoilers if I descrive the second half. 

Last year I read - and hated - Call Me Irresistible, so when The Great Escape came out, I had my doubts about reading it but I was intrigued enough to do it. 

The story itself is very meh, Lucy and Panda (and by god I think that's the worse name EVER) were okay, but I didn't see any chemistry between them, they both kept too much of themselves hidden for so long - from each other and from the world in general - that I couldn't see them falling in love. 

Aside from that, the book is so cluttered with other plot lines. There is one about this fitness guru that is a client of/friends with Panda, and one about Panda's past that has to do with one of his neighbors. And then the neighbor has her own story about her past and a kid she inherited. And so on and so forth. 

So, I read the whole book and then the only thought that came to mind was Meh. I don't even remember the names of the other characters - like the aforementioned neighbor whose story I found the most interesting.

I don't think this is Susan Elizabeth Phillips at her best, but it was better than Call Me Irresistible, and that ought to count for something, right?

1/3