My take on: Meet Me in Barcelona

It's been a long time since I wrote a review, but I've got one for you! What's this one about? I've never been to Spain, but I thought I could live vicariously through Meet Me in Barcelona by Mary Carter!

A young woman and her boyfriend win a surprise trip to Barcelona. How and why? Should they really question it? Her mother is terminally ill. Should she go? But she needs a break. However, that break will be short-lived. Secrets from the past will threaten everything. What's the secret? Or secrets?! I was definitely intrigued.

Grace Sawyer and her boyfriend, Jake, embark on the trip of a lifetime. Each day in Spain is met with clues to their mysterious benefactor. Grace has a sinking feeling it's a person from her past. A person she has spent 10-plus years trying to forget.

Carrie Ann wants to reconnect with the woman she loved like a sister. Years ago, Carrie Ann was one of the many foster kids Grace's parents took in. They were best friends. Best friends who became extremely co-dependent, so much that Grace's parents hated Carrie Ann's influence over their daughter. The death of someone close to both girls leads to years of estrangement ... and eventually Barcelona.

As characters, I could not stand Grace or Carrie Ann. The mere mention of Carrie Ann's name is enough to turn Grace into such an ANNOYING woman! She never told Jake about her foster sister, and he wonders what else Grace is hiding from him. She doesn't want to be around Carrie Ann, but has such a hard time telling her that. Grace wants to express her feelings, but when push comes to shove she clams up. Carrie is equally frustrating. She's needy and manipulative. She has a way of casually getting people to do exactly what she wants. I couldn't tell if Carrie Ann's intentions were good, bad, or indifferent. She claims to be in an abusive marriage. She claims she wants out of the relationship. She claims to want Grace back in her life. But she has such an odd way of showing it. Does she want help from Grace? Or something else? It takes a long time to get to that something else.

When I read the e-mail pitch, I was definitely intrigued by the promise of some mystery. But that doesn't happen until the second half of the book. Jake and Carrie Ann go missing! I won't tell anymore than that because you should read the book. My attention was certainly piqued. But the pacing leading up to that moment was a little slow for me. Grace and Carrie Ann were not my favorite characters, but there were things I did like. Jake was No. 1, I felt like he was the voice of reason. I did feel like I was transported to Barcelona; I have to go one day! This might not have been my favorite book, but I would certainly read another book by Mary Carter.

Rating: Give it a try

Note: I received a copy of the book from the publisher (Kensington Publishing Corp.) as part of a blog tour with  Pump up Your Book.