Sleeping Brides

In this ambitious, uneven, and terribly florid literary romance, four deceased brides tell their stories in the afterlife to determine which of them will be granted a second chance at romantic happiness. As their tales unfold, each woman reveals episodes of heartbreak, hardship, hope, and love. Ronnie, an American working at a women’s shelter, struggles with her fear of marriage, only to die just when she’s found true joy with a man; Storme, from Amsterdam, raises her daughter alone, always unlucky in love until much later in life; Canadian Hayley refuses to stop working, even as cancer eats away at her, but she encounters romance when least expected; Busana, a 19-year-old from the Kyrgyz Republic, runs afoul of ancient customs and social pressure. Scholer’s propensity for overwrought language unfortunately undermines the strength of her characters’ narratives. Furthermore, she tries to cram too much into a single book; it’s like reading four romance novels on fast-forward, with much of the crucial development glossed over. The finale, in which the “winner” is determined, is rushed and underexplored. This interesting concept never reaches its full potential. (BookLife)