Sweet Memories - LaVyrle Spencer

Ever since Theresa Brubaker had hit adolescence, everyone she met focused on her newly voluptuous body. The unwanted attention made her painfully self-conscious, introverted and shy. Then, one Christmas, her brother arrived home for the holidays with an army buddy.

Brian Scanlon was different; he looked at her eyes, not her chest, and he seemed truly interested in her. With his gentle attention, he brought Theresa out of her shell. She felt alive for the first time in years.

But soon Theresa faced a decision that could free her forever…and tear them apart.

I started this book with some expectation because it seemed to approach a different subject than what you usually see in romance. Usually heroines feel bad because they are not enough endowed not because they are too endowed.

I could understand some of Theresa's problems like choosing the clothes that cover the most, always try to hide her chest and how she slowly reacted to Brian. However I think the book felt dated in some particular areas - like Theresa's relationship with her parents or her mother's vision of her own body and how Theresa should deal with hers. Also we are never given any particulars of how big is Theresa's problem; we just have to hear description after description of how bad it looked and how much she suffered because of it.

While I am all in favor of surgery if that will help you deal better with your image and self esteem I definitely felt the problem was treated a bit lightly and that better communication between Theresa and everyone else in her family, including Brian, would definitely be a good thing.

Having said that I found it an interesting read, but not an outstanding one.

Grade: 3.5/5