Catching Fireflies
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
The Sweet Magnolias is now a Netflix Original Series! From No.1 New York Times Bestselling Author Sherryl Woods
When bullying threatens to destroy a teen's life, painful memories resurface for dedicated high school teacher Laura Reed and paediatrician J. C. Fullerton. With the support of the Sweet Magnolias, they bring the town together to ensure that a promising student's future isn't ruined. And to establish once and for all that bullying has no place in Serenity, South Carolina.
Both J.C.'s and Laura's passion for the cause is deeply personal, and their growing feelings for each other are just as strong. But with so many secret hurts to overcome, can these two vulnerable lovers find the strength to believe in happily ever after?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A teacher and a pediatrician have an obvious professional overlap, and making children a central concern was no doubt Woods's intent in creating such a pairing. Unfortunately, that focus turns the ninth Sweet Magnolias novel (after Midnight Promises) into an issue book rather than a romance. English teacher Laura Reed and doctor J.C. Fullerton slowly figure out that a student's unhappiness is due to bullying. Fully two-thirds of the book is given over to the circumstances of the abuse, the victim's experiences, and the ways the teens involved interact (or refuse to) with adults. Woods conscientiously ticks the boxes that are so familiar from relentless media coverage: online attacks, symptomatic behaviors, refusal to confront. This leaves little time for the protagonists, both experience-hardened avoiders of love, to overcome their reticence and develop a relationship. Woods's well-intentioned attempt to jump on the antibullying bandwagon leaves romance in the dust.
