Title: Built
Author: Jay Crownover
Series: Saints of Denver #1
Three-dimentional, complex but relatable heroine; smart, sexy, mature hero; and a seriously cute kid 🙂
I discovered Jay Crownover last summer and listened to all her books on audiobook in quick succession. I loved them, I thought they were absolutely sensational, and I was sooo excited for Zeb and Sayer’s story! But Built is the first of her books I’ve read in print form, and never before did I realize was a jarring transition it could be.
As for the story itself, it was fantastic! A very interesting, heartwarming tale that would have been truly phenomenal if stylized differently. Sayer Cole, an attorney specializing in family law, grew up with a cold, emotionally abusive father whose high standards she’d never been able to meet. Even after his death and she moved to Denver to connect with her long-lost half-brother, her behavior and self-esteem is haunted by those standards and the echoes of his scolds. They mess with her head and seriously hamper the relationship she yearns to develop with Zeb Fuller. It’s easier to deal with if she just freezes him and her feelings for him out…but when he unexpectedly needs the help of a top-rate family lawyer, and she immediately goes to his aid, the sparks she tried so hard to tamp out flare to life, and she can’t resist him anymore. But she can’t fully love him, either, because she doesn’t love herself. She needs to exorcise her father’s sneering ghost in order to discover her own personality and claim her individuality, so she can love Zeb to the best of her ability, because he deserves nothing less.
I found Sayer entirely realistic and relatable–familiar, even, because I have personal experience with some of her issues. Zeb seemed a little less complex, had a little less internal conflict, in my opinion, but he had his fair share of struggles and I fell in love with him more and more as I read. Crownover’s characters always have such an impressive level of maturity, responsibility, and self-affirmation that I can’t help but admire them.
But as for the writing, I cannot remember reading a novel with so much exposition (which is writing primarily intended to convey information or explanation). Most of it was written in active voice, but after a while it didn’t matter–it sounded like passive nevertheless. I don’t know if her other books were like this; hearing a book read as an audiobook makes it all sound like dialogue, you know? Because you hear someone saying it and don’t have to imagine it being said. There was so much exposition that I seriously–no joke–skipped page after page of block text and started reading again as soon as I spotted a line of dialogue. I never felt like I was in the scene with the characters, more like I was at a bonfire with them and being told their story. My hand itched to get a red pen and mark parts that would be so much more engaging and entertaining if brought to life with dialogue and action.
Also, her paragraphs could be huge, some of them almost as long as an entire page (and the print was pretty small). It was daunting, and I’d get bored halfway through and just skip to the next one. It’s easier to swallow smaller pieces, like when chewing your food ;). Maybe she has somewhat of a literary-type writing style that I’d never noticed before. There were also quite a few typos that threw me off. A missing “I,” a missing “I’ve,” a “has” that should have been a “had,” and a verb phrase comprised of “can beginning,” to name a few. I understand typos happen, but usually they’re just the rare missing period or end quote. These errors tripped me up as I read, and in some subconscious way I lost trust in the quality of the work. If that makes sense. I’m sure it’s not Ms. Crownover’s fault, but it’s unfortunate.
Also, I loved Sayer’s unique name, I love all of Crownover’s unusual character names, but for the life of me I could not stop saying Sawyer in my head. 🙂
Overall, I highly, HIGHLY recommend Jay Crownover’s books, including this one. Her characters are so deep and somehow her fiction always feels strongly rooted in fact. Her characters have real-world problems and real-world emotions and real-world personalities without crossing the line of being too heavy, burdening, or boring to enjoy. She’s seriously talented in her ability to walk that line.
