Book Review: Dairy Queen

For our last Chick Lit Book Club ("like" us on facebook!) meeting of the year, I chose Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. I didn't exactly know what to expect from this one, but the review I read before choosing this book talked about summertime, football, and farming. Good combination for the girls involved in our rural Maine club!

What I did not expect from this book was to fall completely in love with the main character. Calling DJ a tomboy is a bit like calling Maria Carey a diva--Too obvious. Really, she's a girl who feels overwhelmed with the responsibilities placed on her after her father has an accident and can no longer maintain the family farm. To make a bad situation worse, the communication in DJ's family is less than open. No one talks about feelings openly or shares what's really going on in their lives.

When DJ is coerced into allowing the quarter back of her town's rival team to volunteer on the farm, she finds herself learning more about who she is than she's ever learned from any of her friends or family. Though she hates Brian, the star QB, at first, she becomes more and more comfortable talking with him and is ultimately more open with him than she's ever been with anyone else. And, the connection is mutual.

This book is slow moving, but it's not a bad slow. It's more like a long summer day, filled with sunshine and bittersweet lemonade. I absolutely loved every second of this novel and hope to read the sequel soon. A perfect read to end our school year. Have a great summer, Chicks!