Catch the Sun by Lee Zamloch

Catch the Sun
written by Lee Zamloch          
published by CreateSpace

find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I was a stop on the blog tour hosted by Sage’s Blog Tours. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Did I enjoy this book: I really did not enjoy this book. I wanted to, but I did not. The problem was that I did not care about any of the characters. I read this book in a bit over a day but there were some parts that I found myself skimming over because I just wasn’t that interested. 

The story itself was quite creative. That was what piqued my interest in this book. But the back and forth between the Marilyn and Amanda time frames (1962 and 1995) did not flow well. I’ve read plenty of books with jumping time periods, and they have worked, but this one was just confusing. So were some of the transitions between parts of the story. 

The characters drew no sympathy from me. I didn’t like Edith. She was selfish in death when she didn’t have the decency to finalize her deception to Amanda. If she didn’t want to tell her daughter that she was adopted – which was the wrong decision from the start, in my opinion – then she should have taken the necessary steps to make sure that secret went with her to the grave. That was horrible. Amanda was a product of her own making. She could have had a great, bright future when she was younger but she tossed it all away. Then she started to spiral out of control and reality. What was even true? What was in her head? I just kept thinking “why am I still reading this?” (The answer to that is because I participated in the blog tour and I wanted to finish the book to the end to see if it redeemed itself. It did not.)

Would I recommend it: I would not.

Will I read it again: I will not.

About the book – from Goodreads: On a rainy morning in 1995, Marilyn Monroe appears on the bedroom patio of Amanda Grace, a former Playboy centerfold and jeans model whose acting career has tanked. Dancing, laughing, and gazing at Amanda through the glass doors, Marilyn seems to want something from her. But what? And how has the greatest sex symbol of her time been transported through time and space to contemporary Los Angeles?

“Catch the Sun” is a story of growing obsession as Amanda Grace, a woman whose beauty is undeniable but whose talents are questionable, becomes captivated by the haunting apparition of Marilyn Monroe. As she explores the fragility, beauty, and dazzling rise to fame of the once great movie star, Amanda gradually loses her own tenuous hold on reality.