‘THE PERFECT ARRANGEMENT,’ BY KATIE GANSHERT

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‘THE PERFECT ARRANGEMENT,’ BY KATIE GANSHERT. Review of the 2015 novella release, part of the Year of Weddings collection. Text © Rissi JC

As part of my conscious decision to expand my reading palate, apparently part of this goal is to read more novellas. It seems like in the past two months alone I’ve read more of them, all of which have been amazing reads. My latest find is from the pen of Katie Ganshert, and as per usual, it’s one of the sweetest little stories. The story is simple: A young woman, Amelia meets Nate thanks to a serendipitous case of happenstance. Through a series of flubs, the pair wind up writing emails. When Nate eventually pursues a relationship to meet Amelia in person, she’ll have to admit to the one thing that might drive him away before they’ve even had a chance to begin… 

Aside from the darling boy-meets-girl meet-cute (seriously, I love this first meeting because, cute!), everything just gets better within these pages. The cozy sense of nostalgia you’re sure to enjoy while reading The Perfect Arrangement is, in a word, priceless. The old-fashioned appeal of letting writing (I consider emails letter writing – at least there isn’t a140 character limit) is beautiful explored, and is sure to make its reader swoon. As talented as Katie Ganshert is, she makes this story read effortlessly. Short or not, the concept flows beautifully and everything that needs to be said is. This is what I admire most about a novella such as this; the ability to tell a complete and full story. 

NOVELLA REVIEW | ‘LOVE IN THE DETAILS,’ BY BECKY WADE

‘THE PERFECT ARRANGEMENT,’ BY KATIE GANSHERT #bookarchives Click To Tweet

What’s more, I love the fact that our leading couple only begins tp fall in love versus being in love by the final page. Given their incomplete courtship (this is the beginning of a relationship rather than established or rekindled), this is very important for the story. These characters really “pop” off the page because of their emotionally intimate connection. There is nothing but sunshine from first to last page in this quaint novella; it’s got this perfect cozy nostalgic feel. Anyone who appreciates the cliché (I use this term only with the greatest of affection) albeit inordinately charming romantic-comedy is certain to fall head over heels for this stylistically “arranged” boy-meets-girl. ♥

About the Book:

Author: Katie Ganshert
Publisher: Zondervan
Source: Publisher (BookLook)
Publication Date: 2015
Find the Review elsewhere: Goodreads ǀ  WordPress
Find the Book Elsewhere: Goodreads
Series: Year of Weddings 2, #11
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary Fiction, Novella
Rating: 5 out of 5

Sincere thanks to the publisher (Book Look)  for providing a complimentary e-copy of The Perfect Arrangement for reviewing purposes.

About Rissi JC

amateur graphic designer. confirmed bookaholic. bubbl’r enthusiast. critical thinker. miswesterner. social media coordinator. writer.

12 comments

    1. I agree, Lianne; because of the shortened length, novellas have an uphill battle to climb. But I thought Katie did an amazing job with this charmer! :) Thank you for reading.

  1. I LOVED this little story! I kept getting You've Got Mail vibes in all the best ways possible. And that DOES happen to be one of my fave movies…. :) And seriously. That meet cute? So adorable! As was their second one. :D

    1. Definitely, Kara. There are some You've Got Mail vibes. I love that and the old-fashioned since of romance. The meet cute, the letters, the friendship… all of it was, aww inducing and then some! :)

  2. First, I completely love your review of this book; everything you said was spot on, and so well-worded. Second, I agree wholeheartedly that this novella definitely has something special about it that makes it rise a cut above the rest.

    I don't know whether it's because of the adorable email subject headings, Amelia's hilarious emails with her best friend, George's sweet friendship, the spark which literally seems to jump off the pages between Amelia and Nate, or that it reminded me quite a bit of Echoes by Robin Jones Gunn (one of my favorite contemporary love stories), but I don't think there was a single thing I didn't enjoy about this charmer. In particular, that sense of nostalgia you talked about which does seem to permeate every page, the fact that I actually saw a lot of myself in Amelia, and that pitch-perfect ending.

    God Bless
    Eleanor Rose

    P.S.: Was I the only one that REALLY wanted to solve the mystery of 24 before the end?!

    1. Thanks, Eleanor! It's always nice to know when something comes across how I intended – because sometimes I do wonder. :)

      I've not read Echoes, but am now curious. If it's anything like this I must read it. These characters really stood out to me as "real" and I loved that.

      PS: I guess – for whatever reason, I didn't even second guess it. Huh, maybe it's time for a re-read! :)

    2. Echoes is definitely just as charming and old-fashioned-esque as Perfect Arrangement, although it is full-length, so the characters are able to have a little bit more depth given to them. I should also warn you that it is the third book in the Glenbrooke series, and all of the protagonists in each book are connected in some way. That's not so much a problem with Echoes as it is for others in the series, thankfully, but it is more fun if you read the previous two books first. Oh, and awesome side-note, Echoes is the book which really got me interested in Elizabeth Barrett Browning!

      God Bless
      Eleanor Rose

      PS: A re-read is always a good idea!

    3. Good to know, Eleanor. I love old-fashioned charm. Oftentimes I discover novellas do feel really well rounded, but I know what you mean about a full length novel giving the characters more depth.

      I do like to read the entire series if I can.Partially because I'm book nerd, and also because I feel like I get to know the characters so much better when I do. Even if they aren't totally dependent on one another. Thanks for the heads up!

      Apologies, as always, for the reply delay. Why Blogger switched its layout on us, I will never know! :D

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