Review: Painted Moon

Painted Moon by Karin Kallmaker
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Finished on July 9, 2021

Favorite Scene/Quote: Leah's painting frenzy for Yes 

I bought this book on an absolute whim when I found it at a thrift store. I recognized the author, remembered enjoying some of her work previously, and decided to give it a chance.
    
Leah Beck is an artist who has taken to living in a cabin on the mountains after the death of her lover. She’s not been able to create any art, or move past her loss, for the past couple of years. Jackie Frakes is an architectural intern who is finding her repetitive life boring. She tries to go to her aunt’s house for Thanksgiving partly to get away from the repetition of work and visiting her boyfriend. She gets stuck in a snowstorm and Leah rescues her and reluctantly allows her to stay until someone can pick her up.

I really enjoyed the part of this book that took place on the mountain. It was nice and allowed the two to bond while not feeling drawn out or forced. The two had nice chemistry with each other and it was genuinely nice. There were some awkward moments with Leah dealing with finally having inspiration after her lover died and Jackie trying to figure out her new feelings.

I really loved the characters in this book. Leah was sometimes hard to understand but I was able to put aside some of my issues by remembering that she never actually dealt with the death of her lover and the ensuing drama that occurred. Leah’s artistic mind seems amazing, and I really wish there were illustrations of the art that she created. Jackie was really sweet, and it was nice to watch her explore her sexuality and recognize some of the things that had occurred previously. I do wish they had brought back her roommate from before she moved because I feel like that could have added an interesting plotline. The two were interesting characters who felt realistic and well-suited for each other.

I honestly think this book could have been a five-star review for me if it weren’t for a couple of things. The first thing being that this book just wasn’t quite long enough. There just felt like more bonding and discussions that needed to take place. On a similar note, the drama at the end of the book was solved way too easily. After what Leah did, while not heinous it was invasive, it should have taken more than a painting and a five-minute discussion for the two to have gotten over the problems. It felt like the drama either should have been explore more (or even time between the drama and the ending where they heal from the issue) or it shouldn’t have existed in the first place.

I enjoyed this book more than I had expected to. It was a sweet, short read (just barely over 200 pages) and I really wanted the characters to get together. If you want a nice, cozy winter read and you’re not too concerned about easily solved drama, I’d definitely recommend it.