Oh yes, this is what I’m looking for in a Jackie Lau book. When I received my ARC copy of Three Reasons to Run, I immediately picked up a copy of the first in the series, Four Weddings to Fall in Love to introduce me to the world that Lau would be working in within her larger Toronto-verse. While it was an enjoyable read, it wasn’t the strongest Lau. But I shouldn’t have worried, Three Reasons to Run is a crisp, warm, emotionally resonant book with characters who are going through it. Just my sort of book.
Three Reasons to Run reminded me of Lau’s earlier work The Stand-up Groomsman in that its major emotional beat focuses on worth and family expectations. Yvonne had settled into her expected life; having built a version of herself she believed she wanted because it was what was wanted for her by her parents and her fiancé. But when it comes to walking down the aisle, she can’t do it and turns tail and flees the sanctuary. Three Reasons to Run picks up where Four Weddings to Fall in Love leaves off on Yvonne and Carl’s wedding day that wasn’t, with Yvonne running out of the church and into Leo Mok.
Lau takes a more serious tone than in some of her other books and focuses on Leo and Yvonne’s needs for emotional growth. He’s got some serious self-esteem issues (which are addressed but not solved by the end of the book) and she needs to figure out who she is when she lets herself just be. There is a lot in this book that focuses on how we handle expectations, the ways in which dysfunctional relationships can be inherited, and how both those things interact with larger family dynamics. I loved the way Lau placed Leo and Yvonne in each other’s orbits and gave them and the reader more time with Leo’s parents, who really shine here. I also appreciated the ways in which Yvonne and Leo were honest with each other, and the ways in which they couldn’t see around the obstacles of real life in real time. This one shares a high steam rating with its predecessor, as well as Lau’s focuses on highlighting delicious food and the greater Toronto environs. I look forward to seeing these two more in the next Weddings with the Moks book whenever it makes its way to readers.
4.5 stars – a really good read.
I received Three Reasons to Run as an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It publishes August 27, 2024
Bingo Square: Part Two. This is the second book in the Weddings with the Moks series and ties in very closely to the action in the first book in the series, Four Weddings to Fall in Love, making these good books to read in quick succession.
