Notes from the Shelf

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Improbably Yours by Kerry Anne King is a 345-page mystery novel with a romantic element as well. Blythe Harmon finds herself with a high-powered job and a marriage proposal that she feels she can’t say no to in order to have a “successful” life. However, she doesn’t feel fulfilled by these situations, and she receives a treasure hunt from her late grandmother Nomi, offering an escape and an invitation to adventure. Equipped with Nomi’s ashes and the treasure map, Blythe goes to a small island in the San Juans, where she rents the mysterious and unsettling Improbable House. As she unravels the puzzle her grandmother left her, her quest becomes complicated by a powerful attraction to the local Flynn as well as empathy for Flynn’s niece Savannah, both of whom are tied to the old house.

As I was reading this book, there was one thing that kept taking me out of the story. First is that every person referred to 12-year-old Savannah as “the child,” saying things like “think about the child” or “the child needs help.” At first I thought maybe it was an islander thing, since the island is small and Savannah grew up there, so maybe it would make sense for the locals to call her the child, but Blythe started referring to her as the child as well. They rarely called Savannah by her name throughout the book, which really bothered me. However, by the second half of the book, this was less often, so that helped. If it continued throughout the book, I don’t think I would’ve been able to finish it.

I also thought there would be more romance elements when I had first heard of the book. There is very little romance detailed, with the main focus being the mystery of the treasure hunt. I think it could’ve used more details, but it’s fine the main focus didn’t end up being Blythe and Flynn’s relationship. I did find the overall story to still be very cute. Also, I love the found family theme.

Overall, I give Improbably Yours 4 stars.

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