Just Physical by JaeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
My third reread of this week of a Jae book (well, 3rd reread of this week, just so happens to be by same author and in same series).
I read this book the first time in 2015, again some distance away from prior book in series, though just a few months between books as opposed to the year between books one and two. That's the first time I read the series. This time I read the books back to back this week over the course of three days.
Prior two books in this series kept knocking on my six star shelf, especially since books can't get there unless they are rereads. And they are quite good books. Both were just slightly less than top level, best of the best, reads though. Both rereads were slightly more satisfying experiences than first reads, though.
This time? This book I mean? I originally gave this book a rating of 5 stars. And this time give it a rating of 4.75. It's been 2 years so it isn't that I reread the book too close to original read. No, it was just certain aspects that detracted from my enjoyment.
Book 2 in the series had the main characters thrust together and 'in trouble', or helping to get out of trouble, because of Jill. Because Grace had been willing to help her friend who had/has multiple sclerosis - and had been caught in photographic form looking like she was having an affair, a lesbian affair at that. So Jill isn't some side character who is barely seen, heck, she once was the girlfriend of Amanda, the star of the first book in the series but was too far in the closet for the relationship to last and so it collapsed. So . . . okay, 1) the reader doesn't know about the Amanda connection until it came up in book 2 and 2) Jill doesn't appear in book one. So my mild attempt to raise the importance of Jill collapsed before I could make the claim. Right, no matter. Though will include a specific sentence I was going to mention - 'Jill isn't some barely there, seen a few times, side character in book 2; unlike Grace (star of book 2) in this book here, or Laleh in this book’. Laleh, who the heck is that, you might be thinking. Well, Laleh was briefly in this book and more talked about than seen . . briefly talked about. She is a waitress at a Persian restaurant that Crash and Jill went to in this book here, and is of importance because she later starred in a book of her own (in which most, maybe all for the main starring characters in this ‘Hollywood series’ make an appearance – 2016’s Heart Trouble).
I had a point I was attempting to make, probably lost the point somewhere along the line – namely that Jill has a biggish role in the series – bigger, in some ways, than other main characters who make something like cameos but are more ‘barely there’. Like I already mentioned Grace appears in this book here – she actually has more ‘scenes’ than I recalled, though she’s mostly there not talking much, as opposed to playing an important role. A stand in, if you will, for someone Jill is willing to turn to for help instead of turning to Crash. Lauren plays a bigger role than Grace in this book, but really felt like something of a ‘see, here’s another character from the past! It’s like a reunion of sorts!’. Though that’s kind unfair – I mean, the movie Jill is co-staring in, and that Crash is stuntwoman on was written by Lauren.
Right, enough of that.
Jill has MS – the book opens at some point prior to book 2 of the series, I believe a year before, where Jill learns about her illness. Then pops forward 2 years (or possibly 18 months) for the remainder of the book (or 1 year after the end of book 2). Jill is still having trouble getting work as an actress, but that’s more mentioned here and there since she’s actively working on a film for the most of the book. A film titled Shaken to the Core (if not known yet, a lot of Jae’s works are connected in one way or another, like the Hollywood series is connected to both ‘Shaken to the Core’, and ‘Heart Trouble’; while ‘Shaken to the Core’ is connected to yet another series, ‘Backwards to Oregon’ through a side character, the same one Jill plays in the movie, who is a descendent of the people in that Oregon series.)
Jill plays Dr. Lucy Sharpe in a film about the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco. A film written by Lauren. Since she has MS, the directors (main director, and the 2nd unit director who does the action and stunt stuff) want(ed) someone else to do most of the action/physical scenes. Things as ‘little’ as stumbling over a bedpan – which is the first stunt that the stuntwoman had to perform in the book and in the film.
Crash plays the other main character in this book, and the stuntwoman who is confused by doing such a ‘simple stunt’ and assumes that Jill is a ‘Hollywood Diva’ or sleeping with someone of importance (oddly, she never thought that Jill was sleeping with, say, Lauren who does have some (limited) power – no, once Crash gazed upon Jill, she knew Jill was a lesbian and therefore . . . . *shrugs*). Unfortunately for Crash, she makes her view public. Unfortunate because that ‘Hollywood Diva’ was standing right behind her. So Crash and Jill meet badly.
Somewhere along the way, though, Crash and Jill start some kind of relationship. The kind wherein they aren’t really dating, but are, and there’s lots and lots of sex (and I mean a lot. I’d forgotten that this book seemed to be so full of sex). But not really dating . . . because Jill doesn’t do that.
I had one real problem with the book – that push pull dynamic between Jill and Crash got old fast. Crash would try to have a relationship with Jill. Crash would get as close as she could – Jill would – seemingly at the same time, push and pull Crash; then push harder – pushing Crash away. Because . . .. Now there’s a reason for Jill’s actions – (view spoiler) Push push push, push some more, then bounce back to square one. This is a weird mix of ‘long road to love’ and ‘insta-love’ – for the simple reason that you need a certain amount of love, on Crash’s part, to keep pushing against the stubborn mule-like Jill.
Bah. I keep struggling to write this. Probably because I’m starving. So I’ll just leave it as is.
I liked the book, even with its flaws.
Rating: 4.75
March 29 2017
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