From the 2002 Archieves

Near Perfect the semi-sequel/follow-up to Nothing But The Rent by Sharon Mitchell grabbed me from page one. I recall that I didn’t really care for Nothing But The Rent and was a little skeptical about reading a sequel so I was pleasantly surprised when I was drawn into the read so quickly. I’ve read all of Mitchell’s book and I must say that she continues to show growth as a writer with every book as each book from her is better than the previous one.

Mitchell reunites us with Roxanne Steele who appears to have the “perfect life”-phine and loving husband, luxurious and large home, money in the bank, great job and all the material possessions she could ever want. However, she is still unfulfilled in one area of her life and that is being a mother. She’s almost obsessive about having a child to round out her happy home and perfect life. Unfortunately, her idyllic life will be turned upside down by a tragic event. It’s at that junction in the road that she’s slapped hard in the face regarding her husband and her marriage.
Roxanne’s friends and mother rush to her rescue to help her pick up the pieces and move on but it’s Linc, her handsome and protective friend since childhood who helps her to move on and in a new direction. As Roxanne journeys forward, we ache, we cry and then finally we smile again and we rejoice as Roxanne discovers that life and living is near perfect at best.

Near Perfect is a wonderful relationship novel that combines fine writing with suspense and intrigue. Mitchell’s tone was engaging, warm, friendly and heartwarming as she allowed the characters to bring the story to life. I must admit that she really threw me for a loop regarding Jamal’s character as I was caught completely off guard. However, once I got over the initial shock that twist just added more to the compelling nature of the storyline for me. Near Perfect is an endearing story about love, friendship, family, committment, trust, betrayal and redemption and I highly recommend this novel to others.

Reviewed by Yasmin

APOOO BookClub

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