Even Mormons Fall In Love (Book Review: Back When You Were Easier To Love, Emily Wing Smith)

Around halfway through "Back When You Were Easier To Love," by Emily Wing Smith, I realize that the characters in the book are Mormons. I got a chill and asked myself, should I really invest my time with these hateful people? What if this novel is really just religious propaganda disguised as fiction? What if they even discuss Proposition 8? But I kept on reading, hoping against hope something will pay off from my time spent . I am happy to report that it more or less is just a straightforward story. Joy moves to the town of Haven (which I guess is in Utah) from California, she meets a guy, and the guy up and leaves her to move to her former California hometown. She is heartbroken and wants to find out why he left - or does she already know why? This is part love story and part road trip, and it's good enough. Subtly, there is a subtext that people leaving their religion are a**holes, but focusing on the bigger picture, the novel isn't insulting or offensive. I didn't feel like you need a hto shoer after reading it. And it, for better or worse, kind of gave me a glimpse of how Mormons live (They can't drink coffee? Why?) 

BC-54