Jane's Melody - review

Ryan Winfield completely won me over with South of Bixby Bridge. That being said, I was so excited when I saw this book come across my path that I immediately dove right in. While I didn't hate it, I didn't love it either but you should try it for yourself.

Jane is a 40 something women whose semi-estranged daughter dies of a drug overdose. When she sees a mysterious stranger at her daughter's grave, she decides to follow him to get more insight on the last year of her daughter's life. Caleb is a twenty-five year old musician, living on the streets, trying to get to Austin in order to make it big.  Jane takes him in and puts him to work cleaning out the backyard in exchange for helping him get to the place where he can kick start his music career. 

Jane and Caleb end up falling in love and ultimately help each other when they need it most. I enjoyed the story but I don't feel like I really connected with the characters.  I'm  not sure if it was the age difference or I just didn't really care for Jane as much. No mother should go after her dead daughter's maybe boyfriend! Other than that, the story was unique. Ryan has an excellent talent for incorporating the underlying issues of drugs, alcohol, abuse, friendship and love all into a tragic tale of loss and rediscovery.