Gia Rossi wanted to get away from her hometown. An event from her senior year in high school cast a pall over everything in the small Iowa city for her, even her family. Making a life for herself first in Alaska then as a business owner in Idaho, Gia has created a comfortable distance between herself and Wakefield, Iowa.
However, Gia's sister Margot calls her requesting that she come home. Their mother is dying of cancer and may not have much longer. But Margot has an ulterior motive. She's planning an escape from her controlling, abusive husband and needs Gia there for it to work.
Gia's presence in Wakefield stirs up controversy. Members of the community don't necessarily support her presence based on what happened when Gia was a teen. Even her old friends who were part of "The Banned Book Club" that Gia started in high school and tries to begin again upon returning seem like they don't believe her version of what happened to Gia when she was young. This turmoil mixed in with Margot's situation come together to create quite the drama.
The title of the novel was a bit misleading as there wasn't much in the story that related to banned books, except in the author's note at the end. One could see the storyline turning into a romance when one unlikely person in her hometown begins to take Gia's side. The characters felt a little wooden and stereotyped, but the plot was interesting - it kept this reader's attention. I give this book three stars out of five.
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