The Theory of Opposites

I admire Allison Winn Scotch for self-publishing this novel when she was dropped by the major publishing houses, but frankly it needed a strong editor to help her refine her characters. Someone needed to tell the author that her heroine, Willa, was an insufferable doormat with few redeeming qualities besides caring for her 12 year old nephew, a 9/11 baby who grew up without a father. Why her ex-boyfriend tracks down this wreck and pursues her so aggressively is a mystery. The entire idea of Willa's father being a Nobel Prize nominee for the silly pop psychology book he authored is completely far-fetched and makes the book's entire premise laughably unbelievable (I know this is fiction, but it has to have some basis in our reality).

I suspect there was a good novel in there, but it would have revolved around Willa's best friend, Vanessa, who seemed to be a much more interesting, vibrant character than the whiny, passive nominal heroine.