Once Upon a Time in Dollywood Review
By Celeste Daniels
TW: Fertility issues, childhood trauma, mental health issues
Hello, audacious readers!
Fall has finally started and it’s time to close one chapter to open a new one. In August, we explored the relationship between storytellers and their audience in Death of an Author by Nneki Okorafor. This month, we’re discovering the delicate balance between falling in love and improving ourselves in Once Upon a Time in Dollywood by Ashley Jordan.
Eve Ambrose’s latest miscarriage is the last straw. Despite the budding success of her playwright career and being engaged to her long-time partner, the loss makes New York feel too small. So, she decides to pack her bags and head as far as she can from everything she knew. That leads her to her late grandmother’s cabin in Gatlinburg, right outside of Dollywood. She is determined to get some rest and focus on writing her second play. Yet, she quickly finds herself distracted by her new neighbor.
Jamie Galeghar is doing best to be a great dad, but co-parenting with his ex-girlfriend, who is engaged to the man she cheated on him with, has been a struggle. When his son spends more time at his mom’s house, Jamie finds himself with more free time than he expects. Looking for some productive time alone, he heads to his cabin in Gatlinburg and quickly becomes captivated with the pricky but beautiful Eve.
What starts as a reluctant friendship turns into a summer fling. However, their feelings quickly up the stakes. Gatlinburg is a getaway from their real lives, and they both carry burdens that make it hard to be open to love. Yet, Eve and Jamie are going to learn the hard way that real feelings can come with even the most temporary of situations.
To me, this book is split into two parts: “Are we doing this?” and “Oh, we’re doing this.” The first half is full of yearning, frustration, spicy interactions and two adults trying to push aside the worries of the world for the feelings that are showing up (also, love how this book feels like we’re watching real adults deal withdeal with realistic communication problems. Thank you, Ashley!). The chemistry is amazing between Eve and Jamie, striking a balance between cute and believable, It also lays a good foundation for the second half of the book, when the relationship actually starts.
One of my biggest pet peeves in romance is the story ending when the feelings are just being revealed, that the big conclusion is “Let’s make it work” and kiss. Eve and Jamie have so much going on that ending their story there would have truly been a disservice because what happens after getting together is where things really get interesting.
Despite the rom-com premise, Jordan fully explores the dynamic of Jamie and Eve’s relationship being messy. Throughout the story, readers watch Jamie and Eve struggle to overcome their insecurities, trauma, and pain to actually connect with each other. Between Eve’s feterility and intimacy issues and Jamie’s distrust of their long-distance relationship and still healing from being betrayed, they break up or fall out a few times throughout the story. Yet, it doesn’t feel unreasonable or ridiculous or just for entertainment. It feels like watching two people really figure out what they want in real time.
And the truth is, it’s hard loving someone when you struggle with your scars. Jamie and Eve are well aware they have issues but it doesn’t make it easy to work through them or gain a wider perspective. As for their relationship, the answer isn’t working through them together the whole time or separating until they’re better. It’s a complicated mix of both. Because, loving someone isn’t easy nor is accepting someone’s past but it’s not about finding someone who has it all figured it or fixed. Maybe it’s about letting someone see all of you, trusting them to love you, trusting yourself enough to love them, and doing the same in return.
I hope you enjoyed Once Upon a Time in Dollywood! Stay tuned for our October read. Make sure to check out the Audacity Book Club merch and get your “Not ya mama’s book club” hats today. Also, keep an eye out for the “Not ya mama’s book club” sweatshirts, coming soon.
As always, don’t forget to read audaciously!
