She could be fun, for short periods of time. She could also be useful—in television interviews, for example—but largely, being Clare Collins was exhausting.

With the internet now functioning again, Clare sat at her desk and pulled up the New York Times to read for herself Donna’s “scathing” review of If You Knew Her. She didn’t have to look; it was the first one on the page.

For years, international bestselling author Clare Collins has churned out book after book that has appealed to that wide audience that is either devoted, or addicted, to Collins’s signature, if oftentimes repetitive, plot structure: love gained, love lost, love gained again with a twist. So it was with great anticipation that readers, including this reader, who generally prefers a meatier book with more depth and substance than a typical Collins book, awaited the release of If You Knew Her. It’s Collins’s first self-confessed attempt at elevating her prose and leaping the chasm between an all-you-can-eat buffet and a fine dining literary experience.

One can imagine Collins scratching at the surface of the story she wanted to tell, but when it came time to dig deep, she pulled back before truly daring to break ground with her characters. The result is a setup that makes a heady promise—a promise that Collins’s unexcavated characters are unable to deliver.

Collins has indeed leapt; however, If You Knew Her has botched the landing and unfortunately ended at the bottom of the canyon.

Clare stood up from behind her desk and crossed her expansive study to face the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that looked out over the Pacific crashing below her. The overcast sky met the gray ocean out on the horizon and promised a storm to match her mood. She would give Donna her pound of flesh and read the rest of the review, but Clare already knew two things: Donna’s review had little to do with If You Knew Her, and it wasn’t going to get any better. This was personal, and ten years in the coming. Apparently, Donna’s National Book Award and subsequent improved sales had done little to help her move on.