To Be Determined

2.5 stars. I liked the characters and the premise a lot, but the things the bothered me really bothered me. The first problem was the lack of background for the first 1/3 of this book. Cath kept going on and on about Past Cath and New Cath, and using that as her reason for keeping Nev at a distance. But she also made it clear that Nev was nothing like any of the other men she'd been with, so I was really frustrated with what looked to me like the typical fake-conflict of contemporaries. When it's finally revealed that Cath's past was a hell of a lot more tragic than implied, I felt that her actions and attitudes now made sense, but the damage had been done. This book really needed a prologue. Next was Nev's family, especially his mother. Her evolution from evil manipulator to loving mom didn't make a bit of sense considering all we'd been told about her. And why did his father allow his mother and brother to treat Nev like they did all his life? Was I supposed to see him as a good but weak man who was henpecked by his stronger-willed wife? Because all I saw was an indifferent asshole who was no more deserving of Nev's love and respect than the rest of the family.Finally, that ending (though this is just about personal taste rather than a criticism of the writing). The description of those paintings had me rolling my eyes. Let's not even get into the huge invasion of privacy...Nev just put Cath's entire life out for display. And I hate public proposals. They make me cringe.