I wanted to like this book, especially since it was the first one I've won from the goodreads giveaways!

I started reading it when waiting on my computer (for reboots, downloads, etc.), thinking that once I got into it, I'd take it to my comfy chair for "serious reading" time.

I finished it at my computer.

One caveat--I generally do not read romance. I don't have a basis of comparison on whether this is a typical book for the genre or not. I found the characters to be flat. Lily, the circa 1945 belle of Toccoa Georgia, fluttered about, didn't have many thoughts, and unbelievably considering her background, fell in love with a manual laborer just days before her soldier husband was to come home.

The relationships were also hard to believe, for the most part. Honey, Lily's mother, was a stereotypical Southern matriarch, with poor coping skills for life's trauma. Friends and and old boyfriend were wispy and nearly non-existent. There was one nice scene with Lily and her Father, that was perhaps the highlight of the book.

The writing seemed to be trying too hard. About every ten pages, the author attempted to lyrically describe something. The phrasing tended to kick me out of the book, as I thought to myself, "Oh, the author is trying to be poetic or literary--boy that doesn't work!"

Although Toccoa was in the title, the setting could have been any Southern place that was hot and sticky. I'd hoped to learn more about the region as part of the back story, but, as with the whole book, was disappointed.
( )

I waited to write the review on this book because there were just no words to form to even begin to articulate how awesome this book is. This book is one of those books that changes or ruins you for the rest of your life. The love that Lily gets the priviledge to feel is intense, I cried so hard when reading this book, and that doesn't happen often. The author knows exactly how to capture the readers heart in the palm of his hand and cause the reader to start questioning everything they know about love, life, and loss.

The setting is amazing, the town, the characters, the writing, everything about this book is absolutely wonderful. It had a bit of a Nicolas Sparks feel to it, but something that was also completely Mr. Stepakoff's. I hope to see many more novels by this author. ( )

Lily Davis was only 17 when she married a boy she had known for a short time. He was shipping out to WWII soon as a supply man for Coca-Cola and it seemed like the thing to do before he went away. Three years later, her hometown of Toccoa, Georgia has scheduled a big homecoming party for all the returning soldiers, including parades and fireworks. Lily stumbles into Jake Russo, the fireworks man, as he's setting up his show and he opens up a world of possibilities for her.

This just isn't my kind of book. I love the cover, I love that it's set at the end of World War II in a town that isn't that far from my own. I was a little afraid that it would have more in common with a [a:Nicholas Sparks|2345|Nicholas Sparks|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1273850585p2/2345.jpg] novel than I would like, but I took a chance on it anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, it could have been written by Nicholas Sparks. Not that there's anything wrong with this book or anything that Sparks has written, it's just not my taste. Tell me that a book was "so good you cried for the last 50 pages," and I will avoid that book like the plague. Not for me. And that's the kind of book this is.

I did like Lily. She's a headstrong woman living in a time and place where her opinions and actions are frowned upon. Her mother is trying to mold her into the perfect Southern matron, but Lily is chafing against that lifestyle. It's probably telling of my taste in books and Lily's character when I say that my favorite scene involved Lily assisting a black soldier passing through town.

I liked Jake too. What a hottie with surprising depths! There's so much to him that I kind of feel bad calling him a hottie, but he is. He's only returned from Europe recently himself, and his experiences there have of course changed him. He's become quieter, more reflective, and more appreciative of this moment in time, because who knows what the next moment will bring.

Their story aggravated me to no end. I won't go into why and spoil anything, so I'll leave it at that. The pacing irritated me too. Lily tells the story when she's 82-years-old and just when I thought I might find out what happened, the action would break and we'd move back to present-day Lily for a few pages. That feels like a cheap way to sustain suspense. One scene taking place in the pouring rain had me rolling my eyes and flashing back on the movie version of [b:The Notebook|15931|The Notebook|Nicholas Sparks|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/415NH98AT1L._SL75_.jpg|1498135], something I only watched under duress, but that I actually liked in the end.

Like I said though, there's nothing really wrong with this except that it's not my taste at all. If you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks, you will definitely love this one.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me this book for review. ( )

While the bulk of the novel is set in 1945, it is framed by an afternoon Lily - the protagonist - spends with her granddaughter Colleen in the present. Colleen is getting ready to start a "perfect" life with her fiance, a respectable doctor who is loving, kind, and handsome. Lily thinks that Colleen is making a mistake, but she's too wise to tell her granddaughter what to do. Instead, when she finds out that a WWII "mortar" recipe is on display at the local historical museum, Lily brings Collen along to claim the recipe and tell her story.

Lily explains that she, too, had a "perfect" life. The daughter of a wealthy Coca Cola executive living in Atlanta in the 1940s, Lily met and married her father's handsome young protege, a former college football player, a good man who had a bright future ahead of him. They were only married for two weeks when Lily's husband Paul went off to war, and as Lily begins her story she is only days away from seeing him again, after the close of the war in 1945. But Jake Russo comes to town to orchestrate a magnificent fireworks display in honor of the soldiers' homecoming, and he and Lily begin a five day affair that teaches her that passion is better than perfection; that soul-deep connection is more important than material comfort.

Lily determines to run away with Jake, but she misses her chance. Her husband Paul never arrives home, as scheduled - after surviving years of war, his plane crashes on the way homr and he dies. Lily has to postpone her desertion, out of respect for her husband, and by the time the funeral has been arranged and Lily has attended, Jake has left town. Lily tries to reach him, but it takes her many months to find him, and by the time she succeeds he's met and married someone else.

Lily, too, finds another husband. She lives a happy life, a fulfilled and adventurous life, achieves respect as an artist, travels with her new husband, an archeology professor. But those five days with Jake remain in her memory like the fireworks he produced, bright and unforgettable. Jake also left behind a keepsake - a blue firework the exact color of Lily's eyes, the most beautiful firework he ever made, a recipe that made its way to the historical museum as a "mortar". It's not clear how Colleen reacts to this story; she doesn't immediately break off her engagement, but she has been inspired to see life in a new way.

The story is mature and romantic, but the writing is so-so. The structure, the way that the story cuts between events, has the feel of a TV show; to me, it seemed that the author had not made a natural transition to his new medium. While there is nothing actually wrong with FIREWORKS OVER TOCCOA, it didn't strike me as extraordinary. ( )

I bought this book simply because the Toccoa River runs very close to my grandfather's old homestead. The book was....okay. It was neither a great book nor a bad book-I just couldn't stay interested in it. It certainly wasn't a 'can't put this one down' read.

Lily Davis' father is an important man in the town of Toccoa, Georgia. He is also an executive at the Coca-Cola plant. Paul Woodward is on his way up in the company and has captured Lily's heart. He and Lily marry before he is sent to Europe during WWII. Paul's job? Making sure all the men in uniform have an ample supply of Coca-Cola. Jake Russo, just back from the war and an actual soldier who saw battle, is an expert at making fireworks. Jake is preparing for the first 4th of July celebration since the war began when his path crosses with Lily's, causing fireworks to spark between the two young people. Now Lily is torn between her heart, which now belongs to Jake and her duties to her husband and her town. After all, she does have a reputation, as well as her place in Toccoa society, to consider. ( )