In "Apron Strings", Marylou is more than content to let her parents continue to baby her while she floats along in her first year of college -- that is, until she meets Brian, a studious young man who clearly doesn't think much of her attitude. She takes on a number of new ventures in an effort to impress him, tentatively defying her parents in order to do so, and gradually begins to realize the value of striking out on her own.

I would have liked to rate this book higher, but two things hold me back: first, I found it difficult to believe that her parents babied her that much. Yes, parents can be overprotective, but Dads don't usually do their college-aged child's homework for them. It's one thing for Marylou to go along with it, but her father has no excuse for such unethical behavior.

MAJOR SPOILERS BEHIND THE CUT TAG Second, there were one-too-many trials for Marylou to get through all at once. I liked that she was put in charge of the clothing shop (although she really should have stood her ground when customers kept scamming her by returning used merchandise). At the same time, she helped her friend and co-worker through a domestic crisis (taking care of that co-worker's boyfriend's motherless siblings), which would have been enough on its own, but then the youngest little girl had to get dangerous appendicitis just then.

All that I could have forgiven, except that at the end of the book, Marylou and Brian are relaxing at a beach with Jean and Jean's on-duty lifeguard boyfriend, George, when an older lady swims out too far and gets in trouble. George races to save her, Brian races to help, Marylou has to race out to help Brian and ends up pulling back the old lady, and George drowns due to a cramp. Oh, and the old lady who swam out too far is dead too. And for whatever reason, Marylou and Brian decide that they have to break the news to George's parents.

I'm not saying this couldn't happen, but seriously -- all of this happens in about a week's time. And it reminds me of a Tom Cruise movie, when his best friend has to die so he can grow emotionally (Cocktail, Top Gun, etc.). It was completely gratuitous in my opinion. ( )