Pixels and Paint (Trinket Sisters, # 1)
By: Kristi Ann Hunter
Publication: July 4, 2023 by Oholiab Creations
362 pages
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)
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Goodreads description--For Emma Trinket, life is a delicate balancing act between loving her family and pursuing interests they don’t understand. When the opportunity arises to finally impress them with her job as a computer programmer, she jumps at it even if it means immersing herself in a world she’s despised since childhood. Unfortunately the one man who could crush her prospects is also the best person to help her navigate the lessons she needs to be a success. Artistic expression is both Carter Anderson’s safe space and his livelihood, but his fading inspiration has him worried about his place in life. His encounters with Emma spark a passion to create that he hasn’t felt in years and he isn’t ready to let go of his new muse even if she’s threatening the sanctity of his art world with her digital technologies. As each tries to gain an advantage from the other, Emma and Carter discover they actually might be more compatible than they thought. Will that be enough to unify their opposing missions or will the real differences between pixels and paint tear them apart?
I have long been a fan of Kristi Ann Hunter. And I've been stalking her Goodreads page to see if she had any new releases coming up. And there was nothing and nothing and nothing. And then wham! One day, she had a CONTEMPORARY new release coming. I was shocked. She's always written historical fiction. So I wasn't sure how things would go with her switching genres, but I knew I wanted to check it out. One thing that was a little off-putting to me though was the cover. I can't say that I'm a fan. The characters look a little too cartoony. I'm not the biggest fan of these illustrated types of covers anyway. And I think it was the cover added to the genre switch that had me putting off picking this book up immediately. I finally got a place where I knew I needed to read a review book, and so I chose this one.
I've got to say that Kristi Ann Hunter did the genre switch well. I didn't feel like historical fiction speech patterns were coming out in her writing here, which I imagine might be one of the more challenging parts of switching genres. I was hooked decently early. And I even stayed up until midnight one night reading Pixels and Paint.
Let's talk about Emma. She grew up in a creative family. Her mother and aunt own a clothing boutique, and her twin sister, Amy, has since joined the boutique as a clothing designer. Emma doesn't feel like she fits in with her family. But she allows them to dictate her life in many ways. Amy creates a "look book" for Emma and fills her closet with designer clothing that she's styled with jewelry, a handbag, and shoes to complete each outfit. Emma only wears these outfits to functions she attends with her family. When she was in college, Emma found an entirely new approach to life. She realized that she could dress for comfort, which has resulted in her wearing yoga pants, leggings, and pajama pants with oversized hoodies in her every day life. She also became a computer programmer. And she has no understanding or appreciation for art at all. As a matter of fact, she kind of hates it.
Carter is an artist. He sees Emma at an art gallery showing that she attended with and for her sister. He watches her across the room because she seems contradictory. She is fashionably dressed but doesn't appear to appreciate the art. She almost doesn't even seem comfortable in her own skin. And for the first time in years, Carter is inspired. But you can see how there might an issue with an artist dating someone who practically hates art. When Emma takes on a design project that she initially didn't even want, she soon becomes passionate about the project, and she enlists Carter to become her teacher in appreciating the arts.
Since I was a programmer before becoming a stay-at-home mom, I could immediately see that Emma's job of programming code could be viewed as art...just a different medium. So there was a period where I was a little annoyed that Emma and even Carter couldn't see that. I appreciated her journey to finding herself. And Carter also goes through some transitions as well.
One thing that didn't bother me when I was reading, but I feel like is necessary to mention in the analysis of Pixels and Paint is that these characters were claiming to be Christians. They do mention God, Jesus, going to church, and even some outreach. But I struggled with the character's relationship with Jesus because neither one of them reached out to pray or read Scripture when they were faced with difficulty. It felt like a convenient thing to add to the book to check the Christian box. I didn't see their faith propelling them to action or driving them back to relation with Christ even though He was mentioned once or twice.
Favorite quotes:
-A big of peanut butter M&Ms is not worth the agony I will endure over the next hour as the visions before me burn through the backs of my eyes and imprint themselves in my brain.
This quote reminded me that there were a lot of mistakes in my galley edition for review. I am sure those were corrected in a final editing pass.
-"My point is, even if this is the end with him, even if you cry into your cornflakes for a few weeks, you're better for this time you had with him. Don't count it all bad."
I liked this quote because I felt this when I was dating as well. With each relationship, I felt I was being refined as well as refining what it was I was looking for in a spouse and getting closer and closer to the mark each time. I don't regret the past relationships that I had because of what they taught me and how they led me to where I am now.
-"The way you see the world isn't the only way to see it."
I can definitely be guilty of this. Sometimes my way of thinking can be so ingrained that it literally surprises me when others disagree. It's not that I think I'm always right. It's just that sometimes I forget that others see things differently than I do.
In the end, I think Kristi Ann Hunter did a good job with her first published contemporary novel. I enjoyed Pixels and Paint. I was pulled into her story from the beginning the same way I have found myself pulled into her historical fiction stories. At no point did I think this book sounded like historical fiction which means she did her job well switching genres. I liked Carter and Emma. I appreciated their journey even when some things felt a little obvious, and even despite the lack of religious backbone given to the story or characters. Overall. I think Pixels and Paint gets 4 Stars, and I'm looking forward to continuing the series with Amy's story. Have you read Pixels and Paint? What did you think? Let me know!
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