Category Archives: Satire

Review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

Title: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Contemporary, Satire, Fiction
Length: 351 pages
Book Rating: C+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

The author of Other People’s Houses and The Garden of Small Beginnings delivers a quirky and charming novel chronicling the life of confirmed introvert Nina Hill as she does her best to fly under everyone’s radar.
 
Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own…shell.

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.
 
When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They’re all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She’ll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It’s a disaster! And as if that wasn’t enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn’t he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.
1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It’s time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn’t convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It’s going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page.

Review:

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman is a quirky novel that booklovers are certain to enjoy.

Nina Hill is an only child with an emotionally and psychically distant mother. She has no idea who her father is but with one phone call, she inherits a now deceased father and a slew of siblings and extended family members. At first, this chaotic information does not fit into Nina’s well-organized and tightly controlled life. But she is soon charmed by her delightful nephew and brother. Just as Nina has finally adjusted to the sudden appearance of family, she is thoroughly discombobulated when her trivia nemesis Tom asks her out. She is attracted to Tom, but with little in common, Nina is unsure whether she wants to risk her heart on an uncertain romance. But will Tom sneak past her very formidable defenses and convince her to give him a chance?

Nina is sarcastic, intelligent and would rather read than go out on a date. She is a bit of a mess but she has figured out how to manage her anxiety and stress. She has her life planned down to the tiniest detail and she does not deal well when unexpected events throw things into disarray. Although unwilling to disturb the status quo, her new relatives quickly draw her into their rather dysfunctional lives.

Tom is the most normal persona in Nina’s life. That’s not to say that he hasn’t experienced a few speed bumps in his personal life, but he is down to earth and rather laidback.  Tom is absolutely enamored with Nina and he enjoys her eccentricities. However, how will Tom react when Nina reverts to her normal way of coping when life overwhelms her?

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill is an engaging novel but the pacing is sometimes a little slow. The secondary cast of characters is entertaining and  easy to like.  Nina is a personable woman but her inner monologues are sometimes overly long and rambling.  Nina’s romance with Tom is understated which is a shame because their scenes together are very enjoyable. The family drama is fun to watch unfold and it also serves as a catalyst for Nina to grow and change.  Despite being a little over the top, this latest release by Abbi Waxman is an endearing novel of new beginnings, stepping out of one’s comfort zone and ultimately, love.

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Filed under Abbi Waxman, Berkley, Contemporary, Fiction, Review, Satire, The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

Review: George Bailey Gets Saved in the End by Ken O’Neill

Title: George Bailey Gets Saved in the End by Ken O’Neill
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Humor/Satire
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Same Holiday. Different George.

George Bailey, who has made a fortune selling Christmas ornaments, is having a rough few days. He’s thrown his back out lifting the Thanksgiving turkey; his father has died and his wife has left him. He’d turn to his best friend for support, but said BFF is having an affair with his wife.

Let the holiday season begin!

On the heels of all this misery George meets a new woman, and he also meets Jesus (or perhaps just an awfully nice guy named Jesus). As he scrambles to hold together his floundering family, he must figure out if these strange and wondrous events are miracles or symptoms of a nervous breakdown.

Review:

George Bailey Gets Saved in the End by Ken O’Neill is a humorous novel that is also poignant and surprisingly, uplifting.

After a series of life-altering events occur in fairly quick succession, George Bailey is forced out of complacency about his career and marriage. He works alongside his father, brother and to  some extent, his own children, in the family owned Christmas business. George has grown increasingly unhappy with his job but inertia and family expectations have left him unable to decide whether or not to leave his position.  Although not exactly happy in his 24 year marriage, he is content to stay with his childhood sweetheart, Tara.  As events continue to  snowball out of control, George has no choice but face his growing dissatisfaction with his life, but will he make better choices than he has in the past?

George is an endearing middle aged man who is content to maintain the status quo despite his increasing unhappiness.  He ignores problems until he has no choice but to face them and even then, he is hard-pressed to make decisions about how to fix them. With his life completely upended, George makes a few questionable choices but overall, he is making progress as he tries to figure out what will make him happy.  While he is definitely making progress in making positive changes in his life, he still has to force himself to explore his feelings and stop reacting passively to difficult situations.  Habits of a lifetime are difficult to break, but George makes considerable progress in affecting positive changes in every aspect of his life.

George Bailey Gets Saved in the End by Ken O’Neill is a charming holiday novel that is fast-paced and engaging.  The characters are multi-faceted with quirks that add to their overall appeal. An entertaining yet extremely heartwarming story of new beginnings that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Fiction, George Bailey Gets Saved in the End, Humor, Ken O'Neill, Rated B+, Review, Satire

Review: The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright

burned bridgesTitle: The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright
Publisher: Little A
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Humor, Satire
Length: 252 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

There are no secrets in a small town. For someone like Rebecca, that can get awkward.

Rebecca Meer’s hometown of Ward, Nebraska, is small—so small that she can’t even sneak home after a drunken girls’ night without running into at least three people she knows. But she has bigger problems than her reputation. The head doctor at her fertility clinic is losing his mind, and his wild behavior could cost them the business. Her supersuccessful ex-boyfriend has blown back into town and somehow become her son’s fifth-grade teacher—now her son is asking awkward questions about the end of their relationship. Rebecca can’t even run the PTA’s annual food drive without getting mixed up with criminals. In Eileen Curtright’s astute comedy, we see just how far a stressed-out single parent will go to be the “perfect” mother.

Review:

With razor sharp wit and perfect comedic timing, The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright is an entertaining and surprisingly, thought-provoking, novel.

Set in a small Midwestern town, single mom Rebecca “Becky” Meers tries to fly under the nosy town’s radar while raising her son Mitchell. Having just made partner in the local fertility clinic, she works with a slick doctor who keeps her busy cleaning up his messes but his latest misstep might be well beyond any type of damage control. At the same, she is stunned and dismayed to discover that Mitchell’s new teacher is none other than her son’s unnamed father Kevin Holts and his teaching style is unconventional at best and downright destructive at worst.  Throw in her unwanted attraction to Hayes Bandercook who just happens to be from one the town’s most notorious families and Becky becomes convinced that a prescription for the newest ADHD drug will solve all of her problems.

Rebecca is a harried working mom who loves her son unconditionally. An unfortunate mishap with the school’s toads puts Mitchell in the crosshairs of the principal and much to her consternation, keeping him out of trouble means discussing his behavior with Kevin in a professional capacity. Although she is thrilled to finally be a partner in the fertility clinic, her social awkwardness and inability to sugarcoat news make for some interesting (and alarming) discussions with some of the clinic’s patients.  After discovering her partner is up to his old tricks with one their patients, Becky is often left to deal with their clients on her own which sometimes ends with disastrous outcomes. At the same time, she is also scrambling to stop the good doctor from ruining their business with his after hours shenanigans.

The Burned Bridges of Ward, Nebraska by Eileen Curtright is a laugh out loud funny novel with a cast of well developed, eclectic characters. Although occasionally a little over the top, the storyline touches on a number of topical issues such as the alarming trend of overmedicating students and standardized testing in schools.  Zany and irreverent with a satirical edge, Eileen Curtright is nonetheless spot on with her depiction of some of the problems in today’s world and the downsides to small town living. A fast paced and engrossing story that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

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Filed under Burned Bridges of Ward Nebraska, Contemporary, Eileen Curtright, Fiction, Humor, Little A, Rated B+, Review, Satire