Julie's Review: Take Two, Birdie Maxwell

Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Series: None
Publication Date: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 367
Obtained: Purchased
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Communication is key
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Summary: Birdie Robinson thought she’d gotten everything she wanted out of life: fame, adoration, and an A-list Hollywood career. But after an on-set feud goes viral, she leaves L.A. for the one place where no one would think to find her: her hometown. She’s startled to stumble upon a love letter from a former boyfriend asking for a second chance. And there’s just one issue: the letter was unsigned and she’s not sure which ex sent it. Still, a public reunion with an ex-boyfriend could turn the wave of public opinion back in her favor. Life imitating art. What could go wrong? Elliot O’Brien, star reporter, knows that life isn’t an actual rom-com. Case in point, he’s spent two decades repressing his long-simmering feelings for his twin sister’s best friend, Birdie. But with his journalism career cratering and Birdie back in their hometown at the same time he is, he realizes that chronicling her search for her long-ago ex may be his opportunity to right some wrongs. As they hit the road in an ancient RV, Birdie and Elliot retrace her romantic history for clues to who wrote the letter and come face to face with their own romantic missteps, all while grappling with whether happy endings are found only on the big screen—or whether their own happier ever after could be closer than they both ever imagined. ~amazon.com

Review: If you've been reading this blog for any period of time, you know I've been a big Allison fan for a long time. Her latest, Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is wonderful. Not only is it heartfelt, humorous but it's about self-discovery and being honest with those around you. How misunderstands left cleared up end up festering for years. Birdie is at the height of her career as the darling of film, when she lays into a beloved director and it's caught on film. Except instead of the public backing her up, it goes against her even though she is in the right. So, Birdie goes home with her tail between her legs only to find things are exactly great there either. As she goes through boxes of her stuff from her room, she runs across a letter that she's never seen and it turns out to be someone declaring their undying love for her. Birdie figures what better way to get back into the good graces of the public than to find who wrote her the letter. 

This is where Elliot enters the story. As a journalist, Birdie feels he is the right person to join her on this journey because he'll make her look good but also she just wants some company. One has to ask though, is this the best decision given their history? 

I loved how the POVs were from both Birdie and Elliot; it was important to get their perspectives on their connected history. One of the best things I think for Birdie was that things weren't exactly how she always remembered them; that the other person might have experienced things a little differently than her. Unfortunately, all of this is front and center and it doesn't make Birdie look good all the time. 

I did love seeing how Birdie was able to reflect on her past and have some revelations about her behavior. I absolutely loved the ending and what led to the big reveal. There are a lot of laugh out loud parts in the book as well. 

Ms. Scotch will continue to be an auto-buy author for me and I look forward to reading what she writes next. 

Julie's Review: The Rewind

Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Series: None
Publication Date:  November 1, 2022
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 366
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Contemporary Romance
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Not the classic romance
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Summary: When college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra broke up before graduation, they vowed to never speak to each other again. Ten years later, on the eve of the new millennium, they find themselves back on their snowy, picturesque New England campus together for the first time for the wedding of mutual friends. Frankie’s on the rise as a music manager for the hottest bands of the late ’90s, and Ezra’s ready to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Everything is going to plan—they just have to avoid the chasm of emotions brought up when they inevitably come face to face. But when they wake up in bed next to each other the following morning with Ezra’s grandmother’s diamond on Frankie’s finger, they have zero memory of how they got there—or about any of the events that transpired the night before. Now Frankie and Ezra have to put aside old grievances in order to figure out what happened, what didn’t happen...and to ask themselves the most troubling question of all: what if they both got it wrong the first time around? ~amazon.com

Review: If you are looking for a deeply complex story about discovering yourself, confronting the past and planning the future you will definitely want to pick up The Rewind. If you are looking for a classic fairy tale romance where the former lovers see each other and immediately fall back in love, then move on from The Rewind.

You get a bit of the background of Frankie and Ezra's college love story in the beginning of the novel through both of their eyes but it really starts to reveal itself as the novel goes on. Whenever anyone says there are two sides to the story, I believe in cases of relationships there are 3: his, hers and the truth. Our own memories skew how we view things that happened to us and how we want to color the past. It isn't until you are confronted with someone else's view that you might question yours. 

Frankie is a closed book, even with those closest to her there are parts of her she holds back. Ezra is more of an open book but there are still parts of him that he holds onto as well. This begs the question throughout the book, do we need to keep somethings to ourselves to protect ourselves or because we are scared? Do we need to share everything about ourselves with those we are closest too or do we save some of ourselves for ourself?

As the 24 hours unfolds, Ezra and Frankie both find out some truths about themselves in the past and today, some truths about their relationship and their current relationships with others. Neither one of them is the villain in their story but each of them play their part in the dissemination of it. It isn't until they connect again, albeit with both of them hating the other, that they realize some things. That's called growing up and being an adult. 

I will admit that this book is not what I thought it would be but it ended up being great. Now that I've been done with it for a few days, I can see how a more realistic love story is at times better than the fantasy. 

Julie's Review: Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing

Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Series: None
Publication Date:  August 1, 2020
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 328
Obtained: Amazon First
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 5/5
Bottom Line: Multi-layered novel about the things women deal with throughout life
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Summary: Cleo McDougal is a born politician. From congresswoman to senator, the magnetic, ambitious single mother now has her eye on the White House—always looking forward, never back. Until an estranged childhood friend shreds her in an op-ed hit piece gone viral. With seven words—“Cleo McDougal is not a good person”—the presidential hopeful has gone from in control to damage control, and not just in Washington but in life. Enter Cleo’s “regrets list” of 233 and counting. Her chief of staff has a brilliant idea: pick the top ten, make amends during a media blitz, and repair her reputation. But there are regrets, and there are regrets: like her broken relationship with her sister, her affair with a law school professor…and the regret too big to even say out loud. But with risk comes reward, and as Cleo makes both peace and amends with her past, she becomes more empowered than ever to tackle her career, confront the hypocrites out to destroy her, and open her heart to what matters most—one regret at a time. ~amazon.com

Review: I don't read a lot of political fiction because I do feel it gets infused with the author's political views but in Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing I didn't feel that at all. Sure I knew what political party Cleo was in but it wasn't the driver/focus of the book. As women, we are familiar with the term frenemy and Cleo is outed as not a nice person by her's from high school, Maryanne. Although her motive isn't really alturistic either. To say that neither of them are not good people would be too easy and gloss over more complicated feelings and circumstances.

Cleo is a wonderfully complicated character that you do feel like you know her. Cleo has always been about herself and being first or winning. What she never realized with that singular focus, she never realized how her goals and means to her goals affected other people. How they might have been hurt in the wake of the storm that is/was Cleo. With the op-ed by Maryanne, it forces Cleo to look in the mirror and realize that maybe she doesn't regret some of her actions but that doesn't mean she has to be proud of them.

There are so many great supporting characters in this book, her son Lucas being on of them. She begins to realize that it's always been the two of them and now that he's a teenager it might not hurt to be alone. She also comes to the conclusion that some of her decisions have been selfish when it came to him. In order to be a better mother, she needs to put his feelings first for a while.

This book is so layered that there were times where I paused and thought, "wow" beause it rang so true for the undercurrents of the novel. Women are put through the ringer professionally and personally and held to higher standards which isn't necessarily bad but it is certainly not fair. Ms. Scotch addresses these issues with aplumb.

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing will be on my best of 2020 list for sure. I highly recommend!



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Julie's Review: In Twenty Years

Author: Allison Winn Scotch
Series: None
Publication Date: July 1, 2016
Publisher: Lake Union Press
Pages: 455
Obtained: author
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Does the past always shape who we become and can you go back to those friends who shaped you into who you are?
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Summary: Twenty years ago, six Penn students shared a house, naively certain that their friendships would endure—until the death of their ringleader and dear friend Bea splintered the group for good. Now, mostly estranged from one another, the remaining five reluctantly gather at that same house on the eve of what would have been Bea’s fortieth birthday. But along with the return of the friends come old grudges, unrequited feelings, and buried secrets. Catherine, the CEO of a domestic empire, and Owen, a stay-at-home dad, were picture-perfect college sweethearts—but now teeter on the brink of disaster. Lindy, a well-known musician, is pushing middle age in an industry that’s all about youth and slowly self-destructing as she grapples with her own identity. Behind his smile, handsome plastic surgeon Colin harbors the heartbreaking truth about his own history with Bea. And Annie carefully curates her life on Instagram and Facebook, keeping up appearances so she doesn’t have to face the truth about her own empty reality. Reunited in the place where so many dreams began, and bolstered by the hope of healing, each of them is forced to confront the past. -goodreads.com  

Review: In Twenty Years is going back to the people and the places that shaped your into the adult you are; college years. When 5 close friends each get a summons to return back to the place they lived together during the last year of college, they all have mixed feelings and various reasons for going.

I really liked the story about how going back to your past can help you rediscover who you wanted to be then and help you if you've veered off course. That's not to say that you should always be the person you were when you were twenty-something but it can get you back to the important things in life. What did you want to become? How did you want to live your life? Why were these people the most important people in your life?  I'm not saying that life doesn't change you based on experiences but sometimes it's good to remember who you were at different points in time.

As for the characters, I'm not sure there wasn't a selfish or self-centered one in the bunch. Lindy is the worst out of the bunch, in my opinion. Fame has only made her worse and she can't be honest with those around her, let alone with herself. She's believed her own hype for too long. She's the one who needs her friends the most to reground her and make her reassess her priorities in her life.

Catherine has tried too hard to be a domestic diva that she's lost sight of what is most important: family. You can have a domestic diva empire but it would be better if you were at home more with your family. She's type A and is having a hard time admitting that maybe she's failing and needs some help. She's closed herself off to her husband, Owen and only finds fault with what he does instead of looking at all that he does. Owen needs to assert himself with Catherine and explain that he's ready to go back to work, that maybe being at home with the kids wasn't really what he thought it would be. They both can't be honest with each other. Sometimes it's easier in a marriage to find fault than to try to find harmony. I was rooting for them but I wanted them to remember what they loved about each other to find their way back to each other.

Colin's lifestyle makes it seem like he should be happy and carefree but he's not. He's lonely. He hasn't gotten over the loss of Bea and all the beautiful women he's attached to will never capture his heart. He's never found happiness because his happiness was Bea. He's idolized her in his mind and heart and well that's pretty impossible to compete with.

Annie, poor Annie. She's a flipping mess. Seriously. She's so worried about appearing to have the perfect family that she has anything but that. She needs to start asserting herself so her son can see what a strong woman is capable of, instead of seeing a woman that let's a man walk all over her. I also didn't care for the fact that she thought seeing Colin would be the answer to her problems.  I understand why she wanted to see him but the truth is her crush never went away and we all know the fiction is sometimes better than the reality.

I'm not sure if these 4 friends will remain in contact after their weekend because the glue that held them together, Bea, isn't around.  I felt it was good for all of them to get together to put the past behind them but that there wasn't any room for ongoing friendships. Maybe that's the point as well. Just because you were best friends at one point in your life, doesn't mean you need to be best friends for your whole life. Sometimes friends are in your life for a reason at a certain time to teach you something and some friends are life-long and it's fine to have some of both.

Ms. Scotch always does a fabulous job with pulling you in and making the story relevant to her readers. I'm sure we could also see ourselves or our friends in some of the characters, even if it's the flaws. Flaws are what make us human. There were times when what she wrote made me laugh out loud and times when her words made me tear up.

If you are looking for a novel with complex interpersonal relationships, you won't want to miss In Twenty Year.


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Author Interview: Allison Winn Scotch

Tuesday was the release of Allison Winn Scotch's 5th novel, The Theory of Opposites and today she willingly answers our questions.

GJR: You are a well-established author, why the change to self-publishing? What kind of leverage do you think it gives you as an author?

AWS:  I’d felt demoralized over how many things were out of my control at the big publishers once I filed my manuscript. And I’d seen too many wonderful writers get pushed aside because their books hadn’t done well, when all they’d done was write a brilliant book. If an author writes a brilliant book, and it doesn’t sell, I’m not quite sure why he or she is blamed. But anyway. I’d grown disenchanted with the machine, and I have an entrepreneurial spirit, so it was kind of the perfect mix and the perfect time for me. As far as leverage? Well, I mean, anything and anyone can fail. I could have failed miserably at this. I think the only leverage it gives me is the control that I get back – from pricing (the book is just $2.99) to the cover to the marketing. But that’s BIG leverage and peace of mind for me, and that’s what I wanted.

For more on this you can see her article on Writer Unboxed 

GJR: How much research went into deciding to move to self-published? Will you do it again?

AWS: A ton and yes. I would never have jumped if I hadn’t armed myself with all of the research about how to do it well and how to do it right. Self-publishing has earned a reputation as amateurish because people scribble their manuscripts and call them books. That’s not how it works if you really want to be a pro. The process is and should be just as rigorous as anything you’d go through at a publishing house.

GJR: Between Richard Chandler and Vanessa, there’s a lot of philosophy going on in the novel. How much did you have to crack open those college philosophy books for research?

AWS: Ha! Funny enough, Philosophy was one of my favorite classes as a senior in high school. To be honest, the tough part wasn’t mulling over the philosophy behind the characters, it was keeping track of who thought what and being sure that the lines didn’t get too blurry between them all. It took a few drafts to really be clear on who had which stakes in which camp.

GJR: Which camp of thinking, Richard’s or Vanessa’s, do you think you fall into? Or do you think life is a blend of both, applicable in different situations?

AWS: I definitely do not adhere to Richard’s thinking – that everything happens for a reason or that free will doesn’t exist – but certainly, there are wonderful or terrible things that just happen in life with no rhyme or reason. But I’m a person who likes to be in control of her life, so I’d have a hard time embracing the idea that life happens to us rather than the idea that we chart our own lives. So in that way, I think I’m Team Vanessa.

GJR: You recently had a huge life change, moving from NYC to LA. How much of that experience and taking that risk went into The Theory of Opposites?

AWS:  Interestingly enough, a lot. The move has been really wonderful for us, and I think has fostered a real sense of contentment in our house. I couldn’t have written this book without that sense of contentment…I think my joy spills over to the pages. Also, last year was a year of change for us, and as someone who thrives on change (I’m a Gemini!), I just thought, “Hey, go for it, why not?” The worst thing that could happen would be that I’d fall on my face, and if that happened too, then I’d just stand up all over again.

GJR: Last time we talked when The Song Remains the Same was released, you were taking a break from writing novels and working on another project. What became of that project?

AWS: I wrote a screenplay – I think that’s what we were talking about! – for a production company out here, and Hollywood takes forever, so I’m still waiting. But it was a super-fun experience, and I’m glad to have dipped my toe into those waters.

GJR:  What inspired you to come back and write The Theory of Opposites?

AWS: Honestly, the joy of these characters. I had sort of given up on novels, but I had started this book a year or so ago and abandoned it. I happened to open it up one day, and all it did was make me smile, so I wanted to keep going, keep hanging out, passing the time with this ridiculous family. I really came to love them more than almost any of my previous characters, other than maybe Jillian from Time of My Life. They hold a pretty special place in my heart, not just because they’re awesome, but because they brought me back to writing fiction again.

GJR: You made a pretty big announcement before the release date of the novel in which Jennifer Garner and her production company picked up the option to develop The Theory of Opposites. How excited and stunned are you? I know it’s early, but do you know how involved you will be?

AWS:  I’m so elated. I’ve known for a while that it was in the works, but to share it with the world was just so amazing. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been a big fan of Jen’s for a while. I sent her the manuscript shortly after I finished it – she was probably one of my first ten readers – and she and her producing partner read it quickly and immediately expressed their enthusiasm. Honestly, at that point, I was just so stunned that anyone outside my immediate circle loved the book that that was the biggest focus. But now they’re getting started on it, and I know they’re going to do great things with it. As far as my involvement? They are being super-kind and keeping me in the loop, which normally doesn’t happen, but I trust them and am letting them do their thing.

GJR: What’s the biggest difference (besides weather) that you’ve noted between NYC and LA?

Oh, I was going to say the weather. That’s not fair! Okay, people in LA are much more laid-back than in NYC. Not that there’s anything wrong with the NYC ‘tude, but at this point in my life, I’m enjoying the sunglasses/yoga pants/cheery attitude that abounds in my area.

GJR: How does your writing space in LA differ from the one in NY?

AWS:  Home office in both places! I’m a lucky girl.

As always, much thanks to Allison for taking the time out her schedule for our questions!


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Julie's Review: The Theory of Opposites

Summary:  What happens when you think you have it all, and then suddenly it’s taken away? Willa Chandler-Golden's father changed the world with his self-help bestseller, Is It Really Your Choice? Why Your Entire Life May Be Out of Your Control. Millions of devoted fans now find solace in his notion that everything happens for a reason. Though Willa isn’t entirely convinced of her father’s theories, she readily admits that the universe has delivered her a solid life: a reliable husband, a fast-paced career. Sure there are hiccups – negative pregnancy tests, embattled siblings - but this is what the universe has brought, and life, if she doesn’t think about it too much, is wonderful. Then her (evidently not-so-reliable) husband proposes this: A two-month break. Two months to see if they can't live their lives without each other. And before Willa can sort out destiny and fate and what it all means, she’s axed from her job, her 12 year-old nephew Nicky moves in, her ex-boyfriend finds her on Facebook, and her best friend Vanessa lands a gig writing for Dare You!, the hottest new reality TV show. And then Vanessa lures Willa into dares of her own - dares that run counter to her father’s theories of fate, dares that might change everything…but only if Willa is brave enough to stop listening to the universe and instead aim for the stars. ~allisonwinn.com

Review: The Theory of Opposites is a fantastic book about finding out who it is you want to become. Do you want to be a bystander in your own life or do you want to get out there and live it? What does it take for Willa (a.k.a William) to get off the "couch" of her life? Basically her life gets flipped upside down or is it right side up on her. Her husband, Shawn and her do everything together. I mean heck they even have an app that they share coordinating all of their to dos. 

Willa is surrounded by quite the cast of characters but her family is the hilarious. I adored Raina, Ollie and Minnie, her mom. Her dad was an interesting character but I can't say that I found him funny or even liked him. He was a bit full of himself and has missed out on life by prescribing to his theory that there is no free will. Your life path is already charted and you are only a pawn in it. Willa's best friend, Vanessa, sets out to prove that you have control of your life of your destiny, using Willa as her guinea pig. Vanessa has the best intentions when it comes to Willa. She wants Willa to quit being a bystander in her life.

Willa is a great heroine because she is extremely relatable. Who hasn't had a minor or major setback in life and wondered what next? Where do I go from here? The transformation that she goes through its significant and transforming.

Ms. Scotch keeps you guessing until the end which path Willa will chose to go down. Will she even take an active role in her life? Will the "Dare You" truly make Willa test herself?

The real lesson in the book is that we all have a choice or choice and we need to own them. We have control of our lives. We have free will.

If you are looking for a novel that touches your soul and might cause you to think about your life path differently, then pick up The Theory of Opposites.

Final Take: 4.5/5 

Note: Stayed tuned later this week for a Q&A with Allison!


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Alice's Review: The Song Remains the Same

Summary: She’s a wife, a sister, a daughter…but she remembers nothing. Now she must ask herself who she is and choose which stories—and storytellers—to trust. One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes up in the hospital with no memory of it, or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind with the help of family and friends who have their own agendas. Although Nell can’t remember all that came before, something just doesn’t sit right with the versions of her history given by her mother, her sister, and her husband.  Desperate for a key to unlock her past, she filters through photos, art, music, and stories, hoping that something will jog her memory, and soon, in tiny bits and pieces, Nell starts remembering. . . .From the New York Times bestselling author of Time of My Life comes a novel that asks: Who are we without our memories? How much of our future is defined by our past? ~amazon.com

Review:  When I began reading The Song Remains the Same, it reminded me of the movie The Vow.  Married woman gets amnesia, husband tries to woo her, she puts her life back together.  Similar right?  Actually no.  As Julie reminded me, the similarities end with amnesia.  In the beginning, I kept looking for those nonexistent similarities so much that it blurred my perceptive.  It didn’t help that I didn’t feel any love towards Peter (Nell’s husband), Nell’s mother and sister, or Anderson, the movie star and other plane crash survivor.  Nell, on the other hand, I adored.

With the help of a reporter and her therapist, and with no help from her family, Nell begins to piece her life back together one song at a time.  I love the playlist attached to this novel.  I love music and I thought it was great how Ms. Winn Scotch tied in song titles and lyrics with the each chapter.  It was clever and interesting. 

About halfway through the novel everything changed for me, the feeling of the novel changed.  The change was refreshing and unexpected.  I especially enjoyed the twist at the end.  It was surprising, again unexpected.  Perfect.  I really enjoyed this story.  I liked how during the process of getting her memory back, she learned that as much as she needed help from others, she really relied on herself to figure out who she was and who she could become. 

Unfortunately, there wasn’t any love gained with the supporting characters save for her mother.  Ms. Winn Scotch did her justice explaining why she did what she did.  Although I don’t agree with her actions, I understood the why.  Besides Nell, her mother was my favorite character. 

Something else I hadn’t expected was the emotional connection I felt towards The Song Remains the Same.  This novel was very introspective.  It snuck up on me and made me ask myself questions I’ve been avoiding.  More than once, I asked myself if I were to wake up to the life I was living now, what would I think of it?  What would I want to change?  What would I want to remain the same?  What would I want to remember?  What would I want to permanently forget?  Questions I’m sure I’ll ponder for some time to come.

Overall, this is an excellent novel.  Funny, endearing, startling.  I look forward to reading Allison Winn Scotch in the future.  She has made a fan out of me.

Final Take: 4/5

 Girls Just Reading: Julie's Review: The Song Remains the Same
 Girls Just Reading: Author Interview: Allison Winn Scotch

Author Interview: Allison Winn Scotch

Yesterday I reviewed Allison Winn Scotch's newest novel, The Song Remains the Same; which I loved!! Today, I'm thrilled that she took the time to answer our questions. This is her 2nd time doing a Q&A for us and we couldn't be happier.

GJR: Except for a few chapters, the novel is written from the point of view of Nell, how important was it for the readers to connect immediately with her?

Allison Winn Scotch (AWS): Given how little information Nell has about herself, and thus, how little information the readers really have about it, it’s critical that they connect with her on an emotional level right way. I have a few favorite sections of the book, but that initial opening chapter is definitely one of them: for me (and I know that I’m biased! Ha!), the blank slate of her situation is really moving and intriguing, so hopefully, if I did my job well, readers will agree.

GJR: Nell wants to be a new person before she even knew who she was before the accident, why was she so adamant about that?

AWS: Well, when she wakes up, she has all of these ideas about who she really should be. I think in the way that a lot of us would or could wake up in a new life or with no memory of our history and hope that we are completely fabulous. I mean, it’s doubtful that you’d wake up and think, “I hope I’m in a kind of crappy marriage or that I don’t like my job,” etc. And once she understands how middling her current life was, she can’t help but re-envision it for herself. That becomes what she holds onto as she sorts her way through the memory loss.

GJR: As soon as Nell learns that her dad left them, this becomes the focus of her quest. Why did you have Nell latch on to her dad as the key to her past?

AWS: Good question. When you’re writing complicated characters, you have to give them reasons for their complications. Often times, this comes from their past, just as often times outside of fiction, this comes from the past. I had to come up with a tangible reason for why Nell would become the person she became – someone who was living a life that really wasn’t hers – and why she’d stay stuck for so long. I think parental abandonment can do this: it would leave a scar even when you wished that it hadn’t. And you probably really couldn’t erase that scar unless you did some really hard work on yourself.

GJR: How much research did you do about dissociative amnesia? What kind of research did you do?

AWS: My father is a neurosurgeon, so I grew up knowing a lot more about the brain than most kids: it’s what we talked about around the dinner table. (Really!) So with that as a starting point, I spoke with my dad, I read case studies and research online, that sort of thing. It sounds totally implausible, but it actually does happen!

GJR: As a reader I was suspicious and less trusting of the people in Nell’s life than she was. Do you think it’s in our nature to trust, like Nell, or to be distrustful until someone earns it?

AWS: Ooh, fantastic question. I can only speak to myself, but I’m a pretty trusting person, albeit with caveats. What I mean by that is that I think I can also read people pretty well, and if they pass the sniff test, I generally give them the benefit of the doubt. But you have to understand that Nell didn’t even know what her own sniff test was. We all have ours, but she didn’t. She only knew that these people were important to her in the past – her sister, her husband – why shouldn’t she trust them? I think if you consider it from that angle, it’s easy to see why she did. She knew she once trusted them, so why not now?

GJR: How did you decide on the songs that are featured as “The Best of Nell Slattery”? Did the songs drive the chapters or did you fit the songs in afterwards? Did you have to get special rights to use the lyrics?

AWS: Another great question. I fit the songs in afterward, but I did know which parts of the chapter they would come into play for. And at certain points in the editing process, I adjusted the chapters accordingly. Originally, I wanted each chapter to start off with a stanza from a song, but this proved insanely expensive. It turns out that if lyrics are embedded within a chapter (but not used as the opening) you can use a certain amount of words/lines from a song without having to buy the rights, so that’s what I did. And ironically, it ended up being much better for the book – it just blended everything together in a much more seamless way. As far as how I chose the songs? I was all over the place for a long time until I finally honed in on that they all needed to be from a very specific time in her childhood. From there, I spent weeks pouring over billboard charts and listening to music that I thought would evoke each specific moment.

GJR: Music is huge in The Song Remains the Same: what are the top 5 songs that would be the soundtrack for your life?

AWS: Oh my gosh! Impossible question: I am one of those people who have about five songs from each year, much less my life. But a few that come to mind are “Babe,” by Styx (high school), “Better Man,” by Pearl Jam (college), “Little Silver Ring” by The Samples (also college), “Wide Open Spaces” by The Dixie Chicks (post-college) and “Read My Mind” by The Killers (also post-college).

GJR: You’ve said that The Song Remains the Same is the best novel you’ve written. That’s a pretty bold statement. What makes you say that?

AWS: Ha! I just…I just think I was pushed to write a better, sharper, more literary novel this time around. Partially because I wanted to challenge myself and partially because my editor insisted on it. I took more chances, I dove deeper into the nitty-gritty of my characters and their dark places. I don’t know. It’s hard to quantify, but I do think that writers all have their favorites. Whether or not readers agree is probably a different discussion! But we all know (I think) when we’ve done our best work…and conversely, when we haven’t.

GJR: Are you working on another novel? Any little morsel of you can give us about the plot?

AWS: I’m actually not right now. I’ve taken some time this past year to learn how to write screenplays (it’s a very different skill than novels), and I have a few of those in the works. I just wanted to stretch myself and try something different. I have no doubt that I’ll get back to book soon though! I adore movies but there is nothing quite like reading (and writing) a great book.

Thanks to Allison for taking the time out of her busy day to answer our questions!

Julie's Review: The Song Remains the Same

Summary: One of only two survivors of a plane crash, Nell Slattery wakes in the hospital with no memory of the horrific experience-or who she is, or was. Now she must piece together both body and mind, with the help of family and friends, who have their own agendas. She filters through photos, art, music, and stories, hoping something will jog her memory, and soon, in tiny bits and pieces, Nell starts remembering. . . .

It isn't long before she learns to question the stories presented by her mother, her sister and business partner, and her husband. In the end, she will discover that forgiving betrayals small and large will be the only true path to healing herself-and to finding happiness. ~amazon.com

Review: You know how when you love a book, you struggle for the words to describe why you loved it so much? Yes, that's me with The Song Remains the Same. This book makes you think about what it is you would want to remember about your previous life and what you would want to leave out. Who would you trust to give you the truth? Would you want to change who you were in the past?

I loved Nell. I felt for her. I wanted her to learn about herself. Not the rose colored glass version but the real version of who she was before the plane crash. She wants to be someone else before she even knows who she was. As her mother, her sister and her husband recount to her who she was, what she did; something doesn't sit right with her. She enlists a journalist to help her "Free Nell Slattery" and find out the truth of who she is by digging into her past.

Of course, it isn't exactly what Nell expects and sends her into a search to find her father.  She latches onto the fact that he is the key to finding out who she is. She gets so caught up in that fact that she forgets to live in the moment and to look elsewhere for her answers. Nell uses music to try to reach the memories that are in the recesses of her brain. As she starts to remember, she begins to realize that everyone has their own agenda in her recovery. Perhaps the only one who doesn't have an agenda is Anderson, the Hollywood hunk who survived the crash with her. Although, Anderson is fighting his own demons that he can't quite shake.

The book could have definitely gone in a couple different directions that would have ended up in cliches but it didn't. The focus was on Nell finding out who she was and who she wants to become. The revelations are not what I expected and some of them are heart-wrenching. There is also a lot of humor dispersed throughout the novel, so that it's not so serious and heavy all of the time.

It is on this journey to her past where Nell figures out what she wants out of her future. It is true that in order to know yourself, you need to know where you come from but you can't let that affect who want to become. Maybe that is a lesson for all of us: we can't let our past define us.

I'm going a little fan girl here but I adore Allison. I've read all four of her books and this one is her best.  Nell was the easiest heroine from her books to like. I can't wait to read whatever she has in store in the future for her readers.

If you want a book that moves you, ties in some great music and pop culture then go get yourself a copy of The Song Remains the Same. I think anyone can get something out of this book.

Final Take: 5/5

Julie's Review: The Department of Lost and Found

Summary: It didn't start out as the worst day of Natalie Miller's life...As the top aide to New York's powerful woman senator, Natalie's moving rapidly up the political ladder. She works hard, stays late, and enjoys every bit of it. Then her neglected boyfriend announces he's leaving. But that's only the beginning. Her doctor tells her she has breast cancer—and raw ambition and ruthless determination alone are not going to cure it. Suddenly the life Natalie needs to change is her own. The time has come for her to take a tough look at the choices she's made. She'll start by tracking down the five loves of her life in order to assess what went wrong. And by revisiting her past, Natalie just might discover exciting new paths to unexplored places—and learn how to stop barreling through life long enough to really embrace it. ~amazon.com  

Review: After reading Allison Winn Scotch's other two books (The One That I Want, & Time of My Life) I quickly ordered her first novel The Department of Lost & Found and just now got to reading it. I will say that I believe this was probably my favorite of her novels so far. I absolutely adored Natalie from the minute she introduces us to her diary and her life. Natalie is 30 and is battling breast cancer and is going through her first round of chemotherapy. Her boyfriend also dumped her the day she found out because he found love elsewhere. This causes Natalie to reflect on the fact that she never really knew why all her other relationships ended, which in turn becomes a quest for her.

I liked how Ms. Scotch handled this aspect of the novel because it could have very quickly become old and stale. She didn't let Natalie dwell on each relationship but instead she had her ask the questions she wanted the answers too and then move on. I loved that the guys were honest with her and were able to help her out. Don't we often wonder about why our relationship end? For the most part, I can tell you why mine ended but I do wonder about the guy's perspective.  What ends up happening is a journey of self-discovery and Natalie figuring out what she wants out of her life. 

There are parts in the book that made me laugh out loud and well anytime there's a mention of Michael Vartan I swoon. There were also times during the book that I found my eyes welling up with tears. I can't imagine going through all that Natalie does and for 90% of the time having a great outlook on it. 


I love Ms. Scotch's books. I love how she writes her female characters because there is something in all of them we can all connect to. I can't wait to read her newest one, The Song Remains the Same, when it is released on April 12, 2012. If you haven't read her, I highly recommend her.


Final Take: 4/5

Author Interview: Allison Winn Scotch

Yesterday, I reviewed Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch; you can read it here. Today, she has kindly agreed to answer our questions.

GJR: In Time of My Life, Jillian (aka Jill) is stagnant in her marriage and certain circumstances send her back to her old life with her ex-boyfriend, Jack. Do you think women are more focused on the past than men? Why? What made you decide to write a book about a character’s “what if”?

AWS: That’s such a great question! I suppose that it has something to do with idealizing the thing that we don’t have or couldn’t have while being faced with the imperfection of the life we DO have. I mean, isn’t it so much easier to romanticize how things could have been perfect with an old boyfriend rather than deal with asking your husband to pick up his socks for the ten thousandth time? To imagine that said ex would never leave his socks on the floor in the first place? Of course he would – and undoubtedly commit far more egregious sins – but since you never know, well, you never know. It’s the beauty of not knowing that keeps that “what if” alive in us.

And I suppose I wanted to write this book because I think so many of us have those “what ifs,” that it felt like it could really be a big, fabulous universal discussion. As in, there’s no shame in having them! So what? It’s perfectly normal, and it doesn’t take away from your current life or current happiness. I can’t tell you the number of emails I’ve gotten from women, all of whom say, “It’s such a relief to know that I’m not the only one who entertains the possibilities.”

GJR: Throughout the book, we see Jill vacillating emotionally between her two lives. The one where she’s trying to make it work with Jack and where she’s longing for her “real” life. Do you think this might have been different if Jillian hadn’t been a mom? Is it her tie to Katie that reels her back in more than Henry?

AWS: Ooh, another great question, and honestly, one that I’ve never been asked before. I think Katie certainly ties her to Henry permanently, and anyone who has ever been a parent knows that the tug and love involved in parenthood is stronger than just about anything. But to be honest, I actually think that Jill is reeled back to Henry because she comes to understand what love is, what a partnership is, and well, what life is. It’s not until she can step outside of her former life that she can see that the ups and downs are part of the deal, that you can’t have happiness without the taste of unhappiness, and that no relationship can be perfect all of the time. I think this is so easy for us all to forget: that life can be truly awful sometimes, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t also be glorious. Jill ultimately understands that she’s the one who needs to make some changes, and she can’t have the expectation that everyone around her should change if she can’t too.

GJR:What was the one thing that you wanted Jillian to repair in her past that was so significant in her future? Did it end up like you thought or did it take a different direction?

AWS: For me, her relationship with her mother was so scarring that it felt critical that she find some small sliver of forgiveness for her in order to achieve any real emotional evolution. Jill carried around the burden of her mother’s abandonment her entire life, and until she was able to shed some of that burden, she could never really be free. And it’s funny – initially, I had a much cleaner resolution for that relationship, but it didn’t feel truly honest. In life, sometimes things are messy, and so, well, I made their resolution a little less clean cut. It seemed truthful though – some healing but also still some space for forgiveness.

GJR: If you had a chance to do something over, would you? If so, what would it be?

AWS: Oh gosh, I’m a bit of a fatalist, so I kind of believe that all roads lead to my current state. That said, certainly, in my early to mid-twenties, I allowed myself to be in, well, some less-than-ideal relationships. And those lumps are totally fine – that’s what your early-twenties are for! But there were a few times when my self-esteem took a little bit of a beating from a boyfriend, and looking back, I would just tell my younger self to stick to my gut, stick to my guns, and get the hell out of there a lot sooner. (When I say beating, I don’t, of course, mean physical! Just the typical hoping that I could change him type of stuff that resulted in me compromising in ways that I shouldn’t have.) That said, again, those lessons brought me to where I am now – married for nine years, two amazing kids, and a great career. So, you know, it’s all good. :)

GJR: Do you believe even if we had the chance to go back and change something in our lives, we’d end up in the same place with slightly different outcomes? Meaning, fate is fate. You end up where you are because that is exactly where you are supposed to be?

AWS: Again, great question, and one that I’ve pondered endlessly. It’s such a hard call. I’d like to believe that we have some bit of control over where our lives go – that it’s not all pre-destined, that, if we really work hard enough, we can steer ourselves onto a different course. But then, who’s to say that wasn’t the course we were going to be on anyway? For the most part, I do believe in fate, but by fate, I mean that maybe there are a few different ways that your life could go, and whichever one it does go is the one that was (mostly) supposed to happen. Is that a vague enough answer for you? 

GJR: I came to be a fan of yours through Twitter before I even read one of your novels but it made me want to read them. How has being on Twitter affected your relationship with your readers? What is one pro and one con as a writer of social media for you?

AWS: I think Twitter is amazing, and I truly love interacting with readers (and other authors) there. How has it affected my relationship with them? Well, I suppose I know plenty of them “personally” now, and we’ve forged friendships that I wouldn’t have otherwise had. It’s also nice to know that there are readers out there who are rooting you on and that your work is being read and affecting a few people. That’s really the pro: that you’re not working in a void and that you have company and friendship while you work.

I suppose the con is that sometimes, there is a bit too MUCH familiarity – everyone feels like they know everyone, and to be honest, sometimes, this is exhausting. I do like my solitude as much as I like my socialization. (I’m a Gemini, what can I say?)

GJR: You write for a variety of magazines as well as your novels, how do you find time to do all this and raise your family?

AWS: Well, for one, I want to be sure that I give an accurate impression: I’ve significantly reduced the amount of magazine work I do because I simply don’t have the mental energy for everything. And the mag work that I do now is work that I love: celebrity interviews and profiles. I’m such a pop culture junkie that this really doesn’t feel like work.

For two, I also have a great support system: I have a babysitter who has been working with us since my first child was five months old, and I’m not afraid to say to my husband, “Hey, pull your weight, I have a deadline, and I’m stressed, and I need you to deal with XYZ.”

For three, I am super-organized with my time. Every day, I know when I’m writing, when I’m exercising, when I’m running errands, when I’m walking the dog. There’s no way for me to get everything done – and be happy and well-balanced – if I don’t have a pretty uncompromising schedule. And I’m also totally willing to say “no” to a lot of things: lunches, social obligations, and work that doesn’t interest me.

GJR: Can you give us and our readers a glimpse of your next novel? Title? When is the expected release date?

AWS: My next book will be out in January or February 2012, and I am SO excited about it. It’s called THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, and it’s about a woman who survives a plane crash but who loses her memory in the process. She has to put the pieces of her life back together without relying on any information from the past, and must discern what really happened in her former life, what really matters about that, and whether or not she wants to hang on to that baggage anyway. I’m really so proud of it and can’t wait to get it out into the world.

GJR: When you write do you have to have total quiet or background noise? Has this changed over time?

AWS: Funny – in college, I absolutely COULD NOT do any work without music blasting, either on my CD player (I went to college in the ‘90s) or my stereo. Like, I couldn’t function without it. Now, music is SUCH a distraction – I find it impossible to write to. I listen to A LOT of music…it’s on just about every moment that I’m not writing, but I’m such a lyrics freak that while writing, I tend to listen to the lyrics rather than the voice of my characters, and that just totally screws me up. So it’s silence for me, though sometimes, my kids are playing in the next room or whatever. That’s fine – I’m able to block out just about everything other than music.

GJR: What motivates you to write? How do you avoid the dreaded writer’s block?

AWS: Um, usually a contract. :) No, in all seriousness, I really can’t write much or write well if I don’t fall in love with my character and her story. I spend a lot of time making sure that I know her and understand her and HEAR HER VOICE, and once I do that, it’s not so difficult. Also, I force myself to write every day (other than weekends, which are strictly family time), and think once you get into the habit of sitting down and writing – even if what you write that day is total crap – it gets a lot easier.

Thanks to Allison for stopping by and answering our questions. You can follow her on Twitter @aswinn, Facebook, her blog Ask Allison and her website Allison Winn Scotch.

Julie's Review: Time of My Life

Summary: In her latest novel, Scotch tackles an oft-asked question—what if I had held on to the one that got away?—with an engaging, fast-moving, high-concept drama. Endearing Jillian Westfield seems to have it all: a loving lawyer husband, a healthy infant daughter, and a lovely home in Westchester County, N.Y. But cleaning spit-up and dealing with her husband's long office hours have begun to wear on Jill, and it hardly helps that she's just learned that her post-college boyfriend, Jackson, is getting married. The day after a deep, chi-clearing massage, Jill wakes up and finds herself seven years in the past, giving her the chance to revisit her life with Jack in Manhattan, when she worked as an advertising executive. Hindsight, of course, is anything but 20/20, and Jill's new choices hold unforeseen consequences for herself and those she loves. As Jill, through trial and error, rethinks her biggest decisions—such as her choice not to reconcile with her estranged mother—Scotch keeps one dexterous step ahead of page-flipping readers eager to guess the outcome.~amazon.com

Review: I don't think men ponder on the past as much as women do, so I was very interested in the story of Jillian and how she ends up in her "What if". You see Jillian is a stay at home mom to an adorable toddler named Katie, but her marriage to Henry seems stale and predictable. It doesn't help that Henry travels all the time and Jill is in fact very lonely. So when she hears that her ex-boyfriend Jackson is getting married, gets a chi cleansing massage she ends up in her past trying to see if this was a path she was supposed to take.

As Jill works her way through her old life with Jackson trying to repair what went wrong, she finds that maybe no matter what you do, maybe the past and the future are inevitable. Once you go back and undo things, you always change the future for good or bad. In Jill's case, the changes were for the good.

I really liked Jill. I could identify with Jill. I felt for Jill and her struggles. I've had many of the same feelings that Jill was going through. My "what if" wouldn't be an ex boyfriend or even replacing my husband, it would be more if I chose to follow a different path professionally. Where would I be? Would I be successful?

One of my favorite quotes in the book is the following:

In real life, most marriages don't come undone with one big explosion. Unlike in the movies, most wives don't stumble upon lipstick on a collar or discover a hotel receipt in a blazer pocket. Most wives don't uncover hidden gambling problems or latent addictions or experience out-of-nowhere abuse that pops up one day and destroys everything. Some do, but most, no, not most. Most marriages unravel slowly, slipping drop by drop, like water ebbing through a curled palm, until one day, you look down and notice that it, you hand, is entirely empty. That's how most marriages dissolve and run dry. ~page 166

I also liked that Jill realized that it wasn't all her husband's fault either, that she was at fault for some of the unraveling. How, in marriage and friendships, it's usually both parties that are at fault in some ways and it's all who are involved that can make it sink or swim.

If you've ever asked yourself "What If", the I highly recommend Time of My Life, it might put all your questions about your past to bed.

Final Take: 4/5

Julie's Review: The One That I Want

Summary: What if you woke up one day to all your dreams coming true...but those dreams were more like nightmares? Tilly Farmer is thirty-two years old and has the perfect life she always dreamed of: married to her high school sweetheart, working as a school guidance counselor, trying for a baby. Perfect. But one sweltering afternoon at the local fair, everything changes. Tilly wanders into a fortune teller's tent and meets an old childhood friend, who offers her more than just a reading. "I'm giving you the gift of clarity," her friend says. "It's what I always thought you needed." And soon enough, Tilly starts seeing things: her alcoholic father relapsing, staggering out of a bar with his car keys in hand; her husband uprooting their happy, stable life, a packed U-Haul in their driveway. And even more disturbing, these visions start coming true. Suddenly Tilly's perfect life, so meticulously mapped out, seems to be crumbling around her. And as she furiously races to keep up with - and hopefully change - her destiny, she faces the question: Which life does she want? The one she's carefully nursed for decades, or the one she never considered possible? What if you could see into the future? Would you want to know what fate has in store?~allisonwinnscotch.com

Review: It is rare for me not to like the main character but yet truly enjoy the book. Tilly Farmer is whiny, stuck, and lying to herself but yet she comes off as holier than thou in the beginning of the book. The One That I Want is an intriguing story of one women's flash forwards of her life but not as she wants it to happen but as it's going to happen. As Tilly continues to have these visions, she feels her life spiraling out of control. Essentially, Tilly has lived in the same town her whole life and with a carefully crafted life. She married her high school sweetheart and they are trying for a baby. Life for Tilly is perfect, exactly like she wants it. That is all about to change.

What the book shows us is maybe the life we are so comfortable in, isn't really comfortable with us. Maybe it's time to shake things up again. All of Tilly's flash forwards seemed to have a negative impact and some of them did...initially, but in the end things turned out OK if not better for her.

I always say that when people say their life is perfect, that either it is for them or they aren't really seeing what is going on around them. I think Tilly saying she was so happy was her wall for truly letting people see how vulnerable she was, even those closest to her.

The story might not have been my favorite but I did appreciate the way Ms. Winn Scotch writes her novels. I loved that in order to give her character clarity to her life she chose to do it in an unconventional way. Well at least I've never read a book with flash forwards. There were a couple of quotes that I really liked:

...that life is limitless, that fear is conquerable, that if you stay concealed in the shadows, you'll never be seen. That spending the better part of your days trying to fix people might be admirable; no, in fact, it is admirable, but only when you're not doing so to avoid fixing yourself. page 252

There is before. And then there is after. Happiness is what you chose, what you follow, not what follows you. page 270

I did like the other characters in the book including Darcy, Susie and Ashley. Tilly has dealt with a lot in her life but she also took on a lot at a young age. Maybe her life would have been slightly different if she learned to lean on others.

Plus the title is a tie-in to one of my all time favorite movies/musicals.

I will be buying Ms. Winn-Scotch's Time of My Life: A Novel
and reading it soon.

I received The One That I Want from Read it Forward.

Final Take: 3.75/5