Julie's Review: Regrets Only

Author: Erin Duffy
Series: None
Publication Date: May 8, 2018
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 416
Obtained: author
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
Bottom Line: Picking up the pieces of a life shattered isn't easy but you have to do it
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Summary: Claire thought she had everything a woman was supposed to want—a loving husband, a newborn son, a beautiful home in the suburbs. Then she walks in on her husband canoodling with their realtor in their newly renovated kitchen, and in an instant, her perfect life comes crashing down. With her marriage heading for divorce, Claire knows it’s time to stop feeling sorry for herself. But how can she move on when she’s still stuck in the orbit of her husband’s world? For starters, she can get rid of her soon-to-be ex’s possessions—including his prized, gigantic foosball table—by dumping them onto the curb…until complaints from the neighbors get the police involved. Now Claire is busy dodging the mean mommies at story hour and hiding from her ex-husband’s girlfriend in the grocery store. But as Claire soon learns, suburbia still has a few surprises in store for her—surprises that will make her question her choices from the past, send her down an unexpected road to self-discovery, and maybe even lead to new love. Desperate for a positive outlet to channel her frustrations, she turns to girlfriends Lissy and Antonia for help. Together they join forces to rebrand Lissy’s local stationery store and turn it into a thriving business. But as Claire soon learns, suburbia still has a few surprises in store for her—surprises that will make her question her choices from the past, send her down an unexpected road to self-discovery, and maybe even new love. Featuring a second coming-of-age story, Regrets Only deftly explores the subtle nuances of marriage, family, friendship, and what it means to be a woman today, while delighting readers as its unforgettable heroine acts on impulses we’ve all been guilty of having. ~amazon.com

Review: Regrets Only was a welcome break from the psychological thrillers I've been reading and plus have loved all of Ms. Duffy's previous books, so I was looking forward to this one.  I loved Claire and even loved her mood swings. Who wouldn’t go a little bad crazy walking in on their husband having an affair with his ex girlfriend? Not to mention having a young baby to take care oh and giving up everything to move to his hometown. So while yes it seemed like she might have been losing it, she was really just reclaiming herself because she was a little lost.

Claire loses it after walking in on her husband and their real estate agent having an affair. She only finds out because Owen offered her a day in the city at the spa but she forgot her wallet, so she had to go home for it. This completely unravels Claire. How is she going to be a single mom to an 8 month old boy? How is she going to support them? Not only that but she's new to town and knows no one. She moved back east to be with Owen; she gave up her life in Chicago for him. 

Luckily a few things happen around the same time, her best friend shows up on her doorstep to help her get back on her feet and she meets Lissy, who owns a stationery store that turns into a project for Claire. Let me tell you, if that store existed in my town, I would most certainly be in there for cards and notepaper I probably don't need. The name and theme they come up with for the store is awesome. I love how her and Lissy form an immediate bond and support each other. She starts to come up for air and then her sadness/anger engulf her again. I felt that this was realistic because no one is going to be ok after a few weeks.

I adored all the other characters Lissy, Antonia and Fred. They brought Claire back down when she’s gone a bit too far. She’s surrounded herself with people that have her best interest at heart. If you are looking to read a book about picking yourself up again when life doesn't turn out like you thought, you should grab Regrets Only.


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Julie's Review: Lost Along the Way

Author: Erin Duffy
Series: None
Publication Date: July 12, 2016
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 336
Obtained: publisher via NetGalley
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction,Women's Fiction
Rating: 4/5
Bottom Line: Sometimes you need your old friends to remind you of who you used to be
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Summary: All through childhood and adolescence, Jane, Cara, and Meg swore their friendship would stand the test of time. Nothing would come between them, they pledged. But once they hit their twenties, life got more complicated and the BFFs began to grow distant. When Jane eloped with her slick, wealthy new boyfriend and didn’t invite her oldest friends to the ceremony, the small cracks and fissures in their once rock-solid relationship became a chasm that tore them apart.
Ten years later, when her husband is arrested and publicly shamed for defrauding his clients, Jane realizes her life among the one percent was a sham. Penniless and desperate, deserted by the high-society crowd who turn their surgically perfected noses up at her, she comes crawling back to her childhood friends seeking forgiveness. But Cara and Meg have troubles of their own. One of them is trapped in a bad marriage with an abusive husband, while the other can't have the one thing she desperately wants: a baby. Yet as much as they’d love to see Jane get her long overdue comeuppance, Cara and Meg won’t abandon their old friend in her time of need. The story of three friends who find themselves on a laugh-out-loud life adventure, Lost Along the Way illuminates the moments that make us, the betrayals that break us, and the power of love that helps us forgive even the most painful hurts. ~amazon.com
 
Review: Lost Along the Way is about the power of female friendships and how sometimes no matter how much time passes you can still come back together. Jane, Meg and Cara have been estranged for some time because of things said and things unsaid but they are the only 2 people Jane feels she can count on when things come crashing down on her. Of course it's a bit of a bumpy road because well Jane doesn't always think before putting things in motion.

Cara's life is out of control. She doesn't even know who she is anymore. Her husband is a tool to the nth degree and she has no out. Nothing she does is good enough and up to his standards. She looks the part but is anything but up to it. How did she become this person? How can she go back to the spunky, smart and athletic person she used to be?

Meg is a shell of the person she used to be. She's always wanted to be a mom but it seems like it's not in the cards for her and her husband. She closes herself off to every one. Even going as far as locking herself away in their beach town.

At first it doesn't look like Jane's plan of getting them together again, is going to really work. Since they all haven't been on speaking terms, Jane has no clue that Meg and Cara had their own falling out and there's quite some bad blood there as well.

I liked that they had the guts to call each other other on their crap but didn't take it too far. At some point they had to decide to put the past in the past and move on. I liked how they found strength in each other and built off of that to find strength in themselves.

If you are looking for a great novel on how women can empower each other through friendship, then look no further than Lost Along the Way.

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Julie's Review: On the Rocks

Author: Erin Duffy
Series: No
Publication Date:April 22, 2014
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 320
Obtained: Amazon Vine
Genre:  contemporary fiction, women's fiction
Rating: 4.25/5
Bottom Line: nothing rocky about this delightful novel
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Summary: A funny, bittersweet, yet heartwarming novel about friendship, family, and finding love in the Facebook age—not to mention the perils, pitfalls, and dubious pleasures of life as a modern young single woman—from Erin Duffy, the author of the acclaimed Bond Girl Ever since she was a little girl, Abby Wilkes dreamed of her wedding, the day when she'd wear a pretty white dress and look like a princess. . . . But that was before her life fell apart for the entire world to see. Her longtime boyfriend-turned-fiancé, Ben, unceremoniously dumped her—changing his status to single on Facebook—while she was trying on the most gorgeous Vera Wang dress for the big day. Six months and twenty pounds later, the usual remedies—cupcakes, a freezer stocked with pints of Ben and Jerry's, sweatpants, and a comfy couch—haven't worked their magic. Worried about her best friend, Grace devises the perfect plan to get Abby back on her game. The two of them are going to escape sweltering Boston and its reminders of Ben and head to Newport for the summer. In a quaint rented cottage by the sea, the girls will enjoy cool breezes, cocktails, and crowds of gorgeous men. But no matter which way they turn, Abby and Grace discover that in this era of social media—when seemingly everyone is preserving every last detail of their lives online and prying eyes are everywhere—there is no real escape. Truth to tell, dating has never been easy. But now that the rules have changed and the boundaries are blurred beyond recognition, will they ever find true love? And if they do, how can romance stand a chance when a girl's every word and move can go viral with a single click? As the summer winds down to Labor Day, Abby will make some surprising discoveries—about love, men, friendship . . . and, most important, herself. ~amazon.com

Review: I loved Abby. I loved how she was a mess, then not such a mess, back to being a mess and then finally figuring it out. I mean haven't we all been there before? Ok, maybe not jilted while trying on wedding dresses, but dumped by someone and didn't see it coming? My heart went out to her. That's not saying that at times I didn't want to tell her to pick herself up and get over it, but most of the time I found her plight funny and relatable. Not only that but I bet most of us has sunk some sorrows into a few pints of ice cream in our lives.

Not only is Abby great but the rest of the people that she is surrounded by are wonderful as well. You've got her best friend, Grace, who has her own relationship woes; Bobby, who is always ready with a zinger at Abby's expense and Wolf, the German who is always getting slang mixed up. Together they are hilarious and have great chemistry. They all have a true friendship that builds over the course of a summer.

On the Rocks is full of humor, quips but it's also got some life lessons thrown in. It's about realizing that maybe you are better off without that person, figuring out who you are without them, and figuring out who you want to be.

Even though I've never experienced dating in the new social media world, I could feel her pain, her humiliation and indignation. I don't think I would want to be single in this new world, it would feel as if you always had to be "on" and to be judged by your profile and the pictures on your account.

Ms. Duffy had a great way of reeling you in and keeping you hooked. It is her portrayal of friendship that I truly enjoyed. I loved that Grace and Abby had been friends since grade school and were still as close as sisters. I loved Abby's dysfunctional family, because don't we all operate under some dyfunctionality?

If you are looking for a book where you will just enjoy the ride and have a few hearty laughs along the way, then pick up On the Rocks.









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Julie's Review: Bond Girl

Summary: While other little girls were fantasizing about becoming doctors or lawyers, Alex Garrett dreamed of conquering the high-powered world of Wall Street. Now she's grown and determined to make it big in bond sales at Cromwell Pierce, one of the Street's most esteemed brokerage firms. Though she's prepared to fight her way into an elitist boys' club, she starts out small, relegated to a kiddie-size folding chair with her new moniker, "Girlie," inscribed in Wite-Out across the back. Always keeping her eyes on the prize (and ignoring her friends' pleas for her to quit), Alex quickly learns how to roll with the punches, rising from lowly analyst to slightly-less-lowly associate in no time. Suddenly she's being addressed by her real name, and the boys' club has transformed into forty older brothers . . . and one possible boyfriend. But then the apocalypse hits, and Alex is faced with the most difficult choice of her life: to stick with Cromwell Pierce as it teeters on the brink of disaster . . . or to kick off her Jimmy Choos and go running for higher ground. ~amazon.com

Review: The title is a bit deceiving isn't it? Bet you thought this was about a James Bond girl didn't you? Nope, it's about Wall Street and working on a bond desk at an investment firm. Instantly I liked Alex and felt for her. Who hasn't woken up and thought "You can get through this" for a day at the office? Working on Wall Street was a life long goal of hers and nothing was going to deter her.

Bond Girl was a great education of what really happens in a Wall Street firm. How tough it really is for women and probably minorities? You have to have a thick skin to work here. I couldn't survive it. Just the number crunching would numb my brain and then trying to deal with the testosterone daily, would be a bit much. Alex handled it a lot longer than I would have and for that she had my admiration. She was tough and yet everyone has their breaking point. Alex reaches her at the end of the book.

There are a lot of wonderful secondary characters in the book. Some are nice and some aren't. Some will fit your thinking of the stereotypical finance guy on the street but then again stereotypes exist for a certain reason right? What Ms. Duffy does, is go beyond the stereotypes and humanizes them so we end up caring for them. They become Alex' friends and therefore they become ours. I think my favorite of these was Chick, her boss. He was a hard ass but you knew he had a heart. He pushed Alex to be her best and she was better for it.

As Alex moves along in her career and the financial collapse of 2008 happens, she ends up re-evaluating her life. While Wall Street has provided her with money and some success, it has also provided her with anxiety, a stalker and no time for any thing else in life. This isn't what she remembered her dad's job being when she was a kid.

I enjoyed then ending of the novel but I will comment that it felt a bit rushed. Perhaps it is because the climax and resolution were so closely tied together. Was some of the novel, predictable? Yes, but obviously that didn't take away from my enjoyment.

I know that Ms. Duffy was an analyst on Wall Street for 10 years so I'm sure some of this was based on real experiences but then fictionalized. I think that was also why I enjoyed this book so much was because I knew some of it had to have occurred in real life. Makes it that much more fascinating. I also wonder about the people who were fictionalized in this novel, what their reactions were to being immortalized.

Ms. Duffy has a wonderful career in writing if it's what she chooses to keep doing. I will be looking forward to her novels in the future.

For more information on Ms. Duffy you can find her on Facebook.

Final Take: 4/5

Thanks to TLC Tours & William Morrow for my review copy.

TLC Tour Information for Bond Girl:
Tuesday, July 17th: Girls Just Reading
Wednesday, July 18th: Life In Review
Thursday, July 19th: Seaside Book Nook
Monday, July 23rd: The Book Garden
Tuesday, July 24th: Twisting the Lens
Thursday, July 26th: Life in the Thumb
Monday, July 30th: Kritters Ramblings
Tuesday, July 31st: A Bookish Affair
Wednesday, August 1st: Stephany Writes
Thursday, August 2nd: Walking With Nora
Wednesday, August 8th: Reflections of a Bookaholic