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Tuesday, May 9, 2023

The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick

 "Not many forty-two-year-old mums, wearing bleach-specked jeans and an ancient Rolling Stone T-shirt, ever appeared in fairy tales."

The plot in brief:  42-year-old Liv Green is a wife and mother who dreams of becoming a writer one day, but right now she cleans houses to help make ends meet. One of her clients is reclusive best-selling author, Essie Starling. Liv loves working for her, but when Essie dies unexpectedly, Liv is surprised to discover that one of Essie's last wishes is for Liv to complete her final Georgia Rory novel. Only Liv can't tell anyone what she's doing, not even her husband; and she only has until November 1st to finish the book. Liv doesn't know if she can write a suitable ending to this beloved series. And as she begins to look into Essie's past for inspiration, she not only discovers several secrets about Essie, but a very startling connection. 

My thoughts: Liv is an interesting character. I liked how zen she was about cleaning, and how she tries to be brave like the fictional Georgia Rory. I disagreed with some of the choices she makes and found her frustrating at times. Her relationship struggles with her husband, Jake, felt very real, but I wasn't sure why she was so focused on investigating all of Essie's past loves. Happily, it all comes together at the end in a satisfying way. This is a quick, light read, with both humor and heart. I'd give it 3.5 stars. (And it's another good one for Susan's Bookish Books Reading Challenge.)

Happy Reading!

Similar read (but one I liked a lot more):





34 comments:

  1. Happy reading. Regine

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    1. :D Thanks, Regine! And if you're still looking for a really good book, you should check out The Audacity of Sara Grayson!

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  2. The premise sounds interesting! I'll have to check out this book. Thanks, Lark! :)

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    1. It's a fun idea...but The Audacity of Sara Grayson has a very similar premise and is a much better book! So I recommend checking that one out first.

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  3. This sounds really intriguing. I'm glad it all came together in the end. :)

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    1. I did, too. If the ending hadn't been so good, this would only have been 3 stars.

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  4. Fun plot, and I wonder about the connection between them. Glad this came together even if the MC was frustrating at times.

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    1. She does make some dumb/questionable choices along the way.

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  5. I've been curious about this one. I am glad it all came together in the end. That can make a world of difference.

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    1. It did for me. Otherwise, my rating would have been lower.

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  6. I kept this one off my TBR, but glad you enjoyed it. The Audacity of Sara Grayson is on my TBR, though, so good to know you liked that one more.

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    1. Definitely read that one! It's so much fun, and so well-written. I gave that one 5 stars. :D

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  7. It sounds interesting but I might be more inclined to look into the book you said is similar but better, as I trust your judgement. Cath

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    1. Yeah, this one is good...but the Audacity of Sara Grayson is much better. I think you'd really like that one. :D

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  8. Hmm, I think it sounds interesting, but your frustrations would be mine as well. I need to look into The Audacity of Sara Grayson.

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    1. Read The Audacity of Sara Grayson! I loved it so much I gave it to my mom to read, and she loved it, too. :D

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  9. Hmm, very interesting! I'll save it for when I need some light-fun reading (as long as it has a good ending). :D

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  10. This sounds like fun! I'm always down for a book about books, especially "ordinary" people with connections to bookish secrets.

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    1. Bookish secrets are always fun in a book. I enjoy books about authors and writing a lot, too.

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  11. This sounds fun, but I have to say that your rec at the bottom sounds even better!

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    1. Of the two, The Audacity of Sara Grayson is definitely the better book. I highly recommend it. :D

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  12. I like the sound of this one, thanks for letting us know about it.

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    1. It's a fun, light-hearted read. And the ending made me smile.

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  13. That's too bad about The Messy Lives of Book People. It looks like it had potential to be amazing. I may skip that for a bit since I've hit a string of annoying main characters but now I want to read The Audacity of Sara Grayson.

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    1. You won't be sorry if you do. I loved that book. :D

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  14. Nice to hear you enjoyed this one overall. I need to check out The Audacity of Sara Grayson. Great review, Lark! :)

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    1. It's an enjoyable read, just not as good as The Audacity of Sara Grayson. :D

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  15. I wonder if book people have messy lives or more than not pretty tame lives, hmm LoL.

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    1. Ha... probably closer to pretty tame lives if mine's anything to go by. ;D

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  16. This sounds like fun, though I'll have to save it for when I'm in the mood for contemporary fiction, which hasn't been that often recently.

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    1. I think you do need to be in the right mood for certain books.

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  17. Replies
    1. It is a great title. I love those bookcases on the front cover, too. :D

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