Reviews
kept me company at the airport
In the middle of a divorce from her lawyer husband, Karl, who has been cheating on her, Mallory finds out that her Great Aunt Maggie has left her the house where she spent so much time as a kid. Unfortunately, the house isn't the way she remembers it, and Mallory quickly realizes that before her death, Aunt Maggie had become a hoarder and let her house become an eyesore. When her neighbor, Nick, delivers the news that Maggie's house has violated several HOA ordinances, Mallory adds that to the many other expenses that she can't afford.
Back in the Burbs is a humorous novel about a woman trying to overcome years of oppression by finding her voice and her future. It is easy to question many of the decisions Mallory makes as she tries to figure out what she wants out of life. Quirky supporting characters add to the story, but it would have been nice to see even more of those characters throughout the book. Also, the romance between Mallory and Nick is an important part of the plot, but it takes a backseat in this novel that is more women's fiction than romance. Overall, Back in the Burbs is a fun story with interesting characters and a satisfying conclusion.
Such a funny, laugh out loud feel good book. Yes, things go wrong in life, but it’s all about making the best of them, feels.
3.75
The only good thing about this book was that it was free with audible (otherwise I would be pissed if I had paid for this pathetic excuse of a book). Not even sure what the genre of this book is supposed to be….romance, rom-com..cause it fell short with both. Mallory is a 30 something who has the maturity of a 16 years old. She is whiney, self absorbed, and can’t foresee any consequences for her actions. The author tries to make her out as someone coming out of a bad marriage who wants to be independent but then becomes dependent on another man. The author also tries to throw in every type of dysfunction there is possible into this book and none of it sticks. It gets tiresome and tedious….”oh, look! Shocker! Another one.” {insert sarcasm and eye roll}. She also starts in one direction with the story and then chases rabbits. It’s all over the place. The time I spent with this book is time I can never get back. Trigger warning: extremely foul and unnecessary graphic language and sexual content.
** spoiler alert ** I really enjoyed this book. The only quip I have is that once sub characters were used to move the plot forward the writer threw them off a cliff. The new friend, the contractor, the ex, and even the divorce really. None of these people or plot points really had their page time to finish off their stories and tie up the strings.
I love a cute romcom to listen to mindlessly while I’m working. This definitely fit that bill. It was more awkward than my typical reading choices (the internal dialogue of the main character could be downright strange sometimes, and why was she talking about her ovaries so much??), but that isn’t to say that it didn’t have some redeeming qualities. Overall, it won’t blow your mind but I didn’t hate it.
Hilarious comeback story about a 35 year old divorced women who decided to give less of a fuck about what people say her life should be like.
Oh Dear - Mallory just can't escape lawyers, can she?!?! Daughter of a lawyer, soon to be ex of a slimebag lawyer and now the hottie neighbour from hell is also a lawyer! Mallory is striking out on her own. When she inherits beloved great-aunts home, she also inherits a pile of HOA violations. But money is tight and her skills are, well, more suited for an office than DIY. But she soon finds that between old school friends, mates rates with a hunky builder and the weirdly helpful neighbour/lawyer/HOA member. Mallory may have bitten off more than she can chew! Nick is a fab lead. You routinely swing from loving him to wanting to hit him (whilst still loving him LOL). He just lives for his rules. But when he breaks more than a few of them with Mallory, well, let's just say that this lawyer could look at my briefs any time! He does have a wonderful backstory and his parents are a riot. Mallory is a great balance of slighted wife, a hidden female warrior and office mage. She can organise anything and has a knack with clients. Was totally absorbed from the start and read in one go. The "Mr President" thing just tickled me and I kept snorting even after I finished the book. Warm-hearted & funny, sweet without being slushy.
Back in the Burbs is a slow-moving yet somewhat funny story of Mallory who is trying to pick up the pieces of her life after she finds her ex-husband cheated on her. Her whole life revolved around him, from her job to her money and living situation so it’s difficult for her to wake up one morning and have absolutely nothing. Luckily her Aunt Maggie has left her a beautiful Victorian house in the burbs that has seen better days but holds promise, as does the hot neighbor across the street. This book was nothing like I expected it to be. I thought I would get this hilarious story about home improvement shenanigans and hot neighbor hookups. Instead I got Mallory who is trying to get back into the swing of things again but is constantly drowning in self-pity. We get cleaning montages but no actual home improvement challenges. The romance was very slow moving as well with no steamy scenes until the end of the book. I also wanted to see her take her ex to the cleaners but none of that either. It had potential but dropped a lot of the interesting plot lines from the beginning of the book that could have made the story great. Friendship, romance, family issues were all introduced but never really followed though on. I wanted to see these relationships grow and evolve, to see Mallory evolve, instead we just kinda epilogue our way into an ending that really left a lot to be desired. Some things are never even mentioned again like what happens with the house which kinda seems important? The Martin family is a hot mess. It was actually upsetting how rude Mallory’s own parents were to her about her divorce and her ex cheating on her. We get a smidge of resolution there or maybe understanding is a better word, but even then a major plot line is never mentioned again after is disappears from the story. I came out of this book feeling like I enjoyed it but as I write this review it’s apparent I really didn’t. Super disappointed because I was really looking forward to this one but it was a classic case of show don't just tell me. It had potential but just was not for me.
