Angela Terry

After losing her job and fiancé the day before her thirty-fifth birthday, people-pleaser and rule-follower Allison James decides she needs someone to give her some new life rules--and fast. But when she embarks on a self-help mission, she realizes that her old life wasn't as perfect as she thought--and that she needs to start writing her own rules.

Charming Falls Apart

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this ebook from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Charming Falls Apart

Author: Angela Terry

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 3/5

Recommended For...: romance, click lit

Publication Date: August 4, 2020

Genre: Romance

Recommended Age: 18+ (romance, sexual content)

Publisher: Spark Press

Pages: 305

Synopsis: Allison James is a people pleaser and rule follower, but the day before her thirty-fifth birthday, that all backfires: she is unexpectedly fired from the public relations firm she’s worked at for twelve years, only to come home and find out that her fiancé has been sleeping with her maid of honor.

Feeling lost, Allison takes her friend Jordan’s advice and uses the time off for some self-reflection. Over the next few months, she devours countless self-help books (albeit skeptically), schedules a soul reading with an astrologer/psychic/magician, and goes on a meditation retreat in Costa Rica, where she finally starts to feel like she’s getting her groove back.

Back at home, her desire to escape the condo she once shared with her fiancé makes her a regular at the new coffeehouse in her neighborhood, where she finds some guidance from (and eye candy in) the attractive owner, Eric. Between Jordan’s support, the Barnes & Noble self-help aisle, and the Tao of Eric, Allison gradually discovers that her old life wasn’t as perfect as she thought—and that if she truly wants to find her happily-ever-after, she’s going to have to start writing her own rules.

Review: Overall, the book is really cute and if you’re into met cute and romance, then this is your book. The book has some fun moments and great characters. The book also does well to keep the pacing moving fairly paced.

However, I feel like the book is way too cliché for me and the plot didn’t really make sense for me. I struggled to get into this book.

Verdict: It wasn’t for me, but it might be for you!

Bethany Phillips

This was such a fun read! Allie is a character with whom I could connect with easily and rooted for from the very beginning. This novel opens with a life-altering day for the FMC that automatically grips you and makes you wish you could reach through the pages to give Allie a hug--getting fired, calling off a wedding, and turning 35 the next morning--get this girl a DRINK. 

In all actuality, what is, on the surface, a spin on a classic chick lit trope, this book has facets that so many of us can relate to or find solace in. Allie is betrayed by her best friend and her fiancee; she's let go from a job for seemingly ambiguous reasons; she has a difficult and at times painful relationship with her mother; and at times she's left wondering "what is wrong with me?" While Allie's love life and failed relationship is a central focal point, what is really the main point is Allie's growth as an individual and her journey to find happiness in life as whole. Lots of "Eat, Pray, Love" vibes going on (and jokes throughout), but it was endearing in its similarities, I thought. 

There were times where I wanted to shake Allie and tell her to get a grip, times where I wanted to just dance it out with her Cristina Yang-style, and times where I wanted to be the one sitting across from her in The Cauldron serving her some Tao over coffee. And while there were a few moments in the story that kind of caught me off guard as misplaced or odd characterization, there were some truly beautiful moments in this book and this woman's journey. 

This was my first novel by Angela Terry and I'm truly looking forward to the next. Thank you to SparkPress and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Charming Falls Apart

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