Jane L. Rosen

Four women, one tiny lie, and the big repercussions that unite them all in this charming, page-turning novel from the author of Nine Women, One Dress Melissa Hunt is the proud creator of The Hudson Valley Ladies' Bulletin Board. When she first came up with the concept, fifteen years earlier, she was happily entrenched in her suburban life with her husband and twin pre-schoolers in the idyllic region north of New York City. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, it's become her lifeline. So when a salacious rival parenting forum threatens the site's existence, she doesn't think twice before airing some fabricated dirty laundry to liven things up. Things get lively all right. Across town, Melissa's anonymous post sends new mom Olivia York into a tailspin as she's certain it's about her marriage; Allison Le, a big city lawyer, has always had the answers until now, and vows to help Olivia find the truth, only to discover more questions of her own; and Amanda Cole, Melissa's childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing exactly why Melissa can't step out her front door. At turns funny, romantic, raw, and hopeful comes a story of being a woman and of the healing power of sisterhood.

Eliza Starts a Rumor

Eliza barely leaves her house, dealing with severe anxiety. Her one source of joy is the women’s help board she started for her community. When she finds out a new board is giving her stiff competition, she crafts a rumor for her board based on some things she sees out her window. It works too well, with repercussions for several women in her neighborhood.

This book was funny and heartwarming, examining female friendships and the price of keeping secrets. But it also addressed serious topics, such as mental health and sexual assault. I thought Jane Rosen handled those well and created an entertaining and touching book.

Cheri McElroy

Eliza barely leaves her house, dealing with severe anxiety. Her one source of joy is the women’s help board she started for her community. When she finds out a new board is giving her stiff competition, she crafts a rumor for her board based on some things she sees out her window. It works too well, with repercussions for several women in her neighborhood.

This book was funny and heartwarming, examining female friendships and the price of keeping secrets. But it also addressed serious topics, such as mental health and sexual assault. I thought Jane Rosen handled those well and created an entertaining and touching book.

Janet Doré

I got this book in a Goodreads Giveaway, which explains why I read it and some of why I feel the way I do about it. I do prefer books that challenge me in some way, even if it's just guessing how it will end. 

Unfortunately, this one just challenged me to honor my commitment of finishing and reviewing a book that was given to me with that expectation.

This is chick lit through and through — from the gossipy and stereotypical primarily female characters to the predictable storyline to the ending that resembled Christmas (with lots of perfectly wrapped packages complete with sparkly bows on top). 

On top of this, there was a blaring, irritating and baffling inaccuracy that distracted me from beginning to end. When I won this book back in early 2020, it was a pre-release...the release date was June 23, 2020. This is relevant because the whole story is centered around the Hudson Valley Ladies' Bulletin Board. 

First, "bulletin boards" haven't been a thing for YEARS...so why would a brand new book be outdated up on release? 

Second, in one (maybe a couple) scenes, they do mention that it's on Facebook. OK, we've made it to 2020, BUT Facebook doesn't have "bulletin boards"...they have "Groups." And, Facebook doesn't allow anonymous posts, MANY of which were central to the story. 

Factual accuracy is kinda a big deal! How many people let these major details slide???

I found the internal and external dialogue of all of the characters to be overly sentimental to the point of corniness. Their simplistic thinking made me cringe on a regular basis. 

Although the subject matter was definitely not appropriate for the younger set, it really read more like a young adult novel.

Apparently, I'm a bit of a pompous book snob because a fair amount of people have given this one pretty high ratings...so, if you're looking for a super light beach read and don't mind simplistic dialogue, don't rule this one out! If you like your books to have some sort of meat on their bones, consider yourself advised to keep looking.

Ciara 

Kelsey Mcdaniel

Keely Calagos

Joanna Martinez

Beth Semlies 

Katherine Oelsner

Exactly what I needed! Highly recommend!--Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 Summers The author of Nine Women, One Dress delivers a charming, unforgettable novel about four women, one little lie, and the big repercussions that unite them all. It wasn't supposed to happen this way. When Eliza Hunt created The Hudson Valley Ladies' Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival parenting forum threatens the site's existence, she doesn't think twice before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit. It doesn't take long before that spark becomes a flame. Across town, new mom and site devotee Olivia York is thrown into a tailspin by what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is making cyber friends with a woman who isn't quite who she says she is. And Amanda Cole, Eliza's childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing why Eliza can't step out of her front door. In all this chaos, one thing is for sure...Hudson Valley will never be the same. Funny, romantic, raw, and hopeful, this is a story about being a woman and of the healing power of sisterhood.

Eliza Starts a Rumor

Reviews