Name: Sasha kobylinski 's review of The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry
Item: The Roxy Letters
Rating: 3
Author: Sasha kobylinski

Mary Pauline Lowry

Meet Roxy. For fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Bridget Jones’s Diary comes “just the kind of comic novel we need right now” (The Washington Post) about an Austin artist trying to figure out her life one letter to her ex-boyfriend at a time. Bridget Jones penned a diary; Roxy writes letters. Specifically: she writes letters to her hapless, rent-avoidant ex-boyfriend—and current roommate—Everett. This charming and funny twenty-something is under-employed (and under-romanced), and she’s decidedly fed up with the indignities she endures as a deli maid at Whole Foods (the original), and the dismaying speed at which her beloved Austin is becoming corporatized. When a new Lululemon pops up at the intersection of Sixth and Lamar where the old Waterloo Video used to be, Roxy can stay silent no longer. As her letters to Everett become less about overdue rent and more about the state of her life, Roxy realizes she’s ready to be the heroine of her own story. She decides to team up with her two best friends to save Austin—and rescue Roxy’s love life—in whatever way they can. But can this spunky, unforgettable millennial keep Austin weird, avoid arrest, and find romance—and even creative inspiration—in the process?

A Novel

The Roxy Letters

Sasha kobylinski 

Patricia Nelson

In a style similar to Bridget Jones' Diary, this book is about Roxy, a young artist who is trying to make ends meet, find the right guy, and cope with her low-paying job at a Whole Foods deli counter. The book is written as a series of letters to her ex-boyfriend, but ends up reading much like a diary. Roxy has a LOT of misfortunes that are in turn laughable, cringeworthy, embarrassing, and more. She has a good heart but has trouble finding her place in her world. I had trouble getting into the book (I think because the letter format threw me for a bit), but having finished it, I can see the value in it's messages about the value of friendships, relationships, believing in yourself, and taking things in stride.

Cindy

It was delightful, in the way that a summer beach read is delightful. As a novel, it's chaotic and fun, but it wrapped up too neatly by the end.

(view spoiler)[I'm not opposed to the letter format, but the POV from Roxy to Everett made less and less sense to me throughout the novel, as Everett's presence in Roxy's life diminished with each page and her motivations for continuing to write Everett (even as she truly does get over him!) sharply wane.

The plot points are absurdist as well as Roxy's quirks (e.g. Everett moving out to join a clitoral simulation convention, Texas/Sam showing up at said convention, Texas/Sam showing up at the AA, Texas/Sam being her public defender -- OKAY WE GET IT, TEXAS/SAM IS EVERYWHERE, her new public defender actually using the period tracker for everyone of his female colleagues, literally everything about Dirty Steve) that the satire becomes hamfisted and chock-full of details so wild that you puzzle over said details than the actual plot itself. The novel concludes a little too happily, and the "shocker" of Texas/Sam having kids doesn't really bring about any meaty conflict and seems resolved far too quickly. (hide spoiler)]

If you're looking for a quick literary escape, The Roxy Letters will do the trick. It'll make you feel weirdly nostalgic for the early 2010s, a time in my life that remains bafflingly fresh in my mind.

Sharon Steinman

I received this book through Netgalley. It was an easy read. The book had some interesting plots and some shocking components to it. I learnt about things I had no idea existed that I blissfully did really need to know... The books was a funny and told the story of an underemployed woman.

Lea Rummel

The Roxy Letters is structured as a series of letters from our main character Roxy, to her ex-boyfriend who has recently become her roommate in order for her to afford her mortgage. Roxy works at Whole Foods (the original location) in Austin, Texas for a terrible manager in the deli. She’s a sometimes-vegan who is trying to revive her own love life. When Roxy finds out that Lulu Lemon is moving in to take over the previous location of a local business, she decides to do something about it. Throughout the novel, Roxy finds herself in several unfortunate situations that she hilariously navigates through, taking hit after hit that life throws her way.

I loved Roxy’s wit and sense of humor. The format definitely took some getting used to. When I first started the book, I didn’t think a book full of letters could be that sustainable but I grew to love it! I found her daily struggles of being a twenty-something trying to make it and be independent to be so relatable. I think many young women will connect with Roxy. I recommend this book for young women especially, and it is definitely for the mature reader as there is some adult content. I really enjoyed reading this book!

Yuki Reads

The Roxy Letters was hilarious! It’s such a great view on the outlandish things millennials deal with and worry about, and I loved how much it reminded me of Bridget Jones. Roxy is a force to be reckoned with and all the characters were so original and quirky.

Jessica 

(2.5) Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Tik Tok | You can find my review here. 


  As always, a copy of this book was provided by the authors in exchange for my honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 


This book wasn't for me. It wasn't bad. The writing was solid. The premise intrigued me from the get-go. Obviously, I adore the cover. Yet, at the end of the day, I didn't pull back from The Roxy Letters in a sense of awe. I didn't sigh or yell in frustration, but I also didn't say 'wow, this book was great.' Part of me wants to say that The Roxy Letters didn't connect with me because it was the wrong time for me to read it.

Whether or not it wasn't my favourite solely because of my mood, and not the novel, I still felt an immediate disconnect with The Roxy Letters. Which was startling, as I expected to adore it! (Ugh, isn't that the worst feeling? You pick up a book and have this idea of what you'll think, and then it just blindsides you.)

Interestingly enough, I found the format of The Roxy Letters to be highly indulgent and one of the novels big redeeming factors. In spite of not necessarily clicking with the novel for the duration, I really thought the format led to something more addictive. What I mean to say is, even in my frustration, I kept reading because I couldn't really put it down.

Mary Pauline Lowry's writing is smooth and easy to slip into. I liked the balance of the two formats she used. There's this sharp pull of humor within The Roxy Letters that was hit or miss, and it is the type of humor that won't be for everyone. (I mean, like all things in life, humor is subjective to the person.)

Ultimately, this book didn't click with me. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't all that memorable for my taste. As always, if it seems intriguing to you, you should definitely give it a go. What doesn't work for me, could very well work for you. The Roxy Letters will likely be a release that will be either loved or completely hated by most readers.

Ingrid Marquardt 

I'm writing this review with the acknowledgement that I am not the target audience: I don't really enjoy romance, and I can't see Roxy and her beau really going the distance. That being said, I loved the wacky ensemble cast (especially her female friends!) and found The Roxy Letters a refreshingly quick read. 

The writing is easy to get into, as the letters make it seem like she's writing directly to you. However, Roxy's go-to phrases can get a bit repetitive.

TLDR: Very fun, very quick, but not going to be one of my most-recommended reads of 2020.

Sasha kobylinski &
The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry

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Sasha kobylinski &The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry

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Sasha kobylinski &
The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry