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thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
Do you ever think that a book was just simply meant for you to read when you did? I had been having a really stressful few weeks at work when my copy of Holly Banks Full of Angst arrived and when I started reading it, I immediately knew it was just what I needed. Holly is beautifully imperfect and filled with the sort of hysterical hijinks that just made me forget my worries and relax for awhile!
This book truly had me laughing out loud at every turn. I did a mix of audio and physical book this time, and the audio narrator was so perfect, that even when I switched to the physical book I could picture the tone she would use for each character in my head. Holly Banks is a mother who tries so hard to fit into the life that she can’t quite achieve, and with spectacularly funny failures at every attempt, she warmed her way into my heart.
The house in the Village of Primm was not cheap, and Holly soon realizes that buying at the top of their finances will have a price. Namely, that it is not enough to live in the Village of Primm in order to belong, there are a lot of expectations. From the way she decorates her house and porch (she can’t live up to the expert decorator and mom extraordinaire who lived their prior to her, and the other residents make sure she knows it!) to the way she dresses (pajamas are maybe not the best thing to wear out of the house, even if you think you won’t be seen!), Holly is wonderfully imperfect!
And then Holly finds out that she has to not only be on the PTA at her daughter’s school, she needs to serve as the PTA secretary to the intimidating and perfect Mary-Margaret St. James. Mary-Margaret is probably the best character in the book to me (well, besides Holly). She is a real piece of work! Polite, bubbly, and a bit mean-spirited if you are Holly, Mary-Margaret makes sure to point out that Holly volunteering to bring the napkins is the worst sort of volunteering (everyone knows those napkin moms!)
Holly can’t worry, though, about her pig pajamas that everyone saw, or the 14 cherry pies she offered to bake, or the school bus she hit in front of all the kids and parents, because she has bigger problems. Her husband may be having an affair. She saw him in Wendy’s with his attractive boss, after all, laughing and laughing. And she also wonders quite poignantly why it is that the female parent has to be the one giving up their career and interests, serving on the PTA, volunteering to bake for the school, and not getting to have a life outside of their child and husband. This theme was powerful, through all of the hijinks and funny scenes, the comment on the role women are forced to play in the home resonated.
And finally, there is a bit of a mystery going on. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say the Village of Primm is about to realize how fragile their perfect, privileged lives are…
Thank you to Kat Carter and Lake Union Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
This book truly had me laughing out loud at every turn. I did a mix of audio and physical book this time, and the audio narrator was so perfect, that even when I switched to the physical book I could picture the tone she would use for each character in my head. Holly Banks is a mother who tries so hard to fit into the life that she can’t quite achieve, and with spectacularly funny failures at every attempt, she warmed her way into my heart.
The house in the Village of Primm was not cheap, and Holly soon realizes that buying at the top of their finances will have a price. Namely, that it is not enough to live in the Village of Primm in order to belong, there are a lot of expectations. From the way she decorates her house and porch (she can’t live up to the expert decorator and mom extraordinaire who lived their prior to her, and the other residents make sure she knows it!) to the way she dresses (pajamas are maybe not the best thing to wear out of the house, even if you think you won’t be seen!), Holly is wonderfully imperfect!
And then Holly finds out that she has to not only be on the PTA at her daughter’s school, she needs to serve as the PTA secretary to the intimidating and perfect Mary-Margaret St. James. Mary-Margaret is probably the best character in the book to me (well, besides Holly). She is a real piece of work! Polite, bubbly, and a bit mean-spirited if you are Holly, Mary-Margaret makes sure to point out that Holly volunteering to bring the napkins is the worst sort of volunteering (everyone knows those napkin moms!)
Holly can’t worry, though, about her pig pajamas that everyone saw, or the 14 cherry pies she offered to bake, or the school bus she hit in front of all the kids and parents, because she has bigger problems. Her husband may be having an affair. She saw him in Wendy’s with his attractive boss, after all, laughing and laughing. And she also wonders quite poignantly why it is that the female parent has to be the one giving up their career and interests, serving on the PTA, volunteering to bake for the school, and not getting to have a life outside of their child and husband. This theme was powerful, through all of the hijinks and funny scenes, the comment on the role women are forced to play in the home resonated.
And finally, there is a bit of a mystery going on. I won’t spoil it, but let’s just say the Village of Primm is about to realize how fragile their perfect, privileged lives are…
Thank you to Kat Carter and Lake Union Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.
ksoks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
annamontana's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was not worth reading.
The characters are over the top and not relatable. And worse then that they are not likable.
The plot didn't carry the weak characters.
Don't waste your time on this book.
The characters are over the top and not relatable. And worse then that they are not likable.
The plot didn't carry the weak characters.
Don't waste your time on this book.
jessicafarmer80's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 Stars ...I don’t like to give poor reviews, but I had a really hard time getting into this book. I didn’t like the characters. They were over the top & unlikeable - until the very end where they seemed to redeem themselves and be a bit more normal....but by that point, I was already over the story & them. At times I felt like I was schizophrenic reading it - it was all over the place, bouncing back and forth, not making sense, etc. Normally I wouldn’t have finished this book - but it was for a book club. Unfortunately it wasn’t my cup of tea, to each their own.
andrea_author's review against another edition
3.0
Comedy is subjective, and the over-the-top physical humor in this book didn't appeal to me.
However, the second book in the series ([b:THE PECULIAR FATE OF HOLLY BANKS|48663042|The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks (Village of Primm #2)|Julie Valerie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590717429l/48663042._SY75_.jpg|74007013]) is more down-to-earth. It's charming and fun with moments of deep emotional resonance. So if you didn't like this book, it might be worth giving the second book in the series a try anyway.
A note on both books: I listened to these in audio. Usually I listen to audiobooks at 2x the normal speed. For these, I listened to them at 3x the normal speed. That suggests to me that the pace of the audiobooks is slow, which may be at odds with slapstick humor. You might enjoy them more if you play them at a faster than normal rate. (This is not meant as a criticism of the narrator. She's fantastic.)
If you've got a Kindle Unlimited subscription, both books are free to read and to listen to at the time of this review. So it won't cost you anything to give them a try to see if they're right for you.
However, the second book in the series ([b:THE PECULIAR FATE OF HOLLY BANKS|48663042|The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks (Village of Primm #2)|Julie Valerie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590717429l/48663042._SY75_.jpg|74007013]) is more down-to-earth. It's charming and fun with moments of deep emotional resonance. So if you didn't like this book, it might be worth giving the second book in the series a try anyway.
A note on both books: I listened to these in audio. Usually I listen to audiobooks at 2x the normal speed. For these, I listened to them at 3x the normal speed. That suggests to me that the pace of the audiobooks is slow, which may be at odds with slapstick humor. You might enjoy them more if you play them at a faster than normal rate. (This is not meant as a criticism of the narrator. She's fantastic.)
If you've got a Kindle Unlimited subscription, both books are free to read and to listen to at the time of this review. So it won't cost you anything to give them a try to see if they're right for you.
notinjersey's review against another edition
5.0
For my interview with Julie Valerie, visit my post! https://www.notinjersey.com/2019/11/julie-valerie-on-holly-banks-satire-perfection-and-more.html
This book was hilarious. Holly Banks is a mom to a daughter about to start kindergarten in a town they are new to. Holly just wants to fit in. Her run-ins with the PTA president make things difficult though! The Village of Primm reminded me of Stars Hollow a bit with its amusing characters. I could relate to Holly a lot and I even wrote down a few of my favorite quotes from her: “Five. she was four last week, three the week before, then two. Last month, she was a baby…” And “The woman was a cool as a cucumber. [She] wished she could be like that, cucumber-like, but she wasn’t. She was egg-like. Cracked easily, usually served scrambled, and could make you sick if you weren’t careful.” The pressure to be perfect that Holly experienced was very relatable and I love that she realized it’s ok to be not good enough or not Pinteresty enough!
This book was hilarious. Holly Banks is a mom to a daughter about to start kindergarten in a town they are new to. Holly just wants to fit in. Her run-ins with the PTA president make things difficult though! The Village of Primm reminded me of Stars Hollow a bit with its amusing characters. I could relate to Holly a lot and I even wrote down a few of my favorite quotes from her: “Five. she was four last week, three the week before, then two. Last month, she was a baby…” And “The woman was a cool as a cucumber. [She] wished she could be like that, cucumber-like, but she wasn’t. She was egg-like. Cracked easily, usually served scrambled, and could make you sick if you weren’t careful.” The pressure to be perfect that Holly experienced was very relatable and I love that she realized it’s ok to be not good enough or not Pinteresty enough!
samthequeen's review against another edition
3.0
This book was hard for me to get into...then it was a little TOO quirky...and then I found myself being charmed by the characters and the overall meaning...but then the ending felt a little disorganized and off. Overall, I'm glad I decided not to give up on it.
itsmegkehoe's review against another edition
1.0
Holly Banks is the newest mom in the Village of Primm, and she's feeling the pressure. With over the top... well, everything - this book didn't quite resonate with me. Primm itself feels like an excessive stereotype of Pleasantville, or Stepford, and having hailed from a so-called-Stepford-suburb myself, the trope tired me out pretty quickly.
Holly herself feels ... less angsty, and more angry. She's got issues, yes. And sometimes the surface level issues (like wearing the wrong color to the PTA meeting) can feel like mountains when you're struggling with things, but I wanted more from Holly. For someone with such a strong internal monologue, I felt like she should've stood up for herself more! Made more waves! It was hard to distinguish the core of Holly's true feelings - while she seemed to WANT all of these things, her actions didn't quite match up. The premise itself seemed like a little bit of a stretch, too. But maybe it's just because I'm not in the place in life Holly is... I'm sure many newish moms who want the best out of life fall into the pitfalls of the shiny lavish 'burbs and all the majesty they seem to promise could relate! All in all, the petty-Peyton-Place setting & narrative arc missed the mark for me, a little too in-your-face for my person preferences!
Holly herself feels ... less angsty, and more angry. She's got issues, yes. And sometimes the surface level issues (like wearing the wrong color to the PTA meeting) can feel like mountains when you're struggling with things, but I wanted more from Holly. For someone with such a strong internal monologue, I felt like she should've stood up for herself more! Made more waves! It was hard to distinguish the core of Holly's true feelings - while she seemed to WANT all of these things, her actions didn't quite match up. The premise itself seemed like a little bit of a stretch, too. But maybe it's just because I'm not in the place in life Holly is... I'm sure many newish moms who want the best out of life fall into the pitfalls of the shiny lavish 'burbs and all the majesty they seem to promise could relate! All in all, the petty-Peyton-Place setting & narrative arc missed the mark for me, a little too in-your-face for my person preferences!
machadofam8's review against another edition
2.0
Really not 100% sure of everything that was going on here. Could have and should have been better. The interactions between Holly and Mary-Margaret were particularly weird.