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lizaroo71's review against another edition
4.0
I initially gave this three stars, but after sitting with the rating, I think four stars is more deserving. This book definitely hooked me in and didn't let up. I stayed up late to finish it.
The story is about Caroline Jacobs and the day she wakes up during a PTO meeting. She tells another mom to F&@* off and then throws caution to the wind.
The book then follows Caroline's friendship with her neighbor growing up and how the end of the relationship set her off course (or so she believes). The moments in high school feel real. Dicks captures perfectly the bullying that takes place. Girls can be so cruel.
This is a perfect book to read while traveling or to cozy up with on a cold day. You will most likely finish it in one sitting.
The story is about Caroline Jacobs and the day she wakes up during a PTO meeting. She tells another mom to F&@* off and then throws caution to the wind.
The book then follows Caroline's friendship with her neighbor growing up and how the end of the relationship set her off course (or so she believes). The moments in high school feel real. Dicks captures perfectly the bullying that takes place. Girls can be so cruel.
This is a perfect book to read while traveling or to cozy up with on a cold day. You will most likely finish it in one sitting.
growlcat's review against another edition
4.0
Caroline finally gets to tell a girl who bullied her in high school how she really felt and still feels. I wish I could do that.
shriti_sunshine's review against another edition
2.0
I think the title is misleading. What actually unfolds vis-à-vis what Caroline had planned in the beginning is like being disappointed by a tasteless soup, that initially looked scrumptious.
Nevertheless, I appreciate the Lucy subplot in the book. I can't begin to imagine the guilt Caroline must have been carrying around all these years, for her little sister's death. "You can't blame yourself!" - It's easier said than done. The girl first lost her friends, then her sister/companion. Life is daunting enough for a teenager, without the added anguish of loneliness and isolation. I understood Caroline's desperation to be accepted, I did.... but not enough to get over her wimpy behaviour and eventually, like her.
Nevertheless, I appreciate the Lucy subplot in the book. I can't begin to imagine the guilt Caroline must have been carrying around all these years, for her little sister's death. "You can't blame yourself!" - It's easier said than done. The girl first lost her friends, then her sister/companion. Life is daunting enough for a teenager, without the added anguish of loneliness and isolation. I understood Caroline's desperation to be accepted, I did.... but not enough to get over her wimpy behaviour and eventually, like her.
hmonkeyreads's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fast paced and easy to read book about a 40 something woman deciding to take on some of the demons that have haunted her since high school.
The overall plot is a little bit wacky (as all of Matthew Dicks plots are) but it all felt very true to me and as a person who is very much like Caroline, it brought back some familiar feelings from high school.
I also love this one sentence more than anyone should: "...when you're forty, you're not supposed to be this stupid."
The overall plot is a little bit wacky (as all of Matthew Dicks plots are) but it all felt very true to me and as a person who is very much like Caroline, it brought back some familiar feelings from high school.
I also love this one sentence more than anyone should: "...when you're forty, you're not supposed to be this stupid."
carolynaugustyn's review against another edition
3.0
This was definitely a good read- fast moving and sentimental in all the right ways- but I was left feeling like something was missing. Caroline and I have a lot in common (aside from similar names). Like her, I often revert to the push-over, silently suffering, "whatever you want to do is fine..." type. It's not good and is a difficult way to live life (or so my therapists tell me). So I completely related to Caroline's struggle to start speaking up and standing her own ground, it felt real and sloppy. The characters were all, in fact, perfectly imperfect, which is always nice to read. I think my main issue with the book and where I was left feeling the most "meh" was that there was often too much going on and not enough attention was given to the main issue. There would be moments I wanted to sit with a certain emotional scene and absorb it fully but we were already moving on to someone else's issue and a whole new emotional ride. I enjoyed the emotional aspect but I felt like it could be rather surface sometimes, mainly due to the amount of stuff going on distracting from the core issue. Overall, a nice read with lots of wonderful moments, just would have liked a little more stillness to let some emotions really sink in.
readingwithhippos's review against another edition
3.0
I can come up with a cutting retort—I just can't do it quickly. I'm the person who stews for weeks over what I should have said in heated conversations that last all of a few minutes. Chalk it up to being (a) raised on Midwestern politeness, and (b) deeply uncomfortable with confrontation.
So I related easily to Caroline Jacobs, a middle-class suburban mom who snaps one night in a PTA meeting and shouts an obscenity into the shocked face of the hairsprayed and twinsetted harpy in charge. If that setup gives you a zing of naughty delight, you'll probably like Caroline and root for her to exorcise all her demons as much as I did.
Because it's not really about the PTA (is it ever?). Upon reflection, Caroline realizes what she's truly upset about is something that happened back when she was in high school herself, a public humiliation caused by her once-best friend, Emily. And upon very little reflection at all—a total impulse, actually—she decides it's time to confront Emily and say her piece once and for all. Thus, with her recalcitrant daughter Polly as travel companion, Caroline hits the road back to her hometown for what promises to be an epic showdown.
The story of their journey is light and fun, despite the heavy feelings Caroline has carried since freshman year. Caroline's deepening relationship with her daughter is sweetly portrayed, and her confrontation with Emily proves more complicated than a simple telling off. A small but endearingly zany cast of supporting characters rounds out the novel. This would be a nice, quick read to cap off your summer.
With regards to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale September 8.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
So I related easily to Caroline Jacobs, a middle-class suburban mom who snaps one night in a PTA meeting and shouts an obscenity into the shocked face of the hairsprayed and twinsetted harpy in charge. If that setup gives you a zing of naughty delight, you'll probably like Caroline and root for her to exorcise all her demons as much as I did.
Because it's not really about the PTA (is it ever?). Upon reflection, Caroline realizes what she's truly upset about is something that happened back when she was in high school herself, a public humiliation caused by her once-best friend, Emily. And upon very little reflection at all—a total impulse, actually—she decides it's time to confront Emily and say her piece once and for all. Thus, with her recalcitrant daughter Polly as travel companion, Caroline hits the road back to her hometown for what promises to be an epic showdown.
The story of their journey is light and fun, despite the heavy feelings Caroline has carried since freshman year. Caroline's deepening relationship with her daughter is sweetly portrayed, and her confrontation with Emily proves more complicated than a simple telling off. A small but endearingly zany cast of supporting characters rounds out the novel. This would be a nice, quick read to cap off your summer.
With regards to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advance copy. On sale September 8.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
lindasdarby's review against another edition
3.0
I have nothing in common with Caroline the protagonist. She seems to be the nicest person on the planet who sucks it up all the time. I could learn something from her. This book was fine but I have two problems 1 - I thought this was going to be more entertaining and funny and 2 - I live with teenage girls and reading about how mean they are to each other and the drama makes me want to tear my hair out. I have enough teenage girls in my life. If you don't have teenage girls and you know ahead of time that this book isn't nearly as funny as you would expect then this book is great.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
3.0
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs was by Matthew Dicks, the author of one of my all-time favorite books - Memoirs of An Imaginary Friend. Timeout: If you have NOT read Memoirs of An Imaginary Friend, read that rn. This one is about a woman who has an outburst at a PTA meeting. She then realizes she has some unresolved ish, and she goes back to her hometown to figure that out. This one was just okay for me. On the one hand, there is this humor in going back home. On the other hand, there is this heavy guilt that Caroline is carrying around that bubbles to the surface. It was hard for both to exist in the same space for me.
andymoon's review against another edition
4.0
Reads like an indie movie/play with minimal plot and lots of character growth. Caroline decides to confront her former best friend/bully. But of course, other stuff buried deep come to surface. Along the way, we see how human everyone is, even the bully. This novel captures the nuances of relationships and secrets. My type of book for sure. Will be checking out more of Matthew Dicks' works.