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monkreads's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
suesinop's review against another edition
3.0
Very readable - interesting perspective without seeming overdone. I enjoyed it but not as much as her previous '...A Broad' book.
I wish the ending had been a little more finished. It seemed abrupt. Overall, I like her writing style and her characters are well developed.
I wish the ending had been a little more finished. It seemed abrupt. Overall, I like her writing style and her characters are well developed.
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Ann Leary’s Book (The Good House) and reading her earlier books. Joe is a TV star and living in Manhattan and he has been nominated for a Golden Globe award. All is well with their marriage, financial, and two kids in private school. Until she listens to his voice mail one night by accident and hears some southern belle leaving some pretty up close and personal sexy messages.
Julia does not confront him in the beginning and continues to listen to his messages. She immediately starts going to a shrink, gets hair extensions, Botox, sunless tanning spray, and begins shopping to ensure she looks great for the Golden Globe awards ceremony.
She feels useless as she has given up on her writing to be a wife and mother. Julie becomes obsessed with finding out the person behind the voice. Prior to her marriage she was a wild child and has changed so much. To try and keep an affair from coming out she writes all this bogus stuff on cyberspace about Joe being gay and keeping all the other mom’s at her son’s preschool at bay.
She confronts Joe and he makes up an excuse, but is her really telling her the truth? A humorous read about marriage, family and how women sometimes get lost in their duties of being a perfect wife and mother. The audio was excellent and Cassandra Campbell did an excellent job as always of the performer – look forward to reading more from this author!
Julia does not confront him in the beginning and continues to listen to his messages. She immediately starts going to a shrink, gets hair extensions, Botox, sunless tanning spray, and begins shopping to ensure she looks great for the Golden Globe awards ceremony.
She feels useless as she has given up on her writing to be a wife and mother. Julie becomes obsessed with finding out the person behind the voice. Prior to her marriage she was a wild child and has changed so much. To try and keep an affair from coming out she writes all this bogus stuff on cyberspace about Joe being gay and keeping all the other mom’s at her son’s preschool at bay.
She confronts Joe and he makes up an excuse, but is her really telling her the truth? A humorous read about marriage, family and how women sometimes get lost in their duties of being a perfect wife and mother. The audio was excellent and Cassandra Campbell did an excellent job as always of the performer – look forward to reading more from this author!
denakg's review against another edition
2.0
This was ok. A quick easy read. The ending was no good though, it just left you hanging.
dr_manuela_reads's review against another edition
1.0
I just could not finish this book. Awful! This story is supposed to be funny, but I did not find the humor.
cher_n_books's review
4.0
4 stars - It was great. I loved it.
There is something about Leary’s writing that I absolutely adore. Even with a semi-cliché plotline, the woman makes it fresh, makes me think, and makes me laugh.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote:Ruby is a vegan, which is, in my mind, just a glamorous way of saying that she hates food.
First Sentence: First of all, he’s a Joe.
There is something about Leary’s writing that I absolutely adore. Even with a semi-cliché plotline, the woman makes it fresh, makes me think, and makes me laugh.
-------------------------------------------
Favorite Quote:Ruby is a vegan, which is, in my mind, just a glamorous way of saying that she hates food.
First Sentence: First of all, he’s a Joe.
perry417's review against another edition
2.0
Bummer. I was really disappointed with this book, after loving her other novel The Children so very much. This one was more wife-of-celebrity fluff and felt like a series of easy stereotypes about marriage and getting older. The character of Julia is off-puttingly (is that a word?) vain and skin-deep, and likewise this book never went into any depth, no real character development. A back story about her parents was hinted at throughout, but never totally developed. And in the end, I just did not care about the truth about whether or not Joe was having an affair. The ending of the book did not frustrate me with its ambiguity -- I just didn't care.
At one point, my mind drifted to Big Little Lies (the current HBO series, not the book; I was 'meh' on the book). On the tv show, the wives are obviously rich and self-centered, but somehow they also feel three dimensional. Not so with this book.
I knew this was Leary's first book, almost a decade ago (dated references to Gawker and Barbara Walters), and so that sense of her real life (as wife to a celebrity) was never far from my mind as I was reading. With her other book, I didn't pay attention to the fact that her husband is a famous actor/comedian. I'm definitely willing to give her newest book a chance; this one just felt like a starter novel as she found her solid footing outside of her identity as wife-of-Denis.
At one point, my mind drifted to Big Little Lies (the current HBO series, not the book; I was 'meh' on the book). On the tv show, the wives are obviously rich and self-centered, but somehow they also feel three dimensional. Not so with this book.
I knew this was Leary's first book, almost a decade ago (dated references to Gawker and Barbara Walters), and so that sense of her real life (as wife to a celebrity) was never far from my mind as I was reading. With her other book, I didn't pay attention to the fact that her husband is a famous actor/comedian. I'm definitely willing to give her newest book a chance; this one just felt like a starter novel as she found her solid footing outside of her identity as wife-of-Denis.
sbunyan's review against another edition
1.0
I started this as an audio book but just did not like the whiny victim attitude of the main character. But I kind of wanted to know how she resolved her problem with her husband. My opinion after a couple chapters was that they had changed and he'd become a superficial ego filled movie star and she needed to move on and find someone with substance.
So I checked out the print version but never finished it. Didn't like her, didn't like him, didn't like her kids (except the young boy but he wasn't ever really a character in this).
So it will remain unfinished.
So I checked out the print version but never finished it. Didn't like her, didn't like him, didn't like her kids (except the young boy but he wasn't ever really a character in this).
So it will remain unfinished.
disasterchick's review against another edition
4.0
Accidently hearing a voice mail Julia finds out her husband may be having an affair. What would you do? You have a history together and that this book does an excellent job of reflecting who they were and where Joe and Julia are now. Ann Leary does a great job of bringing the past and the present into this novel leaving the future for the reader to determine.