A review by yourbookishbff
A Bluestocking's Guide to Decadence by Jess Everlee

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is my first by Jess Everlee, and I look forward to returning to her earlier books! There is a LOT happening in this premise, and I was pleasantly surprised it all remained coherent. We've got one main character living contentedly - if not exactly happily - in a lavender marriage, discovering in the opening scenes that her husband's mistress is pregnant and her place in her own home could be in jeopardy. She attempts to make herself invaluable by pretending midwifery experience, an absurd decision that is quickly and thoroughly lambasted by all of her friends. Her foil, the uptight, underestimated, overburdened doctor, is the steady presence who will ultimately help her face down her own insecurities (while battling her own). It's laugh-out-loud funny at points, and deeply emotional at others, as each character has childhood trauma (and a complicated family) to unpack. 

The through-line in plot and character development is an epistolary sequence that helps our characters cross months of time and find deeper intimacy with each other despite their distance. It's so well done and feels right for both characters. Everlee also nails the found family and the dynamics between each of them as they grow closer, and it added so much to the romance arc for our main characters. 

This tiniest quibble - why did Emily make chess pieces? In a plot that already had a lot going on, the occasional mentions of this extremely specific hobby felt unnecessary? But maybe I missed some deeper symbolism here. 

Also - audio is narrated by Ell Potter, a fave. Highly recommend this format!
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