Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and GetRedPR and the author, #partner, for the finished copy of She’s Up to No Good in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing / Brilliance Audio
Published: August 1, 2022
Summary:
For two women generations apart, going home will change their lives in this funny, poignant, and life-affirming novel about family, secrets, and broken hearts by the author of For the Love of Friends.
Four years into her marriage, Jenna is blindsided when her husband asks for a divorce. With time on her hands and her life in flux, she agrees to accompany her eccentric grandmother Evelyn on a road trip to the seaside Massachusetts town where much of their family history was shaped.
When they hit the road, Evelyn spins the tale of the star-crossed teenage romance that captured her heart more than seventy years ago and changed the course of her life. She insists the return to her hometown isn’t about that at all—no matter how much she talks about Tony, her unforgettable and forbidden first love.
Upon arrival, Jenna meets Tony’s attentive great-nephew Joe. The new friendship and fresh ocean air give her the confidence and distance she needs to begin putting the pain of a broken marriage behind her.
As the secrets and truths of Evelyn’s past unfold, Jenna discovers a new side of her grandmother, and of herself, that she never knew existed—and learns that the possibilities for healing can come at the most unexpected times in a woman’s life.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Sara Goodman Confino but it certainly will not be the last. It is this month’s #GetRedPRBookclub pick and we are discussing it tonight and I cannot wait because I just loved everything about this book!
I love intergenerational family stories and this one just warmed my heart. The bond between grandmother and granddaughter had me missing my grandmothers something fierce, but also reminiscing about all the good times I had with them both. I loved how during a cross-country road trip, Evelyn started to open up about her past loves as a way to help Jenna move on from her current situation. I truly believe that sometimes while you might not think it, hearing these stories does make a difference even though you just want to bury your head under a pillow!
This book is laugh-out-loud funny yet also filled with heart. I loved how it alternated between the present and the past – getting the flashbacks to Evelyn’s youth really put things in perspective and I think gave Jenna such a better outlook on things pertaining to her own situation. I also loved how the importance of family was woven throughout – this is a favorite theme of mine to read and I think the author really nails it here.
I highly recommend picking this one up…you will be hard-pressed not to laugh your way through it. And you might even shed a tear or two.
Audio thoughts:
This was such a good book to listen to – so much so that I ended up listening to it in just one day because I really could not put it down. The narrator, Holly Linneman, does a great job bringing the story to life, infusing just the right amount of emotion into her voice as needed. I’m sure there were quite a few people wondering what I was laughing hysterically about as I was walking the dog…it was this book!
