Friday, April 17, 2020

Backlist Mini-Reviews

Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza (2018)

I'm not usually one for political novels, but I actually really enjoyed this story about Charlotte Walsh, a Silicon Valley COO who returns to her home state of Pennsylvania to run for Senate.  There aren't enough women in politics in general, so to have a book about the behind-the-scenes of a female candidate's campaign is refreshing. It was interesting to see what kinds of things the media focuses on for female vs. male candidates.  Charlotte's clothes, and especially shoes, are constantly critiqued, and pregnancy speculation abounds.  Her husband was so hot-and-cold; one minute very supportive, but also always reminding her that he didn't choose this campaign life.  There were a few family secrets that Charlotte was afraid would come out and derail her campaign.  One involved her brother Paul; he was just the most despicable character.  It never occurred to me that Charlotte was also hiding a big secret.

I've read a couple of Jo Piazza's books and I always enjoy her writing.  It flows nicely and is easy to read.  The pacing was great, and I liked that some of the chapter titles included how many more days until the election.  If you dislike open endings, this may not be the book for you; I, however, appreciated that the reader can imagine all the possibilities of what may have happened on election night and after.  4 stars


 The Prenup by Lauren Layne (2019)

Charlotte wants financial independence by way of her family trust and Colin needs a green card; their solution is to marry each other, after which she moves across the country and they never speak again.  Ten years later, Colin wants a divorce, but there's a catch in their prenup - they must live together for three months first.  Charlotte moves in with Colin, but after really getting to know each other, is a divorce something they actually want?

I really wanted to like this story; I was rooting for two people who marry for convenience to discover that they're actually perfect for each other.  Unfortunately, it was just kind of a meh read for me.  For most of the book, Charlotte is so whiny and immature; she's all like, "Why does Colin hate me??  Wah!"  For his part, Colin is like a robot.  I never really got a good read on him.  I wish Colin had come right out at the beginning and said why he wanted a divorce; I mean, it was a darn good reason, although Layne twisted it enough so that we knew immediately it would never work.  While the romance didn't work for me at all, I did enjoy Charlotte's story outside of the marriage issue.  Her move back to NYC gave her some perspective to see that she wanted to make changes in her life, that it was time to grow up.  She did evolve by the end of the book, and I appreciated that.  3 stars

20 comments:

  1. Great reviews, Angela! I'm not one for political novels either but Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win does intrigue me. :)

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    1. I think you might like it if you were looking for something different!

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  2. Too bad about The Prenup. Neither Charlotte nor Colin sound particularly likable.

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  3. The romance in The Prenup sounds like it would be disappointing to me too. But Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win sounds really good!

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  4. I have heard Jo Piazza's books are fun--i'll have to check that one out, especially as we get closer to election day!

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  5. I always love Lauren Layne, but I have not gone out of my way to read this book. I saw a lot of meh reviews for it, and then I forgot about it. I am disappointed too, because the premise did sound good to me

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    1. I've only read one of her other books. I was disappointed by this one, but I think I'll still seek out her books.

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  6. interesting books. I could go for a Lauren Layne book right now, they are always fun to read

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    1. It was a cute premise, I think I'll try some of her other books!

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  7. I have Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win. Probably should get to it at some point. I've had it for so long and I was quite scared that I might not enjoy it. So glad to know you enjoyed it though even though you're not that into political novels :)

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  8. Glad to hear you enjoyed Charlotte Walsh. I liked that one too, especially the behind-the-scenes look at what it's like for a woman to run for office.

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  9. The Piazza book does sound good. I don't mind open endings if they're done well- sometimes the book just works even if we don't get everything explained or whatever. Glad it was fun!

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    1. Exactly! I think for this one, it was important not to tell the reader if she won or not!

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  10. Aw! I was getting Green Card vibes from The Prenup, but it's clearly *not* anything good like that movie. I like the Pazza book -- In fact, you reminded me it's on my TBR and did I read it? noooooooooooooooooo :/

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