May 20, 2021

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but what I got was a pleasant read with likable characters and a mystery that wove itself through the plot.

That makes it sound more serious than it was. This book was actually a lot of fun.

I expected to dislike Dana. She’s a New York City actress and she sells merchandise on a shopping channel, the first job she has apparently been able to hold down in quite a long time.

But instead of hating her, I found myself wanting to know her. I could see her being fun to be around. Could have had to do with her quips and reactions to what others said to her.

That reminded me of…well, me.

Frankly, she reminded me a lot of me. I moved to NYC, auditioned a couple of place, and ended up bartending (no home shopping channels for me). I even dated an NYC officer.

Spoiler: I married mine 😊

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Anyway, back to Dana. While I thought her life was entertaining (and would have been a great story on its own), the mystery that popped up was woven seamlessly into the narrative.

Honestly, there’s not a lot to unpack here, because it was a light, fun story.

Anyone who has ever watched even five minutes of a home shopping channel will appreciate Dana’s talents onscreen. Even I was impressed with her capabilities. Those were very entertaining scenes.

I will say that there were more than a few times that I found “Friends” references. Not only were there over mentions (Ross and Rachel) but there were also some clever points that only a die-hard fan might recognize.

Dana’s play, her relationship with Ari, even a boot heel…I counted at least ten events/plot points where I could reference Friends.

Now, that might just be because Friends was that universal. Regardless, it provided additional enjoyment to me.

This is a perfect beach read and one of my favorites of the year.

Twitter: @EllenMeister
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Author Bio: Ellen Meister is the author of several novels including LOVE SOLD SEPARATELY, DOROTHY PARKER DRANK HERE; FAREWELL, DOROTHY PARKER; THE OTHER LIFE and others. Ellen is also an editor, book coach, ghostwriter, and frequent contributor to Long Island Woman Magazine. She teaches creative writing at Long Island University Hutton House Lectures and previously at Hofstra University. Her latest novel is THE ROOFTOP PARTY. For more info visit ellenmeister.com.

Why is it that we always need a major event (often a tragedy) to open our eyes to what is right in front of us?

This is exactly what happens to June. Even as it seems as if her life is falling apart, there are other events in motion that (ultimately) help her figure out who she is and what she wants out of life.

That’s a simplistic explanation of the plot, but there is a lot more going on. The author weaves a compelling story, addressing several heavy topics along the way. I felt that some were more successfully included in the story than others, but it all still worked.

As I often say, you can read spoilers and plot details in other reviews. I’m here to give other observations.

One of the first things that struck me was “distance.” June’s husband was distant from her, as was her father (or was he really), her sisters were distant, June had to travel a distance to get answers…it was a major theme.

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The reason this hit me is that when I was still in school, my mom was a teacher and my dad worked for an airline. Every year when the school year was over, my mom and I would hop on a plane and fly standby to a fun destination.

(Living in California, that destination was often Hawaii. But I digress).

The point of this is my mom always said that creating distance was one of the best ways to change your frame of mind. For us back then, it was letting go of school and embracing the summer break.

For June, traveling to California and discovering the truth about her father, it was recognizing the path her life was on, how it didn’t really fit her, and that she had the power to change it. Of course, the distance from her home to California helped as well.

I understand why Caleb was a major catalyst for all of that. I am unsure how I feel about the whole “tortured artist” persona. It didn’t bother me, but it also sometimes distracted me.

While I found distance to be a compelling thread, I think the ultimate message is that in order to be true to oneself, hard choices have to be made. But really, shouldn’t that be the easiest choice of all?

Twitter: @Melissa_Wiesner

Author Bio:
Melissa Wiesner is a night-owl who began writing novels about five years ago when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. In 2019, she won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in the Mainstream Fiction Category for her first novel. Melissa holds two Master’s Degrees in Public Health and Community Agency Counseling. Her day job is in Social Work where she often encounters people knocked down by hard times but who pick themselves up and keep going, just like the characters of her novels. Melissa lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her charming husband and two adorable children.