Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair

 

I picked this up at Barnes & Noble last month based on the cover and title. Then I read the blurb on the back and decided it sounded like a fun book. It was entertaining, but also did have some touching moments that I didn't expect from Agatha.

Agatha lives in New England in a lovely home with her husband and two boys. She's an author and oh, she is one sassy Facebook Mom Page commenter. She's not short on snark!

Agatha's happy life comes to an abrupt end when she finds her husband and the local dog walker going at it in their garden shed. She takes a hatchet and proceeds to destroy the shed, leaving the mess in her yard, which quickly makes the rounds of the Facebook Mom page. Before the hour is out, streams of cars are driving past her house to check out the carnage. Agatha, meanwhile, is lying on her front porch, devastated and the victim of a skunk spray. 

Agatha's husband moves in with the dog walker, and her boys spend half their time at her house. Agatha's promised thriller manuscript is not even started, as she can't bring herself to climb the stairs to her office. Bear Gyrlls is her hero, and she carries a bobblehead of him around to give her courage. She decides the best thing to do is to spy on her husband and his girlfriend, so she outfits herself with spy pants, spy gear, and a plan. 

Agatha is a mess. 

Agatha is also endearing, funny, and hurting pretty badly. As she battles with her neighbor over the increasingly overgrown and messy pile of shed garbage in her yard (it's ruining the neighborhood!), battles with other moms on Facebook, and visits her shrink, she is trying really hard to cope with her sudden life change. 

I liked Agatha and the cast of characters. Agatha was funny, annoying, and at times did things I probably would do, too. You'll find yourself hoping Agatha will be able to move forward with her life and find joy again--and be brave. 

This reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine (which I loved!). Contemporary fiction fans will enjoy this novel. 

Rating: 4/6 for an endearing main character going through some pretty big life changes. Join Agatha on her journey to peace and finding joy again. A cast of characters that flesh out the community Agatha lives in, along with her loving relationship with her two sons all add up to a satisfying read. 

Available in paperback, ebook, and audio.

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Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything by Kristin Bair

That Summer by Jennifer Weiner

 

Last year's Big Summer was the first Jennifer Weiner book I'd read and I enjoyed it very much. That Summer has completely different characters, but Cape Cod plays a big role in this novel, too. 

Diana Scalzi is fifteen years old and has the world ahead of her the summer she spends on Cape Cod, nannying for her mom's friend Dr. Levy. She even meets a boy named Poe who just graduated from Emlen, a private boy's school that is the place to send the sons of the wealthy and powerful. They spend time on the beaches, getting to know one another. Diana is smitten, and believes Poe is, too. 

Until one night, at the end of the summer, when Poe gets her drunk, and rapes her. It changes Diana forever. Revenge comes back years later, just when she thinks she's able to let go and move on. However, Diana finds out revenge isn't that easy.

Diana "Daisy" Shoemaker is married to Hal, an older, handsome lawyer. Their daughter Beatrice is a teenager who recently was kicked out of Hal's alma mater, Emlen. Daisy is the woman who keeps the family running--always putting Hal's needs before her own. She keeps getting the wrong emails-emails for another Diana. Soon they form a friendship and begin meeting each other for lunch and dinner. Who is this new friend, and what does she want from Daisy?

Yes, you guessed it--Daisy's friend is none other than Diana Scalzi. Whatever Diana has planned, she never planned on actually liking Daisy and Beatrice. Does she continue on her path of revenge, or walk away before confronting Hal?

So I've got to admit I was not expecting a story about a teenage rape and the drive to avenge. I didn't really read any blurbs about the novel, so that was surprising. I much preferred Big Summer--it was a much more solid plot This plot seemed a bit thin and there wasn't much driving it forward. I was hoping Daisy would stand up to Hal in a really big way, but had to wait a long time for any kind of tough Daisy. 

It wasn't a bad story; I was just underwhelmed and had hoped for more. Warning there is a rape scene in this novel (it is not graphic) so if this is a sensitive subject for you this may be a tough read. 

I'll keep reading Jennifer Weiner and hope her next novel is a bit different than That Summer. 

Rating: 3/6 for a novel about a woman who is haunted by her tragic past and cannot move forward until she confronts her rapist. In doing so, she finds innocent casualties in her drive for revenge. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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That Summer by Jennifer Weiner