Book Review: The One that Got Away, Leigh Himes

Title: The One that Got Away, Leigh Himes
Print Length: 379 pages
Publisher: Hachette Books (May 31, 2016)
Publication Date: May 31, 2016

This was our book club pick for August and unfortunately the month got away from me. See what I did there? Hah. But really I was just giving everyone more time to finish the book…

So…

The One that Got Away is a debut effort from author Leigh Himes. I found it to be a charming and fun – kind of an adult take on “Freaky Friday.” This fun twist on a classic tale follows Abbey Lahey – exhausted, underappreciated mother who just really wants to carry a Marc Jacobs bag and feel like she has at least some semblance of her life together. Any moms out there relate?

So when she sees a photo of a former could be flame, now a successful Philadelphia socialite, in a magazine, she wonders what it would have been like if they had ended up together.

Thanks to a freak fall off the Nordstrom elevator (while returning the above bag) she’s about to find out.

Suddenly Abbey Lahey is Abbey Van Holt – Philadelphia socialite married to congressional hopeful, Alex Van Holt (the one that got away). If there ever was a story about the age old saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone” this is it. Abbey finds herself attending black tie events, living in a lavish penthouse, married to handsome, successful and very wealthy man. But all of these things don’t make her happy and she yearns for her former life. I had fun reading along while Abbey discovered who really was “the one that got away” and how to come to terms with her issues.

The storyline is familiar and predictable, but with a fun new twist that I think fans of the chicklit genre will love, I know I did.

So, now that it’s December(!) did anyone read along? If you did, what did you think?
If you didn’t – go ahead and check this one out! I think you'll enjoy it!!

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble
Listen on Audible

Or Check your local library!

Book Club: July's Pick is The One That Got Away by Leigh Himes

Who’s ready for the Book Gawker’s July book club pick?

This month we’ll be reading The One that Got Away by Leigh Himes!

For those of you who haven’t heard of Leigh Himes’ debut novel, here’s the synopsis from Amazon:

“Meet Abbey Lahey . . .

Overworked mom. Underappreciated publicist. Frazzled wife of an out-of-work landscaper. A woman desperately in need of a vacation from life--and who is about to get one, thanks to an unexpected tumble down a Nordstrom escalator.

Meet Abbey van Holt . . .

The woman whose life Abbey suddenly finds herself inhabiting when she wakes up. Married to handsome congressional candidate Alex van Holt. Living in a lavish penthouse. Wearing ball gowns and being feted by the crème of Philadelphia society. Luxuriating in the kind of fourteen-karat lifestyle she's only read about in the pages of Town & Country. The woman Abbey might have been . . . if she had said yes to a date with Alex van Holt all those years ago.

In the tradition of the romantic comedy Sliding Doors and Lionel Shriver's The Post-Birthday World, Leigh Himes's irresistible debut novel tells the funny and touching story of an ordinary woman offered an extraordinary opportunity to reboot her life, explore the road not taken, and ultimately, find her true self--whoever that may be.”

I’ve heard good things about this book – it appears to be light hearted and fun, which is always a plus when it comes to choosing an entertaining summer read. Hailed as a witty love story about the choices that shape the lives we lead, I’m excited to read this charming debut novel and I hope you are too.

Join the discussion of The One That Got Away on July 29th, here on the blog, Facebook and Instagram! I'm excited to know your thoughts!

Buy it on Amazon
Buy it at Barnes & Noble
Visit Village Books in Lynden or Fairhaven

A B O U T  T H E  A U T H O R

Author Leigh Himes has spent fourteen years working in the public relations field. Born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina, she now lives just outside of Philadelphia with her husband and their two children. This is her first book.
Visit her website at: www.leighhimes.com

Book Club: Modern Lovers by Emma Straub

Welcome to the first ever Book Gawker Book Club Meeting!

I am thrilled that you've joined me in reading this month's book club pick, Modern Lovers by Emma Straub and I'm dying to know what you thought!

M Y   T A K E

I absolutely loved this novel. I'm not saying this because I chose the book for my first book club post and I didn't want it to be a dud. I hope you all enjoyed it as well - and I typically don't talk up books just for the sake of a good recommendation. I can honestly tell you - I LOVED this novel. Emma Straub is magical. Her storytelling and character development is bar none and this is one of my favorite books this year.

W H A T  I  L O V E D

I felt that this story with its zany characters and quirkiness was witty and entertaining. I loved the juxtaposition of the young lovers' story with that of the older lovers in the story. The older couples each navigating their way through marital challenges and their children falling into what can only be described as a teenage whirlwind romance that is (let's face it) doomed from the start. Each character had his or her own unique struggle - and I thought that Emma Straub pulled their differences and uniqueness together beautifully in the end.
This book really was about friendship, self discovery, and love at all stages of life - whether it be during teenage or middle age years.

Emma Straub is incredibly witty. Her characters are razor sharp, smart and sassy - I loved that about this book. The only person I just wanted to give a good lecture to was Andrew (obviously) - but then it was apparent he was in definite need of some directional guidance so I'm going to throw him a bone there. One thing that I loved about this book was that it is incredibly smart but not overwritten. The prose was easy to read and enjoyable. I wasn't getting hung up on superfluous language or passages that were over my head. I found it to be to the point and funny.

W H A T  D I D N 'T  W O R K

Iggy Pop's return seemed downplayed a little to me. I mean, Elizabeth spent all that time making and hanging posters around the neighborhood, and I felt that his return was overshadowed by Ruby's cover up for Dust. I just would have liked a little more of a party for Iggy's return. What can I say, I'm an animal person.

Andrew - I'm not trying to make him out to be a bum, but he kind of was a bum! His character worked for the story and he came around in the end, but I would have liked to have seen a little more depth to him. I think behind the lost little boy looking for acceptance/distraction there were some other issues that made him more complex than he initially appeared throughout the book.

D I S C U S S I O N

Feel free to discuss in the comments, on Instagram or over at the Book Gawker's Facebook page! You're also more than welcome to link to your own post about Modern Lovers in the comments! I'm excited to know what everyone thought of this novel!
Also, I'm taking requests for July's Book Club pick - let me know what you would like to read!

July's book will be announced on June 30 - so be sure to check back!!

What did you think of Modern Lovers? Did you enjoy this novel?

• Loved it!

What worked for you, what didn't?

• Writing style, character development, storyline were all wonderful!
• I just wish that there had been some additional details added.

Who were your favorite characters?

• Mine was Ruby. I just loved her waywardness. She pretends to be a badass but she's really just a confused girl trying to figure it all out. Her ending was one of my favorite moments in the book. Naomi was another favorite - I thought she was funny and terrible all at once.

Did the book end the way you thought it would?

• I was actually really happy with the ending of this book. I felt that everyone found what they had been looking for which made me happy. I was a little surprised though because I feel that I'm getting used to bittersweet endings, so I fully expected a tragedy in end.

What would you ask the author about Modern Lovers?

• What was your writing process for this book and how did it differ from your previous work? What did you want to do differently with this novel?

Would you recommend this book? Why? Why not?

• Absolutely! This has been one of my favorite books this year.

If you haven't finished the book - are you planning to?

I'm Starting a Monthly Book Club! And You Can Join Too!

I've had the idea of starting a book club for a while now. The thing is, I'm really bad at organizing people and the thought of picking a book for a whole group to read is kind of intimidating to me. So I think I've found a solution - I'm going to start a monthly online book club where discussion can be held right here on the blog and The Book Gawker Facebook Page.

The great thing about this format is that participation is totally optional. If you want, you can read the book chosen for the month and participate in discussion, you can opt out, you can read and not discuss, whatever you want. You do you. Just know, I'll be right here ready to talk about the month's book.

Interested? Great!

Here's how it will work:

My book club review will be posted on the last Friday of each month with discussion questions and my own answers. So the first book club discussion will be June 24, 2016.

Here's how to participate:

Feel free to comment with your own answers to the discussion questions in the comments part of the blog. Or if you have your own blog, you can create your own book club review and discussion and link to it in the comments! You don't need to go off of my discussion questions, feel free to have your own!

So what are we reading?

For June's book, I've chosen the recently released Modern Lovers by Emma Straub.
Buy It On Amazon
Buy It at Barnes & Noble

Synopsis from Amazon:

Friends and former college bandmates Elizabeth and Andrew and Zoe have watched one another marry, buy real estate, and start businesses and families, all while trying to hold on to the identities of their youth. But nothing ages them like having to suddenly pass the torch (of sexuality, independence, and the ineffable alchemy of cool) to their own offspring.

Back in the band's heyday, Elizabeth put on a snarl over her Midwestern smile, Andrew let his unwashed hair grow past his chin, and Zoe was the lesbian all the straight women wanted to sleep with. Now nearing fifty, they all live within shouting distance in the same neighborhood deep in gentrified Brooklyn, and the trappings of the adult world seem to have arrived with ease. But the summer that their children reach maturity (and start sleeping together), the fabric of the adult lives suddenly begins to unravel, and the secrets and revelations that are finally let loose—about themselves, and about the famous fourth band member who soared and fell without them—can never be reclaimed.

Straub packs wisdom and insight and humor together in a satisfying book about neighbors and nosiness, ambition and pleasure, the excitement of youth, the shock of middle age, and the fact that our passions—be they food, or friendship, or music—never go away, they just evolve and grow along with us.

A B O U T  T H E   A U T H O R

Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of Modern Lovers, The Vacationers, Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, and Other People We Married. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, and Elle. Her work has been published in fifteen countries.                
Visit her website: http://www.emmastraub.net




I'm excited read along with whoever out there wants to join in! If you have ideas for July's book please feel free to let me know!

P.S. I will announce the upcoming book club title on the last day of each month, so if you do have requests get them in before that.

Happy reading!
-Whit