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amberwallace2012's review
4.0
A story about Ramona, a young wife/mom who is a huge Prince fan (who can blame her), and dealing with a lot of stressful things in her life. From trying to potty train her daughter, finding out her husband is cheating on her, a bratty boss, a mother not afraid to speak her mind, and oh yeah an incoming hurricane. Things just keep piling on in Ramona's life.
This was a very entertaining and relatable read. It provided a humorous, heartwarming story about a woman facing many disasters in her life and is trying to understand how to cope with it all. "Mothers don't lose control" after all.
This was a very entertaining and relatable read. It provided a humorous, heartwarming story about a woman facing many disasters in her life and is trying to understand how to cope with it all. "Mothers don't lose control" after all.
keen23's review
2.0
I had been warned that this was a nothingburger of a book, and that's really the best way to describe it. I enjoy unwashed urchins, and there were plenty in this book. And a meddling mother. Plus some animals. Everything that happened seemed to be a plot device, without having an actual plot, if that's possible. Ramona hates her life and doesn't really like her husband. He cheats. She gets mad. There's a hurricane. She packs up the kids to escape the storm, except things happen and then they wind up back home. Fin.
c_marie_writes's review against another edition
2.0
I don't even know how to review this one. It was supposed to be funny, per the synopsis. It was going to make you laugh. It did neither to me.
There were several writing errors in this book, so many that I almost put it down before I even got 20% of the way in. Run-on sentences, lack of punctuation, etc.
And the story was more of a boring life saga than anything comedic to me. But of course, these are my opinions; there is no need for hate. If it hadn't been the book club selection for the month, it would have ended up on my DNF shelf. It was boring beyond boring.
1.5 stars rounded up.
There were several writing errors in this book, so many that I almost put it down before I even got 20% of the way in. Run-on sentences, lack of punctuation, etc.
And the story was more of a boring life saga than anything comedic to me. But of course, these are my opinions; there is no need for hate. If it hadn't been the book club selection for the month, it would have ended up on my DNF shelf. It was boring beyond boring.
1.5 stars rounded up.
lernstreads's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
haliejordan's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
melannrosenthal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
hgratti's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
amy_south's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bargainsleuth's review
5.0
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I requested this book solely because of the title, not really knowing what the book was about and if it was my sort of jam. Well, it’s women’s contemporary fiction (even though it’s set in 2016), and for the most part, it is a book for me. Ramona is 38, is married with two young kids, working for a bonehead boss, a mother who won’t listen to her daughter, and oh, yeah, a hurricane is headed their way. What happens in the next 48 hours is what makes up the bulk of the book.
I don’t read “chick lit” often, but this book made me reconsider that. It’s well-written; I could tell it was when I kept getting frustrated at Ramona’s actions or reactions to events. She’s got a horrible husband whom she just caught cheating on her with a mom from her son’s school. For the most part, her reactions to this and how she deals with her husband are realistic. What’s not realistic is that after 48 hours of drama, she seems so willing to forget and forgive him, which to me didn’t make sense after all she’d been through. It didn’t match the character arc at all.
Having been the world’s worst potty trainer myself, I sympathized with Ramona’s plight with her daughter, in the midst of a hurricane, dealing with potty training with an unwilling participant. Her daughter is three, which some people might consider old enough to use the potty, but trust me when I say that each kid is different and two of my kids were four when they finally got potty trained.
I don’t know what I’d do if I lived in hurricane country, but as a rule, I’m prepared for any sort of emergency, which Ramona is not, and that drove me a little nuts. You’re talking to a woman who lives with a large bomb shelter stockpiled with non-perishable food and water, emergency road kit for the car, the works. The fact that she’s lived in the south for years and didn’t have any sort of plan didn’t ring true to me. Then again, on another level, it did. She’s a working mom who just struggles to get through the day, so perhaps I could cut her some slack.
If I worked for Ramona’s boss, Kenneth, I would have quit long ago. I mean, there’s a hurricane coming, the government is saying mandatory evacuation, and he’s still wondering and asking why she’s not at work. And then telling her she’s got a zoom call tomorrow. I’m glad she stood up to him in the end; it definitely showed some growth during the short two days the book is based upon.
The Prince references and flashbacks are interspersed throughout the book and add to the story, and I enjoyed them, because I enjoy Prince and grew up with his music. Ramona is a little younger than I am, yet she had the same visceral reaction to Prince that I did. I distinctly remember our summer park program parade and how most of the songs we danced to on our Solid Gold float were from Prince.
Overall, if you enjoy good women’s fiction, you might enjoy this book. You don’t have to be a Prince fan to enjoy the story. This reminds me of a Jennifer Weiner book, which is a good thing.
I requested this book solely because of the title, not really knowing what the book was about and if it was my sort of jam. Well, it’s women’s contemporary fiction (even though it’s set in 2016), and for the most part, it is a book for me. Ramona is 38, is married with two young kids, working for a bonehead boss, a mother who won’t listen to her daughter, and oh, yeah, a hurricane is headed their way. What happens in the next 48 hours is what makes up the bulk of the book.
I don’t read “chick lit” often, but this book made me reconsider that. It’s well-written; I could tell it was when I kept getting frustrated at Ramona’s actions or reactions to events. She’s got a horrible husband whom she just caught cheating on her with a mom from her son’s school. For the most part, her reactions to this and how she deals with her husband are realistic. What’s not realistic is that after 48 hours of drama, she seems so willing to forget and forgive him, which to me didn’t make sense after all she’d been through. It didn’t match the character arc at all.
Having been the world’s worst potty trainer myself, I sympathized with Ramona’s plight with her daughter, in the midst of a hurricane, dealing with potty training with an unwilling participant. Her daughter is three, which some people might consider old enough to use the potty, but trust me when I say that each kid is different and two of my kids were four when they finally got potty trained.
I don’t know what I’d do if I lived in hurricane country, but as a rule, I’m prepared for any sort of emergency, which Ramona is not, and that drove me a little nuts. You’re talking to a woman who lives with a large bomb shelter stockpiled with non-perishable food and water, emergency road kit for the car, the works. The fact that she’s lived in the south for years and didn’t have any sort of plan didn’t ring true to me. Then again, on another level, it did. She’s a working mom who just struggles to get through the day, so perhaps I could cut her some slack.
If I worked for Ramona’s boss, Kenneth, I would have quit long ago. I mean, there’s a hurricane coming, the government is saying mandatory evacuation, and he’s still wondering and asking why she’s not at work. And then telling her she’s got a zoom call tomorrow. I’m glad she stood up to him in the end; it definitely showed some growth during the short two days the book is based upon.
The Prince references and flashbacks are interspersed throughout the book and add to the story, and I enjoyed them, because I enjoy Prince and grew up with his music. Ramona is a little younger than I am, yet she had the same visceral reaction to Prince that I did. I distinctly remember our summer park program parade and how most of the songs we danced to on our Solid Gold float were from Prince.
Overall, if you enjoy good women’s fiction, you might enjoy this book. You don’t have to be a Prince fan to enjoy the story. This reminds me of a Jennifer Weiner book, which is a good thing.
alissa417's review
4.0
Hilarious story of a woman trying to regain control of her life as a massive hurricane approaches her home. This book contains a wonderful depiction of the mental load required of working mothers in contemporary society.