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Back To U
When Gwen hits the big 4-0, her husband leaves and her daughter takes off with a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute band. Taking her daughter's place at the university seems like a good idea until she runs into the reason she dropped out twenty years before... and he's also found his way Back To U.
382 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2012
82 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Kathy Dunnehoff
7 books42 followers About the Author
Kathy Dunnehoff is the Amazon bestselling author of the romantic comedies The Do-Over, Plan On It, Back To U, and Hollywood Beginnings (A Quick Read).
Despite her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana, she finds herself warehouse shopping for ketchup way too often, blogging and tweeting about the mixed joys of mid-life, and guarding writing time from family invasion!
She teaches writing and creativity courses at Flathead Valley Community College, her screenplays have placed in numerous competitions, and she was a recipient of a Zola Award for fiction from the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association.
Kathy Dunnehoff is the Amazon bestselling author of the romantic comedies The Do-Over, Plan On It, Back To U, and Hollywood Beginnings (A Quick Read).
Despite her M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Montana, she finds herself warehouse shopping for ketchup way too often, blogging and tweeting about the mixed joys of mid-life, and guarding writing time from family invasion!
She teaches writing and creativity courses at Flathead Valley Community College, her screenplays have placed in numerous competitions, and she was a recipient of a Zola Award for fiction from the Pacific Northwest Writer's Association.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
November 8, 2013
This was a free kindle book when I read it earlier in the year...just as well because I wasn't enamoured.
I didn't mind the past/present and I quite liked the premise, but I wasn't impressed with sentence structure.
However, the reason that I only gave 2 stars rather than 3 max is because the author made what for me was an unforgiveable mistake. Unforgiveable, because the most basic research would have revealed the mistake. I lost faith in the writer and the story after that point. The writer describes a Greek themed party at a student frat house, and refers to a guest as:
'...a Methuselah, green-faced with rubber snakes in her hair.'
Unfortunately, the author didn't realise that
1. Methuselah is mentioned in Genesis as the oldest man to have lived.
2. The female character from Greek mythology with snakes in place of hair was Medusa.
Maybe other people are happy to ignore something like this. Maybe you think I'm being harsh, but that's how I reacted.
Then I reached the end of the book (didn't mind the ending) only to read that the author has a degree in creative writing, and teaches writing and creative courses at a community college.
I didn't mind the past/present and I quite liked the premise, but I wasn't impressed with sentence structure.
However, the reason that I only gave 2 stars rather than 3 max is because the author made what for me was an unforgiveable mistake. Unforgiveable, because the most basic research would have revealed the mistake. I lost faith in the writer and the story after that point. The writer describes a Greek themed party at a student frat house, and refers to a guest as:
'...a Methuselah, green-faced with rubber snakes in her hair.'
Unfortunately, the author didn't realise that
1. Methuselah is mentioned in Genesis as the oldest man to have lived.
2. The female character from Greek mythology with snakes in place of hair was Medusa.
Maybe other people are happy to ignore something like this. Maybe you think I'm being harsh, but that's how I reacted.
Then I reached the end of the book (didn't mind the ending) only to read that the author has a degree in creative writing, and teaches writing and creative courses at a community college.
March 16, 2013
Gwen's husband leaves her. Her daughter decides to follow a band instead of attending college. Gwen goes back to college in place of her daughter. She needs to finish a program she started 20 years earlier. She meets an old boyfriend. She is hooked up with a culinary program. The husband appears and tells her she is homeless and broke. The whole story at times drags. It often seems to lack intense editing.
This was a free kindle book and I feel that it was correctly priced. Parts of it were a pleasure but much of it just didn't appeal to me.
This was a free kindle book and I feel that it was correctly priced. Parts of it were a pleasure but much of it just didn't appeal to me.
August 7, 2012
Gah, this one is so hard to rate for me. For the parts that I loved, I seriously LOVED them. But I had a hard time tracking this book...plot wise, dialogues wise...something. It might be just me. But sometimes I'd be reading and I would feel like I missed something.... And I like mysteries, but sometimes it just makes a book more confusing when you purposely evade answering questions til the end....brings frustration.
So that was the less than stellar. The good news?? It was fabulous otherwise. The banter between the characters was hilarious at times...seriously LOL goodness. The supporting characters MADE the whole book...I couldn't imagine what it would have been like without the boys, Annie, Guy and Ellen...even maybe Missy. It was heartwrenching...I just felt for Gwen....she made this crisis in life so real and true. And the characters were far from perfect, beautifully flawed...which can be frustrating, but is kind of refreshing too. So all in all, 2 thumbs up.
So that was the less than stellar. The good news?? It was fabulous otherwise. The banter between the characters was hilarious at times...seriously LOL goodness. The supporting characters MADE the whole book...I couldn't imagine what it would have been like without the boys, Annie, Guy and Ellen...even maybe Missy. It was heartwrenching...I just felt for Gwen....she made this crisis in life so real and true. And the characters were far from perfect, beautifully flawed...which can be frustrating, but is kind of refreshing too. So all in all, 2 thumbs up.
March 3, 2015
Holy cow the writing style of this book was weird - like the author used dictation software. I read another book by the same author called "the do over" and I rather enjoyed it even though the writing was a tad strange too but I struggled through 31% of this book until I got to an error that made me say, alright, the author doesn't care enough to get this right so I'm ready to pack it in. Her main character is a gifted cook and she's auditing a culinary program, which is kind of unbelievable in itself but one of her classmates tells her about this restaurant dynasty who gets 5 michelin stars at all their restaurants. Ummmm. No, do your research.
June 8, 2015
DNF at 25%
I could not connect. I am not sure what the major problem for me was for me in the story. The way it was told was confusing. I think the heroine is hiding under the table?? Then the whole thing with her daughter's name. I got it! Her name is Missy, but now she wants to be known as M and she is joining some band. The writing style just did not work for me. I think it would have worked better if it was not told in third person. I love these type of stories, but I could not connect with the heroine.
I could not connect. I am not sure what the major problem for me was for me in the story. The way it was told was confusing. I think the heroine is hiding under the table?? Then the whole thing with her daughter's name. I got it! Her name is Missy, but now she wants to be known as M and she is joining some band. The writing style just did not work for me. I think it would have worked better if it was not told in third person. I love these type of stories, but I could not connect with the heroine.
February 18, 2013
The story was really pretty good, with a nice bit of humor. I found that it dragged a little at times. I would have rated this higher except for the poor proofing. The cover noted Kathy Dunnehoff as a "best selling kindle author." I was disappointed to find that there were some grammar and sentence structure problems that disrupted smooth reading as I attempted to decipher what the author was trying to say.
August 20, 2012
I know the main character is going through a sort of mid-life crisis, but her woe-is-me attitude just went on and on and on. The book could have ended so much earlier if the author would have pared down the character's musings.
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August 9, 2012I had kind of a like hate relationship with this book. Some parts I really liked while others I didn't so much. Sometimes it was hard to follow but overall it was an okay book.
February 26, 2013
DNF...the writing was difficult to follow. The dialogue was confusing at times. i just couldn't get into it.
August 15, 2024
Back to U is the story of a woman who has separated from her husband of 20 years, watched her 18-year-old daughter run off to join a band instead of going to college and is now forced to focus on who she has become. I believe in the premise of the book and the myriad of emotions that the characters experience. Having said that, I found the storyline choppy and hard to follow at times. There is a great amount of back and forth between when Gwen first went to college 20 years ago and when she is at college now 20 years later. There is often no clear indication when that time travel moment is going to happen. Going back to the present is typically marked with an italicized "Back to U" to let the reader know we are now going back to present time. Not a habit I was fond of. BUT I did find myself literally laughing out loud at several scenes and the personalities of some of the characters. I wish there was more substance to the storyine to flesh out how the friendships worked . . . or didn't work. Regardless, I always applaud an author that can put a story together to entertain people because goodness knows I could never do it.
May 29, 2017
at times this seemed dragged out but I enjoyed Gwens journey and my mixed feelings for Max definitely end with a like.
May 9, 2013
I really liked this book. Back to U was a lot more emotional than I had expected. This had a very real feeling to it all, Gwen was a housewife and mother for 20 years and suddenly...both "jobs" were gone. She was left in a whirl wind of not knowing what to do. A lot of people like it when the women take charge and are the "hero" of their own story, but I cannot imagine the emotions and lost feeling a woman would feel after 20 years and suddenly no one needs her, and she has nothing, literally, no home or money because the bastard ex took it all. And when she finds a way, he still comes back and takes that from her as well.
"My story is I've done everything I thought I was supposed to do."....Ty sat back in his chair, "Then your story is just beginning."
I wanted to strangle Max, at every turn he just seemed like he was "playing" her. Most of the time he wasn't but I could see everything through Gwens eyes and I wanted to punch him in the face. I cried for Gwen, the only people who seemed to really have her back at all times were the freshman she befriended. All the "adults" hid something from her at one point or another, and her daughter? Gah, rotten little brat who barely, barely, redeemed herself in my eyes towards the end.
"The Boys" I cannot forget Bryan, Jason, and Hayden. I loved them, they were the hot studs in high school trying to find their footing in college. They adored "Venus" and would do anything for her. And the Cinderella scene! HA!!
The ending was sweet, and I was happy to finally see Gwen make it on her own. I would have liked an epilogue of some sort tho.
"People aren't like your recipes. You can't take what you want and throw out the parts you don't and make something that suits you. I'm an Ellen casserole, and I don't like all the ingredients either. I'd have chosen for your dad to stay with me longer, a lot longer, but I made do. That's what being human's about, to go on loving our lopsided lives and all the half-baked people in it."
"My story is I've done everything I thought I was supposed to do."....Ty sat back in his chair, "Then your story is just beginning."
I wanted to strangle Max, at every turn he just seemed like he was "playing" her. Most of the time he wasn't but I could see everything through Gwens eyes and I wanted to punch him in the face. I cried for Gwen, the only people who seemed to really have her back at all times were the freshman she befriended. All the "adults" hid something from her at one point or another, and her daughter? Gah, rotten little brat who barely, barely, redeemed herself in my eyes towards the end.
"The Boys" I cannot forget Bryan, Jason, and Hayden. I loved them, they were the hot studs in high school trying to find their footing in college. They adored "Venus" and would do anything for her. And the Cinderella scene! HA!!
The ending was sweet, and I was happy to finally see Gwen make it on her own. I would have liked an epilogue of some sort tho.
"People aren't like your recipes. You can't take what you want and throw out the parts you don't and make something that suits you. I'm an Ellen casserole, and I don't like all the ingredients either. I'd have chosen for your dad to stay with me longer, a lot longer, but I made do. That's what being human's about, to go on loving our lopsided lives and all the half-baked people in it."
August 13, 2012
When I started this book, I thought it would be a very light, fun read that I could get through quickly. I found "Back to U" by Kathy Dunnehoff an interesting read from the perspective of how Dunnehoff set up the book. A mother and recent divorcee finds the impending move of her only child to college overwhelming. Her daughter then informs her that she is not going to college but will be part of a band with her boyfriend and something snaps. When she goes to the university (where she had dropped out of years earlier) to cancel her daughter's enrollment, she suddenly finds herself completing registration for classes for herself - taking advantage of the fact that she and her daughter share a first and middle name but in reverse order.
Her return to college exposes her to the realization that she has control of her future (and always did but didn't pursue it). We get to read parts of her college freshman journal, learn what happened just prior to that entry and how she is dealing with her past and present lives intertwining. Along the way, she also realizes that her passion for cooking can actually be a career to fill the void of her empty nest.
What I thought was going to be light and fluffy story turned out to be a deeper novel with layers of flavor and insight. I recommend it to those who understand the importance of understanding how our past lives impact our current and future lives.
Her return to college exposes her to the realization that she has control of her future (and always did but didn't pursue it). We get to read parts of her college freshman journal, learn what happened just prior to that entry and how she is dealing with her past and present lives intertwining. Along the way, she also realizes that her passion for cooking can actually be a career to fill the void of her empty nest.
What I thought was going to be light and fluffy story turned out to be a deeper novel with layers of flavor and insight. I recommend it to those who understand the importance of understanding how our past lives impact our current and future lives.
May 23, 2012
I thought this book was amazing it’s about a housewife mother (Gwen) whose is cooking the last meal for a her daughter (Missy) before she leaves to go to college and reflecting the recent events of her husband (Steve) who left her two months ago. So she has a meltdown but her daughter also throws on the plate that she’s not going to college but joined a band and is moving away with them.
So she goes to Belmar College to unlisted her daughter but instead ends up taking her place and fulfilling her desire to be chef/cook. But while there she meets up with her first love Max, who she has not seen in twenty years but the sparks are still there. Because he is still single sort of and looking ot settle down. Gwen makes new friends while living in the dorm, her daughter leaves the band from a broken heart due the Manager not having feelings for her anymore and finds her mother has taken her place in college and her ex-husband thinks she (Gwen) is a train wreck/lost her senses.
It was an excellent /emotional read. I did not want to put the book down.
So she goes to Belmar College to unlisted her daughter but instead ends up taking her place and fulfilling her desire to be chef/cook. But while there she meets up with her first love Max, who she has not seen in twenty years but the sparks are still there. Because he is still single sort of and looking ot settle down. Gwen makes new friends while living in the dorm, her daughter leaves the band from a broken heart due the Manager not having feelings for her anymore and finds her mother has taken her place in college and her ex-husband thinks she (Gwen) is a train wreck/lost her senses.
It was an excellent /emotional read. I did not want to put the book down.
February 26, 2013
I liked the idea of a book about a woman of a certain age going back to college. I like the fact that the author had titles for all of her chapters -- that brought me back to the books I read when I was a kid.I liked the scene when Gwen's daughter talks about her boyfriend's band.
But...I found the book to be very confusing. Sometimes I felt like I needed a GPS of characters to know who everybody was and who was speaking. In a scene when Gwen is talking to her mom, I thought Gwen was seventy and had broken her hip.
Plus the book goes back and forth between the past and the present and it's not a seamless transition.
Sorry!
But...I found the book to be very confusing. Sometimes I felt like I needed a GPS of characters to know who everybody was and who was speaking. In a scene when Gwen is talking to her mom, I thought Gwen was seventy and had broken her hip.
Plus the book goes back and forth between the past and the present and it's not a seamless transition.
Sorry!
July 29, 2012
The first couple of chapters in I thought I would hate this book. The formatting is weird, with glimpses from the present and the past, and random changes in the point of view. However, before I gave up I was sucked into the story. Until the end, the rest of the book was captivating, and I stayed up too late a few nights to stay with this world. I enjoyed it until the end. The ending was just to rushed. The big dramatic gesture could have been much better done. Overall I enjoyed the book though. I would give it three and a half stars if I could.
September 24, 2012
I truly enjoyed this book! About halfway through, I was trying to choose actors for each character in the movie version. I don't even know if there is a movie being planned but this story would lend itself to that transition perfectly.
Gwen is in a messy complicated time of her life. Her mother is a character too!
I thoroughly enjoyed the character development as I got further into this story and then had that little surprise near the end, didn't see that one coming.
Oh, the sparring between Max and Gwen....yeah, that kept my interest too. ;)
Gwen is in a messy complicated time of her life. Her mother is a character too!
I thoroughly enjoyed the character development as I got further into this story and then had that little surprise near the end, didn't see that one coming.
Oh, the sparring between Max and Gwen....yeah, that kept my interest too. ;)
January 18, 2013
Ms. Dunnehoff keeps hitting home runs. Another thought provoking pondering of what might be behind the windows that always open when a door has slammed shut. I don't think there is a middle-aged woman alive who hasn't wondered what might have lurked along that 'road not taken.' Ms. Dunnehoff takes us on those roads, and provides not only excellent scenery along the way, but characters in whom we can see ourselves in situations where we can easily imagine ourselves in center stage.
Another "well done" and "bravo."
Another "well done" and "bravo."
March 5, 2013
I was very hesitant to read this as I thought the premise and cover made it look corny but Kathy Dunnehoff really pulled it off. The writing flowed with perfect timing and humour. I loved this little gem which kept me intrigued throughout. The characters were good and believable and their conversations were educated and well written (although occasionally I wasn't sure who said what but it didn't really matter as the banter flowed well). The last few pages felt very slightly rushed but as a whole it will be a favourite book of mine and I will go on to read anything else by Kathy.
August 21, 2012
This was a great book. I had a little trouble getting into it at the start, but once I got going it really reeled me in. This is one of those books where the supporting characters are as integral to the story as the main characters are, and it worked. Gwen's whole dysfunctional family and friend group really added fun to the story. Sure, parts of it were a little far-fetched, but on the whole I truly enjoyed Gwen's journey.
October 15, 2012
This book took me through many different emotions. I liked many of the characters, main and supporting, but there were some things about the book that bother me. Like Steve and the finances. I did get confused a few times on the timeline. The end was rushed and I would have liked to see more of Max and how he was coping before it ended. Overall, I liked it and would read the author again.
January 15, 2013
Expected more after enjoying another book by this author, the Do-Over. I could not connect with this story or the main character. Even the writing just seemed detached emotionally from the characters. I got tired of falling asleep every time I'd try to read it so I moved on to something else. there were parts that were better, where the story went back in time, but those parts also served to make the rest seem even more detached.
August 31, 2013
A new author fr me that I downloaded for free. I will look for her other books. A 39 year old divorced woman takes her daughters place ta college and meest her college beau-started out slowly, with diary flashbacks, but Dunnehoff filled in all the blanks to give a very satisfying ending. Particularly liked the parts where the heroine was worried about how she would look to her long ago boyfriend if they ever had sex. Very accurate I think.
December 31, 2013
This should get 2.5 stars, since it was more than OK, yet I did not completely like it. The writing was off in places, particularly during dialogues where it just didn't read as if people would actually talk like that, and I often lost track of what was going on exactly. The concept is very good but Gwen's relationship with Max bothered me a little too much in order to really feel sympathetic towards this main character.
October 15, 2012
This was names as a #1 Amazon author and I got it free for the kindle. I liked how this book started, a mom trying to empower herself by going back to school when her husband leaves her and the daughter skips college to join a band...then it started turning into romancy novel stuff...:( Stopped reading about 1/2 way through, not into that stuff.
January 3, 2013
I very much enjoyed the storyline of this one. And while I don't necessarily mind going back and forth between the past and the present, at times this one was a bit confusing to keep up with. That would be my primary complaint, and more towards the end, I found it the most confusing with the going back and forth and figuring out what really happened/was happening between Gwen and Max.
January 15, 2013
There were times while I was reading this book that I didn't like the writing style and thought it detracted a bit from the story, but overall, this was a great, enjoyable book. The characters are believable and likable. It was a nice romantic-comedy story...uplifting and even inspiring. I am looking forward to reading another novel by this author.
April 24, 2014
Really really enjoyed this book. took me a few chapters to get into it but once Gwen met the freshman football players, I was hooked & flew through it. I loved the theme of second chances & "the one that got away." Loved the main character as a woman reassessing her life as she turns 40, so easy to relate to. laughed at so many points during the book. just a fun & funny read.
June 23, 2015
Kind of a strange book, even for a free e book. I found many of the transitions to be very abrupt and jarring. I found myself often paging back to re-read and make sure I hadn't missed a page. Lots of typos and errors. Methuselah? Really? Many of the minor characters were entertaining, but it fell short for me.
August 11, 2016
A really good read
This is a down-home, makes your heart happy book. No romance, or even life for that matter, is perfect and without hiccups. This story follows along with Gwen on some ups and downs she has in her life that eventually leads to a happy closing. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and the "warm fuzzies" feeling at the end.
This is a down-home, makes your heart happy book. No romance, or even life for that matter, is perfect and without hiccups. This story follows along with Gwen on some ups and downs she has in her life that eventually leads to a happy closing. Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, and the "warm fuzzies" feeling at the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews