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Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps
“If you’ve ever had your heart broken and then cut your own bangs, read this book. I laughed so hard I made people around me uncomfortable.” —Paula Froelich, New York Times –bestselling author of Mercury in Retrograde
Cyber-stalking, drive-bys, drunken text messaging, creating fake email accounts—you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to love.
Sophie isn’t dealing with her breakup well. Dumped by her boyfriend, Eric, for his sexting, D-cupped, young Floozy McSecretary, Sophie leaves Manhattan and lands back in her hometown, crushed and pajama-clad, blaming herself and begging her ex for a second chance.
But when her best friend, Annie, gets in trouble for driving drunk and is forced to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, something clicks in Sophie’s strung-out mind. Women need love rehab, she realizes, to help fix the craziness that comes along with falling for someone.
If you start it, they will come. When she opens up her home to the obsessed and lovelorn, Sophie finds a way to help women out there who have overdosed on the wrong men—and she saves herself in the process.
Love is a drug and the only things that can save us are the steps, rules, and one another. Step Admit you have a problem, and keep the hell away from Facebook.
Cyber-stalking, drive-bys, drunken text messaging, creating fake email accounts—you’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to love.
Sophie isn’t dealing with her breakup well. Dumped by her boyfriend, Eric, for his sexting, D-cupped, young Floozy McSecretary, Sophie leaves Manhattan and lands back in her hometown, crushed and pajama-clad, blaming herself and begging her ex for a second chance.
But when her best friend, Annie, gets in trouble for driving drunk and is forced to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, something clicks in Sophie’s strung-out mind. Women need love rehab, she realizes, to help fix the craziness that comes along with falling for someone.
If you start it, they will come. When she opens up her home to the obsessed and lovelorn, Sophie finds a way to help women out there who have overdosed on the wrong men—and she saves herself in the process.
Love is a drug and the only things that can save us are the steps, rules, and one another. Step Admit you have a problem, and keep the hell away from Facebook.
230 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
About the author
Jo Piazza
14 books1,723 followersI write books about strong women defying the odds. I love an adventure and a book that both sweeps you away and starts a conversation with your friends.
Book club visits are one of my favorite things to do and I zoomed into hundreds of them for my Good Morning America Book Club pick You Were Always Mine. I'm a former travel editor who has gotten to visit 47 countries and I met my husband Nick in the Galapagos islands on a reporting trip. After living in NYC and San Francisco I have settled into Philadelphia (the greatest city on Earth) to raise my three feral children.)
Book club visits are one of my favorite things to do and I zoomed into hundreds of them for my Good Morning America Book Club pick You Were Always Mine. I'm a former travel editor who has gotten to visit 47 countries and I met my husband Nick in the Galapagos islands on a reporting trip. After living in NYC and San Francisco I have settled into Philadelphia (the greatest city on Earth) to raise my three feral children.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
May 31, 2013
Sophie and Annie have reached rock bottom. Annie sees she does have a drinking problem and Sophie...
I was addicted to love,to the idea of loving bad men and staying in bad relationships. "I am. Every time I said Johnnie Walker, I meant some boyfriend I had who made me act like a complete lunatic. It's a serious problem being a love addict."
Oh yes, between cyber-stalking , posting a pic of her ex's penis online or a never ending messages on his machine.
If there is AA or groups for every addiction, why not for love addicts?
And so "Love Rehab" was born...and each week, between all the girls confessing all the crazy thhings they did for love they analyse they're mistakes and start making some rules...
Rule 5 : Thou shalt not believe the myths of the romantic comedy. Thou may indulge for the snappy dialogue.
Oh yeah, I blame romantic comedies and BOOKS, for the high expectation i have of guys,ahaha!
Yep lines "You complete me" or "I like just the way you are" , work like fuel to the hopeless romantic in me.
(You gain a virtual cookie if you now which movies are these lines from :))!
Anyway, so through tears, karaoke, drinks...they will become friends and above all, they learn to respect themselves. They deserve love, they deserve someone that will treat them right.
If you're looking for a quick and fun read, this one is for you!!
4 addictive stars
For this one and more reviews go to:
A Bookworm Confessions
***egalley kindly provided via Netgalley in exchange of a honest review ***
May 8, 2013
While this book was a quick, light and mostly fun read, I had to take a few deep breaths throughout it in order to not throw my Kindle across the room. I'm usually pretty good about setting aside reality when reading but the author seemed to have a personal vendetta against fat people. Maybe it's just the main character and not the author, but regardless, I could have done without all the references to people's weight or "girth" or in one case, a woman was ginormous but oh, it turns out she's pregnant. It left me feeling as if the women in the book were quite shallow and I kind of wanted to smack them.
May 7, 2013
Quirky, silly, painful reality smacking you in the face! Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps by Jo Piazza will strike a cord with readers, male, as well as female! Love Rehab exposes at least one crazy thing we have all done in the name of "love." So here I was, laughing, smirking and blushing as my own goofy things were listed off as "less than healthy" actions! Hey, I was a teen, a young teen!
Seriously, Jo Piazza has a way with words that draws you in, makes you love the characters, flaws and all. You will root for their recovery and their futures! A great summer read, under the umbrella, by the pool, with your best friends!
This ARC copy was provided by NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: June 4, 2013
Seriously, Jo Piazza has a way with words that draws you in, makes you love the characters, flaws and all. You will root for their recovery and their futures! A great summer read, under the umbrella, by the pool, with your best friends!
This ARC copy was provided by NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media in exchange for my honest review. Publication Date: June 4, 2013
June 4, 2013
Review: House/Well: Great girlfriend book.
**ARC review**
Women are hard to please, simply because we overanalyze everything (hellloo, blogger here). Was it good? Was it bad? Do these pants make my butt look big? Things are even more complicated when we add a relationship in the mix. It's even more difficult to understand what someone else is feeling when that persons doesn't open up and share.
In Love Rehab, cute as a button, speaks her mind Sophie has been dumped, hard! Instead of wallowing too long on the break up, Sophie is encouraged to handle her heartache with the same approach as AA meetings. Talk about it. Get a bunch of other afflicted women and talk it out. Being out-going makes it easy for Sophie to speak up with these other women, but she's also pretty funny.
Sophie gathers a group of ladies that have been in similar "love to be in love" dilemmas and they start to list everything they think is harming their relationships. They go round-robin style and address their issues. Some are sad, other are hilarious.
Sophie's development of LAA (Love Addicts Anonymous) is supported by the local AA counselor/recovering alcoholic, Joe. Since Sophie is fresh from her split from the man she intended to marry and have babies with, Joe is not on her radar and he is more supportive in her finding help for her own addictions. Joe is the sweet boy next door type who has been wronged in his own failed marriage. Alcohol became his crutch.
This book was a fast and fun read. Women are known to have their emotions swing like the pendulum on a grandfater clock. The 'fall down and pick yourself up' concept keeps the story going. Sophie's best friend and those that still live in the town where she grew up are hilarious and shoot straight. Even Dave, the non-committal, treats women like they're tissues in a Kleenex box (use once then toss), type is supportive of Sophie's group and has an abundance of advice that only a man can provide.
If you enjoyed the crazy antics of Bridget Jones, the passion of Claire from Seduction and Snacks or the internal dialog of Emma Corrigan from Can You Keep A Secret, you're going to love Sophie.
More from Sophie and Friends:
After I polished off a second bottle of wine, I made Annie help me make a list of why Eric was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad man. - Sophie
I made a mental note not to assume people are just fat. Of course it is better than assuming someone is pregnant, since calling someone pregnant when they are not in fact pregnant is tantamount to calling them fat anyways. - Sophie
"If you think a good man is hard to find, a good Indian man is impossible" - Prithi
"Dear God," I started, which sounded silly. "Dear higher power" didn't sound right either. "Hey, you!" I yelled before I realized that the serenity prayer I had printed out at the meeting seemed to be the perfect thing to say here. I tried saying it three times and then crossed myself and gave a fist pump into the air." - Sophie
"I'll miss hearing about Hot Bobby," Lila said.
Jordana cocked her head to one side. "Hot Bobby's Closet sounds a bit like a home decorating show hosted by a scrumptious homosexual on the Bravo network."
"Mmmmm. Or an indie punk band fronted by Jared Leto," I said. - LAA members
"Are you sitting down?" she asked. I laughed, high off Whitney Houston (although thankfully, not high like Whitney Houston). - Sophie
**ARC review**
Women are hard to please, simply because we overanalyze everything (hellloo, blogger here). Was it good? Was it bad? Do these pants make my butt look big? Things are even more complicated when we add a relationship in the mix. It's even more difficult to understand what someone else is feeling when that persons doesn't open up and share.
In Love Rehab, cute as a button, speaks her mind Sophie has been dumped, hard! Instead of wallowing too long on the break up, Sophie is encouraged to handle her heartache with the same approach as AA meetings. Talk about it. Get a bunch of other afflicted women and talk it out. Being out-going makes it easy for Sophie to speak up with these other women, but she's also pretty funny.
(Sophie explains how she's well suited for her carrer as a children's book illustrator)
...I design children's books for a living, I have this tendency to illustrate certain phrases or situations in my head. I have always pictured "rock bottom" as a situation where your actual backside turns into a pile of rocks so heavy you can't move and are stuck in one horrible, really bad place, with a big pebbly behind! That kind of thing would weigh anyone down. Piazza, Jo. Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps (Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Open Road Media E-riginal (first published January 22nd 2013)). Kindle Edition.
Sophie gathers a group of ladies that have been in similar "love to be in love" dilemmas and they start to list everything they think is harming their relationships. They go round-robin style and address their issues. Some are sad, other are hilarious.
(Sophie admits to herself that she might have a problem)
I had only sent ten, maybe eleven messages in the last ten hours. One an hour. What's the statute for texts? Is it like wine? You can send one every sixty minutes and not increase your blood crazy level above the legal limit? Piazza, Jo. Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps (Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Open Road Media E-riginal (first published January 22nd 2013)). Kindle Edition.
Sophie's development of LAA (Love Addicts Anonymous) is supported by the local AA counselor/recovering alcoholic, Joe. Since Sophie is fresh from her split from the man she intended to marry and have babies with, Joe is not on her radar and he is more supportive in her finding help for her own addictions. Joe is the sweet boy next door type who has been wronged in his own failed marriage. Alcohol became his crutch.
(Sophie has an moment of weakness when Joe tells her that he is going to meet a friend)
"Hey, Sophie, are you OK?" Joe asked. I had spaced. God, I needed LAA. I needed something. I was getting jealous of a potential girlfriend of a man I had once shared a slice of banana cream pie with after lying to him at his Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I was so far from normal.Piazza, Jo. Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps (Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Open Road Media E-riginal (first published January 22nd 2013)). Kindle Edition.
This book was a fast and fun read. Women are known to have their emotions swing like the pendulum on a grandfater clock. The 'fall down and pick yourself up' concept keeps the story going. Sophie's best friend and those that still live in the town where she grew up are hilarious and shoot straight. Even Dave, the non-committal, treats women like they're tissues in a Kleenex box (use once then toss), type is supportive of Sophie's group and has an abundance of advice that only a man can provide.
(Dave's advice to LAA & why he thinks he is the way he is)
"We have a third date and we sleep together and she really wants to chat a lot. And I'm honest. I tell her I don't have relationships. I'm flaky. I don't really trust women. I don't see anyone longer than a fiscal quarter"...
"The guy you date next should just be the parsley to an already kick-ass dish of risotto. You're great the way you are. Men are just the garnish."...
"...the truth is that men aren't as strong as women. You deal with your pain by doing crazy things, but you recover. We don't bounce back the same way"...
"I listened to all those women in there," Dave continued. "Really listened to them. I don't think any of you realize what kind of power you have over us when you just drop all your insecurities. At the end of the day, you choose, and we feel lucky when you make the choice."Piazza, Jo. Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps (Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Open Road Media E-riginal (first published January 22nd 2013)). Kindle Edition.
If you enjoyed the crazy antics of Bridget Jones, the passion of Claire from Seduction and Snacks or the internal dialog of Emma Corrigan from Can You Keep A Secret, you're going to love Sophie.
More from Sophie and Friends:
After I polished off a second bottle of wine, I made Annie help me make a list of why Eric was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad man. - Sophie
I made a mental note not to assume people are just fat. Of course it is better than assuming someone is pregnant, since calling someone pregnant when they are not in fact pregnant is tantamount to calling them fat anyways. - Sophie
"If you think a good man is hard to find, a good Indian man is impossible" - Prithi
"Dear God," I started, which sounded silly. "Dear higher power" didn't sound right either. "Hey, you!" I yelled before I realized that the serenity prayer I had printed out at the meeting seemed to be the perfect thing to say here. I tried saying it three times and then crossed myself and gave a fist pump into the air." - Sophie
"I'll miss hearing about Hot Bobby," Lila said.
Jordana cocked her head to one side. "Hot Bobby's Closet sounds a bit like a home decorating show hosted by a scrumptious homosexual on the Bravo network."
"Mmmmm. Or an indie punk band fronted by Jared Leto," I said. - LAA members
"Are you sitting down?" she asked. I laughed, high off Whitney Houston (although thankfully, not high like Whitney Houston). - Sophie
July 17, 2021
Amusing contemporary sort of romance where the female main character set about learning to love and accept herself before looking for someone to date. I liked it. The format with the twelve step program and the confessions was both funny and full of deep bits of human nature. Messes and mistakes in the characters lives were offered without a lot of judgement. There was a happy ending for a few of the characters.
A little violence. No sex scenes but some references. Swearing.
A little violence. No sex scenes but some references. Swearing.
May 22, 2013
Advanced reader copy from Netgalley.
Sophie believes in happily-ever-after. She believes in the perfect man and the white dress and the smiling family. She’s so in love with the idea of this beautiful life that she will do anything to make it happen, including but not limited to tricking her boyfriends into telling her they love her, ignoring their many faults in favor of romanticizing them, and forcing herself to look happy no matter what she’s feeling, because if she looks happy, she is happy, right?
Not so much. Because when current boyfriend Eric dumps her for his secretary, Sophie’s world crumbles. Instead of handling the situation maturely, she calls and texts and stalks him constantly. She stops going to work and stops leaving her house and never stops talking about him to her best friend, Annie. But when Annie shows up in the middle of the night, drunkenly vomiting in a stolen cop car, they both have to admit that they have problems.
When Sophie accompanies a reluctant Annie to a mandated AA meeting, she starts to see the validity of a twelve step program that breaks bad habits and helps you heal yourself. She creates Love Addicts Anonymous, or LAA, and there is an instant response, because heartbreak is never in short supply. Sophie, Annie, a motley crew of women with crazy stories, the gardener Tito, and Annie’s AA group leader Joe embark on a hilarious journey towards healthiness, happiness, and loving themselves before making someone else love them.
(I suggest listening to Addicted to Love by Florence + the Machine. Very relevant.)
What I liked: I really liked the premise for this story; everyone has had relationship problems, and everyone can relate to the problems the women (and men) had in this story. I thought it was an interesting idea to translate the twelve steps for overcoming addiction into the chapter names for this book as well as how these people broke their cycles and became better, happier people with functioning relationships. I liked the characters and their individual personalities, and I am glad to have seen each of them grow.
What I didn't like: There were too many characters, or at least, I had trouble keeping them straight in my mind. It was mainly the slightly minor female characters that I mixed up. Not a big deal. I also think that everyone’s problems were solved a bit too easily. I mean, yeah, admitting you have a problem and doing a little therapy can do wonders, but it was within weeks that these women had broken the cycles they’d been stuck in their whole lives. Also not very important, and like I said, I was glad to see their problems resolved. I didn’t really like how the gay relationships were basically described as being perfect. Love is love, and this book was about finding a healthy love, no matter who it was with, which was great. But everyone that was gay was pretty much written as being part of a perfect couple. Being gay does not make you a better significant other; you’re still just a person in a relationship, and you have to make it work like everyone else. I also didn’t care for all of the characters being upper class; it made the books about White People with White People Problems. I think more readers would have been able to relate if there had been more diversity, which leads me into my next point.
The only real issues I had were how some of the people were portrayed. In this book, beautiful is a thin white woman with a perfect ass, an amazing outfit, big eyes, and long, long hair. Anyone who didn’t have all these things was portrayed as being fat, or a mess, or lesser than the women who had achieved this impossible standard of perfection. There was also—as far as I could tell, because there were a lot of characters—no one that was black, Native American, Asian, or of any other skin color. There was the Indian Prithi, of course, who I loved and who was immediately described as fat and homely, even though she was very pregnant. There were also a few Indian men, but they were stereotypically doctors. And Tito, but he was a lawn worker, which is another stereotype. And I believe Princess/Katrina was Jewish, but again, stereotypically so.
As much as I have to nit-pick about in this book, I really did enjoy it. It’s not perfect, but it was fun, entertaining, and insightful. I don’t want to label it as strictly “chick lit” or “a beach read” because it’s more than that. Jo Piazza writes with wit, honesty, and individuality. Sure, some of it is far-fetched, but she made every situation accessible and real to the reader. I’m glad that I got an ARC, because this is a book that I did enjoy and would recommend to fans of Maureen Johnson, David Levithan, and Rachel Cohn.
So, in summary, I liked the concept of a fun, quirky, supportive love rehab, I liked the characters, and I liked how I was able to relate to the problems spoken about in this book. I did not like the stereotypes, the underrepresentation of minorities, and negative perceptions of what is and isn’t pretty. I give this book a solid 3.5 stars; had these small issues not distracted me, it would have been 4 stars.
Sophie believes in happily-ever-after. She believes in the perfect man and the white dress and the smiling family. She’s so in love with the idea of this beautiful life that she will do anything to make it happen, including but not limited to tricking her boyfriends into telling her they love her, ignoring their many faults in favor of romanticizing them, and forcing herself to look happy no matter what she’s feeling, because if she looks happy, she is happy, right?
Not so much. Because when current boyfriend Eric dumps her for his secretary, Sophie’s world crumbles. Instead of handling the situation maturely, she calls and texts and stalks him constantly. She stops going to work and stops leaving her house and never stops talking about him to her best friend, Annie. But when Annie shows up in the middle of the night, drunkenly vomiting in a stolen cop car, they both have to admit that they have problems.
When Sophie accompanies a reluctant Annie to a mandated AA meeting, she starts to see the validity of a twelve step program that breaks bad habits and helps you heal yourself. She creates Love Addicts Anonymous, or LAA, and there is an instant response, because heartbreak is never in short supply. Sophie, Annie, a motley crew of women with crazy stories, the gardener Tito, and Annie’s AA group leader Joe embark on a hilarious journey towards healthiness, happiness, and loving themselves before making someone else love them.
(I suggest listening to Addicted to Love by Florence + the Machine. Very relevant.)
What I liked: I really liked the premise for this story; everyone has had relationship problems, and everyone can relate to the problems the women (and men) had in this story. I thought it was an interesting idea to translate the twelve steps for overcoming addiction into the chapter names for this book as well as how these people broke their cycles and became better, happier people with functioning relationships. I liked the characters and their individual personalities, and I am glad to have seen each of them grow.
What I didn't like: There were too many characters, or at least, I had trouble keeping them straight in my mind. It was mainly the slightly minor female characters that I mixed up. Not a big deal. I also think that everyone’s problems were solved a bit too easily. I mean, yeah, admitting you have a problem and doing a little therapy can do wonders, but it was within weeks that these women had broken the cycles they’d been stuck in their whole lives. Also not very important, and like I said, I was glad to see their problems resolved. I didn’t really like how the gay relationships were basically described as being perfect. Love is love, and this book was about finding a healthy love, no matter who it was with, which was great. But everyone that was gay was pretty much written as being part of a perfect couple. Being gay does not make you a better significant other; you’re still just a person in a relationship, and you have to make it work like everyone else. I also didn’t care for all of the characters being upper class; it made the books about White People with White People Problems. I think more readers would have been able to relate if there had been more diversity, which leads me into my next point.
The only real issues I had were how some of the people were portrayed. In this book, beautiful is a thin white woman with a perfect ass, an amazing outfit, big eyes, and long, long hair. Anyone who didn’t have all these things was portrayed as being fat, or a mess, or lesser than the women who had achieved this impossible standard of perfection. There was also—as far as I could tell, because there were a lot of characters—no one that was black, Native American, Asian, or of any other skin color. There was the Indian Prithi, of course, who I loved and who was immediately described as fat and homely, even though she was very pregnant. There were also a few Indian men, but they were stereotypically doctors. And Tito, but he was a lawn worker, which is another stereotype. And I believe Princess/Katrina was Jewish, but again, stereotypically so.
As much as I have to nit-pick about in this book, I really did enjoy it. It’s not perfect, but it was fun, entertaining, and insightful. I don’t want to label it as strictly “chick lit” or “a beach read” because it’s more than that. Jo Piazza writes with wit, honesty, and individuality. Sure, some of it is far-fetched, but she made every situation accessible and real to the reader. I’m glad that I got an ARC, because this is a book that I did enjoy and would recommend to fans of Maureen Johnson, David Levithan, and Rachel Cohn.
So, in summary, I liked the concept of a fun, quirky, supportive love rehab, I liked the characters, and I liked how I was able to relate to the problems spoken about in this book. I did not like the stereotypes, the underrepresentation of minorities, and negative perceptions of what is and isn’t pretty. I give this book a solid 3.5 stars; had these small issues not distracted me, it would have been 4 stars.
September 30, 2021
Very entertaining “chick lit,” with some meaningful insights about relationships and the journey through love and infatuation.
May 23, 2013
A terrific romance with excellent insight into women and men.
I received this as an ARC from the publisher.
My Take
At first, I slogged along, reading and thinking, oh boy, a lame chick lit story. Was I ever GLAD I persevered. This was excellent! A very thoughtful story that probed at the ugly pain of breaking up, and then dove deeper into the traumas of women who just can't keep from revisiting the reasons for the breakup OR falling for the same type of men over and over.
Piazza makes it personal and homey with a tremendous dose of fun while being serious about AA and its twelve-step program. I loved living along with Sophie as she comes to terms with her issues, with the other ladies as they come to understand more about themselves. You'll adore their intervention for Stella! Piazza used Dr. Fisher's studies to beautifully integrate details on the physical reactions of people falling in love, which helps with Love Rehab.
It was so easy to imagine myself in Sophie's position, and I suspect it was a good thing that Facebook wasn't around when I was that young!
It's a warm cast of characters---yeah, Piazza has gone a bit overboard on a number of them. Which only makes it more fun. And a great way to learn some nasty home truths when presented so well.
I already want to re-read it!
The Story
Eleanor, a.k.a., Grandma, has died and dealing with the aftermath of her death provides Sophie with a retreat from her man problems in Manhattan where she gets caught up in Annie's problems.
Being Sophie, she just can't not share her problems at Annie's first AA meeting. One that will have tremendous repercussions on Sophie's thinking.
The relief from the burden of carrying all that anger around is a revelation to Sophie, and she realizes she's addicted to love.
That other women are addicted and need someplace "to go when they get dumped or worse".
The Characters
Sophie designs children's books for a living. Jamie is her brother. Eric was Sophie's boyfriend until Floozy McSecretary, a.k.a., Lacey, anyway.
Annie Capaletti has been Sophie's friend since second grade when she saved Sophie from social disaster. These days, Annie's an alcoholic who's lost her way and in deep denial. Matt Siggman was Sophie's boyfriend in high school. Until he discovered what was missing in his life---Robert. Dave is Annie's cousin and a total man-whore; one of the most hated men in town. Yet, he also has an excellent message that women need to understand.
Joe is "Dr. Twelve Steps" and helps Sophie set up Love Addicts Anonymous. I love his fish analogy!
Prithi cooks incredible curries---and she's pregnant. Stella is traumatized over her boyfriend's decision to be on a reality show. The so-together Jordana is Sophie's yoga teacher. "Princess" Katrina arrived with "six pieces of matching Vuitton luggage". Kirsten is an unhappy florist. Liz was one of her grandma's friends. Lila is symptomatic of them with an inability to comprehend good communication. Tito is the grandson of Sophie's grandma's gardener and in need of Love Rehab himself.
Suze Heart is a self-made love coach with great messages, and a thought-provoking analysis of why men are the way they are today. Dr. Helen Fisher wrote a book on the science of love. Megan O'Brien is Sophie's editor; she's also "a Yellow Pages, Zagat, and beauty blog all rolled into one", the go-to girl when you need to know anything at all.
Sergeants Chris Zucker and Alan Bress are friends who can't look the other way anymore. Especially with Ms. Dinkdorf's cat involved! Sheriff McNulty is another friend while Judge Turner has known Annie since childhood. Danny McMasters is the host of Husband. Jake is the jerk Stella had been practically engaged to.
The Cover
The cover cracks me up. Which I suppose is rather rude considering that this is a sad topic with an obviously insecure Sophie holding her heart balloon from which all the helium is gone.
The title is perfect, for this Love Rehab is a Love Addicts Anonymous.
I received this as an ARC from the publisher.
My Take
At first, I slogged along, reading and thinking, oh boy, a lame chick lit story. Was I ever GLAD I persevered. This was excellent! A very thoughtful story that probed at the ugly pain of breaking up, and then dove deeper into the traumas of women who just can't keep from revisiting the reasons for the breakup OR falling for the same type of men over and over.
Piazza makes it personal and homey with a tremendous dose of fun while being serious about AA and its twelve-step program. I loved living along with Sophie as she comes to terms with her issues, with the other ladies as they come to understand more about themselves. You'll adore their intervention for Stella! Piazza used Dr. Fisher's studies to beautifully integrate details on the physical reactions of people falling in love, which helps with Love Rehab.
It was so easy to imagine myself in Sophie's position, and I suspect it was a good thing that Facebook wasn't around when I was that young!
It's a warm cast of characters---yeah, Piazza has gone a bit overboard on a number of them. Which only makes it more fun. And a great way to learn some nasty home truths when presented so well.
I already want to re-read it!
The Story
Eleanor, a.k.a., Grandma, has died and dealing with the aftermath of her death provides Sophie with a retreat from her man problems in Manhattan where she gets caught up in Annie's problems.
Being Sophie, she just can't not share her problems at Annie's first AA meeting. One that will have tremendous repercussions on Sophie's thinking.
The relief from the burden of carrying all that anger around is a revelation to Sophie, and she realizes she's addicted to love.
That other women are addicted and need someplace "to go when they get dumped or worse".
The Characters
Sophie designs children's books for a living. Jamie is her brother. Eric was Sophie's boyfriend until Floozy McSecretary, a.k.a., Lacey, anyway.
Annie Capaletti has been Sophie's friend since second grade when she saved Sophie from social disaster. These days, Annie's an alcoholic who's lost her way and in deep denial. Matt Siggman was Sophie's boyfriend in high school. Until he discovered what was missing in his life---Robert. Dave is Annie's cousin and a total man-whore; one of the most hated men in town. Yet, he also has an excellent message that women need to understand.
Joe is "Dr. Twelve Steps" and helps Sophie set up Love Addicts Anonymous. I love his fish analogy!
Prithi cooks incredible curries---and she's pregnant. Stella is traumatized over her boyfriend's decision to be on a reality show. The so-together Jordana is Sophie's yoga teacher. "Princess" Katrina arrived with "six pieces of matching Vuitton luggage". Kirsten is an unhappy florist. Liz was one of her grandma's friends. Lila is symptomatic of them with an inability to comprehend good communication. Tito is the grandson of Sophie's grandma's gardener and in need of Love Rehab himself.
Suze Heart is a self-made love coach with great messages, and a thought-provoking analysis of why men are the way they are today. Dr. Helen Fisher wrote a book on the science of love. Megan O'Brien is Sophie's editor; she's also "a Yellow Pages, Zagat, and beauty blog all rolled into one", the go-to girl when you need to know anything at all.
Sergeants Chris Zucker and Alan Bress are friends who can't look the other way anymore. Especially with Ms. Dinkdorf's cat involved! Sheriff McNulty is another friend while Judge Turner has known Annie since childhood. Danny McMasters is the host of Husband. Jake is the jerk Stella had been practically engaged to.
The Cover
The cover cracks me up. Which I suppose is rather rude considering that this is a sad topic with an obviously insecure Sophie holding her heart balloon from which all the helium is gone.
The title is perfect, for this Love Rehab is a Love Addicts Anonymous.
May 24, 2013
Find This and Other Reviews At Craves The Angst.
Love Rehab: A Novel In Twelve Steps is a Womens Fiction/Chick Lit written by Jo Piazza. I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review by Open Road Integrated Media through NetGalley.
3 Lovely Stars!
Simple and Fun With A Bit of Romance!
The Review:
Love Rehab is a light hearted, fun story of one woman's triumph over heartache.
We’ve all been there. At some point in your life, you’ve been a stalker to some degree. Late night drive-bys, excessive texting or calling, social network stalking or hounding your friends for just the tiniest detail of what you’re estranged ex is up to. When a relationship has gone south and you’ve been dumped or even when you’ve been the one to do the dumping, you can’t help but wonder what he or she is up to when you are no longer the one taking up their time. So what do you do when all of a sudden, you find yourself with lot of time on your calendar and Google at your fingertips?
Love Rehab anyone?
Sophie is a love addict. She loves being in love and has just been dumped by her long term boyfriend of two years. Suddenly her dreams of marriage, two point three kids and the white picket fence are in the past and she’s drowning in sorrow and obsessing over why her “one true love” called it quits. After an excessive amount of unanswered phone calls and texts, Facebook and Twitter stalking and inappropriate drunken picture posting, she’s forced to face facts that her relationship is over when her ex threatens to call the cops. All her friends are avoiding her because of the constant complaining except for Annie who’s progressive drinking lands her in AA. Joining Annie at her first AA meeting, she soon realizes the therapeutic advantages of a social gathering where you can let out all your angst in one long rant once a week with people who understand and sympathize.
Joe, therapist, recovering alcoholic and the head of the AA group, suggest Sophie start her own Lovers Addict Anonymous (LAA) group where others who have been scorned by love can come and seek understanding and support. Taking this idea to the next level, she sets out on a journey of self discovery and love healing. As words spreads and wIth the help of friends, her idea turns into a group of twenty or thirty women and Sophie takes the reader on a twelve step program through personal experience, trials and setbacks.
I liked this book. It was told in Sophie’s POV and was written like an overview of a time in her life when she’s been dumped and the process she goes through to heal. There’s a small bit of romance as Sophie opens herself to the possibility of a healthy relationship but its not the focus of the story. In fact, its a small side story as the main story of Sophie’s journey to self discovery happens.
This book was smart, funny and realistic as it touched on a subject that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives.
So why only three stars...
This book reads more like a self help type book than an actual novel. There wasn’t much in the way of world or character building. I liked the story, the conflict and the rom com/pop culture references, the funny, out of the box moments that had me laughing out loud and the realistic moments that had me nodding my head as I realized I too had fallen in the love trap at various moments in my life. But what I really missed out on in this book was character connections and substance. We don't get to connect with who Sophie is as a person. Joe and the rest of the housemates are the same way. Though I could sympathize with what they were going through, I couldn't connect with the leads and left me unconcerned with their love connection.
The Wrap Up:
I liked this story and loved the sense that I wasn’t alone in some of the things I’ve done or how I’ve felt in the past. I did feel the ending was rushed and it felt like everything just fell into place like most rom coms do at the end instead of the way real life usually works out. But at the same time, it was a light and fun read and it certainly kept me entertained as I journey through Love Rehab with Sophie and friends.
Love Rehab: A Novel In Twelve Steps is a Womens Fiction/Chick Lit written by Jo Piazza. I received this eARC in exchange for an honest review by Open Road Integrated Media through NetGalley.
3 Lovely Stars!
Simple and Fun With A Bit of Romance!
The Review:
Love Rehab is a light hearted, fun story of one woman's triumph over heartache.
We’ve all been there. At some point in your life, you’ve been a stalker to some degree. Late night drive-bys, excessive texting or calling, social network stalking or hounding your friends for just the tiniest detail of what you’re estranged ex is up to. When a relationship has gone south and you’ve been dumped or even when you’ve been the one to do the dumping, you can’t help but wonder what he or she is up to when you are no longer the one taking up their time. So what do you do when all of a sudden, you find yourself with lot of time on your calendar and Google at your fingertips?
Love Rehab anyone?
Sophie is a love addict. She loves being in love and has just been dumped by her long term boyfriend of two years. Suddenly her dreams of marriage, two point three kids and the white picket fence are in the past and she’s drowning in sorrow and obsessing over why her “one true love” called it quits. After an excessive amount of unanswered phone calls and texts, Facebook and Twitter stalking and inappropriate drunken picture posting, she’s forced to face facts that her relationship is over when her ex threatens to call the cops. All her friends are avoiding her because of the constant complaining except for Annie who’s progressive drinking lands her in AA. Joining Annie at her first AA meeting, she soon realizes the therapeutic advantages of a social gathering where you can let out all your angst in one long rant once a week with people who understand and sympathize.
Joe, therapist, recovering alcoholic and the head of the AA group, suggest Sophie start her own Lovers Addict Anonymous (LAA) group where others who have been scorned by love can come and seek understanding and support. Taking this idea to the next level, she sets out on a journey of self discovery and love healing. As words spreads and wIth the help of friends, her idea turns into a group of twenty or thirty women and Sophie takes the reader on a twelve step program through personal experience, trials and setbacks.
I liked this book. It was told in Sophie’s POV and was written like an overview of a time in her life when she’s been dumped and the process she goes through to heal. There’s a small bit of romance as Sophie opens herself to the possibility of a healthy relationship but its not the focus of the story. In fact, its a small side story as the main story of Sophie’s journey to self discovery happens.
This book was smart, funny and realistic as it touched on a subject that everyone has experienced at some point in their lives.
So why only three stars...
This book reads more like a self help type book than an actual novel. There wasn’t much in the way of world or character building. I liked the story, the conflict and the rom com/pop culture references, the funny, out of the box moments that had me laughing out loud and the realistic moments that had me nodding my head as I realized I too had fallen in the love trap at various moments in my life. But what I really missed out on in this book was character connections and substance. We don't get to connect with who Sophie is as a person. Joe and the rest of the housemates are the same way. Though I could sympathize with what they were going through, I couldn't connect with the leads and left me unconcerned with their love connection.
The Wrap Up:
I liked this story and loved the sense that I wasn’t alone in some of the things I’ve done or how I’ve felt in the past. I did feel the ending was rushed and it felt like everything just fell into place like most rom coms do at the end instead of the way real life usually works out. But at the same time, it was a light and fun read and it certainly kept me entertained as I journey through Love Rehab with Sophie and friends.
May 30, 2013
This is a cute fun little book to read when you're in need of brain candy, but there are somethings that will possibly turn you off and that's mostly Sophie's internal dialogue. I know Sophie is meant to be funny, but sometimes I found her private thoughts to be judgmental, which caused me to dislike her. She would say things that could possibly be seen as being not politically correct and offensive. For instance there's a line where Sophie thinks a male character is standing in front of a crowd like a "prissy teacher teaching underprivileged kids in the ghetto." I slightly paraphrased the quote as there's no telling what the final copy will look like, but it was lines like those that made me think, Sophie was a jerk herself.
There's even a line comparing Kate Middleton to other European royalty, calling her true royalty and basically inferring royalty from other European nations such as Spain are trashy. I've never really liked how the Western world is dismissive of Spanish royalty and that of other countries, as if the English monarchy was all that mattered. Granted, royalty poses its own unique problems, but I don't think Sophie needed to be so...mean.
I didn't mind when she was mean towards Eric or even the floozy secretary, but anyone else that received a catty or mean spirited comment from her, caused me to lessen my support for her. If she was so great, she wouldn't be so passive aggressive and rude when revealing her inner most thoughts.
Oddly, all the references to 90s and 80s moments in pop culture didn't work for me. It makes me worry this will cause the book to be dated within a few years. Strangely enough, some of the very pop culture references that I like to giggle about with friends made me blanch when mentioned in this novel. I kept thinking, "Oh my god, this book makes me feel so old!" I just don't think pop cultural references should make you feel old. They're suppose to be a fun trip down memory lane. It could just be me, but sadly references to old rap groups from the 90s didn't fill me with joy the way it normally would.
What did work for me was actually the 12 step program for love dependency. I think even if readers are not a fan of chick lit, but simply want some sort of guide on love addiction and how to acquire a healthy relationship, there are so many examples and rules presented, all of them thoughtful and logical that the book is worth getting for that aspect alone. It's like a self help book in disguise.
It's focus on not falling for every guy, respecting yourself more, learning not to force a relationship are just things I would want all of my girlfriends to be aware of, even if the situations are fictionalized.
The cast of characters who begin to attend love rehab are fun and eccentric to the absolutely absurd. I believe Princess was the only character I was never truly fond of, aside from Sophie's closest friend who annoyed me every now and then. There's one character named Prithi, that I think did an excellent job displaying the complexities of relationships in the US when meshed with cultural norms that don't coincide with today's dating scene.
It's difficult to gauge whether I really liked the ending. On the one hand it gives readers what they want within the romance/chick lit genre, but on the other hand, I sort of wish Piazza had taken a risk. It's a cute ending, as expected, but after all the therapy and self analysis Sophie goes through, you kinda hoped she'd follow a different route, even if it doesn't fit the conventions of this particular genre.
Overall, it's a cute book, but I hate to tell you that Sophie may lose a lot of potential fans along the way, for that reason alone I wouldn't recommend it to YA fans looking to jump into an adult novel. I wouldn't want Sophie to be the reason you swore off all chick lit and romance.
There's even a line comparing Kate Middleton to other European royalty, calling her true royalty and basically inferring royalty from other European nations such as Spain are trashy. I've never really liked how the Western world is dismissive of Spanish royalty and that of other countries, as if the English monarchy was all that mattered. Granted, royalty poses its own unique problems, but I don't think Sophie needed to be so...mean.
I didn't mind when she was mean towards Eric or even the floozy secretary, but anyone else that received a catty or mean spirited comment from her, caused me to lessen my support for her. If she was so great, she wouldn't be so passive aggressive and rude when revealing her inner most thoughts.
Oddly, all the references to 90s and 80s moments in pop culture didn't work for me. It makes me worry this will cause the book to be dated within a few years. Strangely enough, some of the very pop culture references that I like to giggle about with friends made me blanch when mentioned in this novel. I kept thinking, "Oh my god, this book makes me feel so old!" I just don't think pop cultural references should make you feel old. They're suppose to be a fun trip down memory lane. It could just be me, but sadly references to old rap groups from the 90s didn't fill me with joy the way it normally would.
What did work for me was actually the 12 step program for love dependency. I think even if readers are not a fan of chick lit, but simply want some sort of guide on love addiction and how to acquire a healthy relationship, there are so many examples and rules presented, all of them thoughtful and logical that the book is worth getting for that aspect alone. It's like a self help book in disguise.
It's focus on not falling for every guy, respecting yourself more, learning not to force a relationship are just things I would want all of my girlfriends to be aware of, even if the situations are fictionalized.
The cast of characters who begin to attend love rehab are fun and eccentric to the absolutely absurd. I believe Princess was the only character I was never truly fond of, aside from Sophie's closest friend who annoyed me every now and then. There's one character named Prithi, that I think did an excellent job displaying the complexities of relationships in the US when meshed with cultural norms that don't coincide with today's dating scene.
It's difficult to gauge whether I really liked the ending. On the one hand it gives readers what they want within the romance/chick lit genre, but on the other hand, I sort of wish Piazza had taken a risk. It's a cute ending, as expected, but after all the therapy and self analysis Sophie goes through, you kinda hoped she'd follow a different route, even if it doesn't fit the conventions of this particular genre.
Overall, it's a cute book, but I hate to tell you that Sophie may lose a lot of potential fans along the way, for that reason alone I wouldn't recommend it to YA fans looking to jump into an adult novel. I wouldn't want Sophie to be the reason you swore off all chick lit and romance.
June 4, 2013
3.5 Stars
Love Rehab was a book I just happened upon and thought it sounded like a fun, light read. I was expecting it to elicit sweet smiles, I wasn't expecting it to produce giggles galore. But, it did.
Now, I am not a single lady and haven't been for a very long time. I can, however, remember all too well the things single woman do. Like within the first few minutes of meeting a guy you're already imaging how his last name sounds on your first name, picturing him in his wedding tuxedo, naming your unborn children. Maybe that is a stretch for some of you women but I'm willing to bet many of you have been somewhere in the vicinity of this sort of train wreck. This book is for you.
Sophie gets dumped for her boyfriends blonde, big boobed assistant, Lacey aka Floozy. As Sophie had her entire life planned out with Eric, this is soul crushing news. On top of being dumped, her grandmother just died leaving her a monstrosity of a house to deal with and her best friend (local drunk) has landed herself in a court ordered twelve step program. Being supportive, Sophie tags along to the AA meeting and realizes she has all the same problems if only you substitute love for booze.
In an attempt to get a handle on her obsessive behavior where her ex is involved, she starts LAA. Love Addiction Anonymous. Their methods are hilarious; watching romantic movies and pinching each other when one starts to get emotional, writing down rules to love life and bringing in the towns most notorious man whore to let them know what guys really thing.
LAA is there to teach you what not to do and what not to believe in. Such as - the nerdy guy should not always get the girl, your best friend is not your soul mate, the cool attractive and popular guy isn't actually very sensitive and in love with you, love is not one hilarious misunderstanding away. RomCom's lie ladies. There are few Prince Charmings in the world and they don't show up at the hooker's balcony with flowers and undying love. Love Rehab will help cement this into your brain!
Through this she meets woman with similar problems and they become a support system for each other and are able to reflect on themselves through others and eventually come to the realization that what they see and project throughout relationships isn't real and that they are better, stronger women then they have ever let themselves be.
You won't always love the choices made by Sophie and others in Love Rehab. At times you may even cringe at the stupid insanity of the choices, there are some extremely low blows made and some unsettling stalker like behaviors. I think the point was to be over the top to get the point across and let's face it, most of us probably have known someone in our lives who is a crazy bitch capable of publishing her exes penis on the internet out of spite. Yeah, that happens.
The story has a few slow bits but they pass pretty quickly, the one thing that I did take issue with was the romance. So much of it was right on and I loved the meandering path it took, but the actual confession just fell a little off, it was too much of a declaration and after the 12 steps to love sobriety...I just wasn't sure it quite fit.
Love Rehab is a cathartic journey told with such a great sense of humor and by a great cast of characters. Every single one is unique, quirky and pretty adorable. It is a book every single woman struggling in the dating world should read. Period. It will open your eyes to so many things woman just naturally gravitate to and hopefully stop a few drunken texts, word vomit confessions and self-loathing morning afters.
Love Rehab was a book I just happened upon and thought it sounded like a fun, light read. I was expecting it to elicit sweet smiles, I wasn't expecting it to produce giggles galore. But, it did.
Now, I am not a single lady and haven't been for a very long time. I can, however, remember all too well the things single woman do. Like within the first few minutes of meeting a guy you're already imaging how his last name sounds on your first name, picturing him in his wedding tuxedo, naming your unborn children. Maybe that is a stretch for some of you women but I'm willing to bet many of you have been somewhere in the vicinity of this sort of train wreck. This book is for you.
Sophie gets dumped for her boyfriends blonde, big boobed assistant, Lacey aka Floozy. As Sophie had her entire life planned out with Eric, this is soul crushing news. On top of being dumped, her grandmother just died leaving her a monstrosity of a house to deal with and her best friend (local drunk) has landed herself in a court ordered twelve step program. Being supportive, Sophie tags along to the AA meeting and realizes she has all the same problems if only you substitute love for booze.
In an attempt to get a handle on her obsessive behavior where her ex is involved, she starts LAA. Love Addiction Anonymous. Their methods are hilarious; watching romantic movies and pinching each other when one starts to get emotional, writing down rules to love life and bringing in the towns most notorious man whore to let them know what guys really thing.
LAA is there to teach you what not to do and what not to believe in. Such as - the nerdy guy should not always get the girl, your best friend is not your soul mate, the cool attractive and popular guy isn't actually very sensitive and in love with you, love is not one hilarious misunderstanding away. RomCom's lie ladies. There are few Prince Charmings in the world and they don't show up at the hooker's balcony with flowers and undying love. Love Rehab will help cement this into your brain!
Through this she meets woman with similar problems and they become a support system for each other and are able to reflect on themselves through others and eventually come to the realization that what they see and project throughout relationships isn't real and that they are better, stronger women then they have ever let themselves be.
You won't always love the choices made by Sophie and others in Love Rehab. At times you may even cringe at the stupid insanity of the choices, there are some extremely low blows made and some unsettling stalker like behaviors. I think the point was to be over the top to get the point across and let's face it, most of us probably have known someone in our lives who is a crazy bitch capable of publishing her exes penis on the internet out of spite. Yeah, that happens.
The story has a few slow bits but they pass pretty quickly, the one thing that I did take issue with was the romance. So much of it was right on and I loved the meandering path it took, but the actual confession just fell a little off, it was too much of a declaration and after the 12 steps to love sobriety...I just wasn't sure it quite fit.
Love Rehab is a cathartic journey told with such a great sense of humor and by a great cast of characters. Every single one is unique, quirky and pretty adorable. It is a book every single woman struggling in the dating world should read. Period. It will open your eyes to so many things woman just naturally gravitate to and hopefully stop a few drunken texts, word vomit confessions and self-loathing morning afters.
May 18, 2013
3 Stars
Love Rehab is a VERY funny, light, slightly romance read.
Sophie is dealing with the recent break-up of long time boyfriend Eric. She isn’t handling it well. She continues to call Eric, stalk him on-line and continues to complain about him to her best friend Annie. Annie gets in trouble and is forced to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Sophie supports Annie and attends. Sophie soon realizes if AA meetings can help alcoholics, then the same could be said for women in her situation. Thus, Sophie creates the Love Addicts Anonymous support group.
Within the first few pages, I could not stop laughing!
God, I needed LAA [Love Addicts Anonymous] . I needed something. I was getting jealous of a potential girlfriend of a man I had once shared a slice of banana cream pie with after lying to him at his Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I was so far from normal
I really liked the beginning because you really saw how bad Sophie had kind of fallen off the wagon. She’s just not handling the break-up well. I think when you create a website that is filled with pictures of your ex’s penis, it’s easy to say you have a problem.
Sophie holds many meetings at her place and starts to form bonds and friendships with other single women who are trying to cope with past relationship issues. Sophie’s mixture of friends are very unique and each have their own tale to tell. If you love side characters, well this book is filled with them.
It’s kind of like a book club…
Minus the book…LOL
I would not call Love Rehab a romance novel. Yes, there is a slight love interest, Joe. But the interactions between Sophie and Joe are minimal and not the focus of the read. This is more of a woman-hear-me-roar kind of book. Think Sex in the City, without the sex. If you have group of woman in your life, who you basically complain to about relationships, then this is your book.
For more reviews, visit http://www.jacquelinesreads.blogspot....
An ARC was provided to me by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Love Rehab is a VERY funny, light, slightly romance read.
Sophie is dealing with the recent break-up of long time boyfriend Eric. She isn’t handling it well. She continues to call Eric, stalk him on-line and continues to complain about him to her best friend Annie. Annie gets in trouble and is forced to go to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Sophie supports Annie and attends. Sophie soon realizes if AA meetings can help alcoholics, then the same could be said for women in her situation. Thus, Sophie creates the Love Addicts Anonymous support group.
Within the first few pages, I could not stop laughing!
God, I needed LAA [Love Addicts Anonymous] . I needed something. I was getting jealous of a potential girlfriend of a man I had once shared a slice of banana cream pie with after lying to him at his Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I was so far from normal
I really liked the beginning because you really saw how bad Sophie had kind of fallen off the wagon. She’s just not handling the break-up well. I think when you create a website that is filled with pictures of your ex’s penis, it’s easy to say you have a problem.
Sophie holds many meetings at her place and starts to form bonds and friendships with other single women who are trying to cope with past relationship issues. Sophie’s mixture of friends are very unique and each have their own tale to tell. If you love side characters, well this book is filled with them.
It’s kind of like a book club…
Minus the book…LOL
I would not call Love Rehab a romance novel. Yes, there is a slight love interest, Joe. But the interactions between Sophie and Joe are minimal and not the focus of the read. This is more of a woman-hear-me-roar kind of book. Think Sex in the City, without the sex. If you have group of woman in your life, who you basically complain to about relationships, then this is your book.
For more reviews, visit http://www.jacquelinesreads.blogspot....
An ARC was provided to me by Open Road Integrated Media via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
May 7, 2013
This review refers to the NetGalley edition.
In this easily-relatable, if slightly outrageous tale of "stupid crazy love," Jo Piazza has woven her wonderful sense of humor into a Sex and The City-esque cast of colorful characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, laughing out loud throughout and experiencing the recurring sense of "that is SO ME" more often than I would like to admit.
The only downside I found was an ending that felt rushed, forced, and a bit too over-the-top cheesy for my tastes. It was almost like Piazza was at a party where there were too many people to say goodbye to, so she just waved a collective "see ya" to the guests and gave a quick peck to the hostess as she took off into the night. I didn't like it at all, but the rest was good enough to compel me into reading more of her work.
A light and amusing treatise on the insanity that is a woman's broken heart, this book will make an excellent beach read this summer, lending itself well to those long stretches of reading in the sun. If you have ever found yourself cyberstalking your ex's Facebook page or Twitter feed, nicknaming his new girlfriend and refusing to use her real name (Floozy McSecretary!), or fantasizing about all the possible horrible ways he could die despite his status as center of your universe just yesterday - you will enjoy this book.
I wish men would read it to get a little insight into why women seem so crazy, but I won't hold my breath. So fellas, if you're reading this review, just remember one thing - all we want to know is "Why not me?"
In this easily-relatable, if slightly outrageous tale of "stupid crazy love," Jo Piazza has woven her wonderful sense of humor into a Sex and The City-esque cast of colorful characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, laughing out loud throughout and experiencing the recurring sense of "that is SO ME" more often than I would like to admit.
The only downside I found was an ending that felt rushed, forced, and a bit too over-the-top cheesy for my tastes. It was almost like Piazza was at a party where there were too many people to say goodbye to, so she just waved a collective "see ya" to the guests and gave a quick peck to the hostess as she took off into the night. I didn't like it at all, but the rest was good enough to compel me into reading more of her work.
A light and amusing treatise on the insanity that is a woman's broken heart, this book will make an excellent beach read this summer, lending itself well to those long stretches of reading in the sun. If you have ever found yourself cyberstalking your ex's Facebook page or Twitter feed, nicknaming his new girlfriend and refusing to use her real name (Floozy McSecretary!), or fantasizing about all the possible horrible ways he could die despite his status as center of your universe just yesterday - you will enjoy this book.
I wish men would read it to get a little insight into why women seem so crazy, but I won't hold my breath. So fellas, if you're reading this review, just remember one thing - all we want to know is "Why not me?"
May 4, 2013
My mother actually sent me this novel as a recommendation. And before I start my review I must point out a few things, I come from a very different perspective than most- I have no urge to get married someday (though a wedding does sound fun, the being married part does not interest me) and I am also a licensed substance abuse counselor (which does also include love addictions).
With that said, I did enjoy this book, though I frequently had to stop and remind myself that it was fiction and not a self help book as I was getting affronted at some of the preposterous notions as self help. SLAA (Sex and Love Addictions Anonymous) is a real thing and I do hope this opens the eyes of many women in terms of help that is out there. I feel like so many women have addictions to what we see in every rom-com. Even I have that problem, I feel like my life should end all happy with unicorns and rainbows but it won't, not without work by me and on me. The morals here were great and some of the rules (avoiding facebook anyone?) are really helpful.
Sometimes I did get a bit lost in the number of characters, I felt like I got confused occasionally on who was who. I feel as though Annie could have been fleshed out a bit more- but maybe she'll have her own novel, who knows. I did enjoy the story and think most women will too. And the nice thing is that this book reminded me I'm not alone in wanting the perfect rom-com life, and I have to remember those movies are escapism, not something to model my life after.
With that said, I did enjoy this book, though I frequently had to stop and remind myself that it was fiction and not a self help book as I was getting affronted at some of the preposterous notions as self help. SLAA (Sex and Love Addictions Anonymous) is a real thing and I do hope this opens the eyes of many women in terms of help that is out there. I feel like so many women have addictions to what we see in every rom-com. Even I have that problem, I feel like my life should end all happy with unicorns and rainbows but it won't, not without work by me and on me. The morals here were great and some of the rules (avoiding facebook anyone?) are really helpful.
Sometimes I did get a bit lost in the number of characters, I felt like I got confused occasionally on who was who. I feel as though Annie could have been fleshed out a bit more- but maybe she'll have her own novel, who knows. I did enjoy the story and think most women will too. And the nice thing is that this book reminded me I'm not alone in wanting the perfect rom-com life, and I have to remember those movies are escapism, not something to model my life after.
May 28, 2013
I actually struggled with the rating. My heart said to give this book a 5, but my mind said "No, its got flaws and you can't say something is perfect if its flawed." You can see who won out.
This book is billed as a novel, but truthfully its creative non-fiction at its pinnacle best. "Love Rehab" is supposed to be Sophie's story of overcoming her disastrously, wrenchingly, hilariously sad breakup by establishing AA for the love-lost. Sophie gets less stage time than the cast of women who venture into her makeshift self-help group. That's the flaw. But I really didn't care. Sophie is hilarious and at the same time instructive in telling about these women's, and men's, pain, shame, and insightful gains. I burst out snorting -not laughing- at the antics every few pages. I felt empowered with each step these women took. Piazza is fantastic in her telling, though a bit meandering. But I loved it! The prose would venture off in tangents but always return to the point, and the point would be all the more richer for the diversion.
There's a love story in here too. Well, a couple of 'em. If you're like me, you might feel that the love story is thrown in haphazardly, though it possesses all the cues and plot points of what a love story should be in a very predictable fashion. You might also feel that the love story gets far less screen time and that that was a disservice. I urge you to reserve your opinion until the very last page. I did, and that's why the 5 stars stand!
ARC provided by Netgalley.
This book is billed as a novel, but truthfully its creative non-fiction at its pinnacle best. "Love Rehab" is supposed to be Sophie's story of overcoming her disastrously, wrenchingly, hilariously sad breakup by establishing AA for the love-lost. Sophie gets less stage time than the cast of women who venture into her makeshift self-help group. That's the flaw. But I really didn't care. Sophie is hilarious and at the same time instructive in telling about these women's, and men's, pain, shame, and insightful gains. I burst out snorting -not laughing- at the antics every few pages. I felt empowered with each step these women took. Piazza is fantastic in her telling, though a bit meandering. But I loved it! The prose would venture off in tangents but always return to the point, and the point would be all the more richer for the diversion.
There's a love story in here too. Well, a couple of 'em. If you're like me, you might feel that the love story is thrown in haphazardly, though it possesses all the cues and plot points of what a love story should be in a very predictable fashion. You might also feel that the love story gets far less screen time and that that was a disservice. I urge you to reserve your opinion until the very last page. I did, and that's why the 5 stars stand!
ARC provided by Netgalley.
June 10, 2013
Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps
by Jo Piazza
When Sophie opens up her home to the obsessed and lovelorn, she finds a way to help every woman out there who’s overdosed on the wrong man—and she saves herself in the process. Love is a drug and the only things that can save us are the steps, rules, and one another.
I suffered from a broken heart for almost two years. I may or may not be guilty of crying myself to sleep for months, Facebook stalking, or making a bonfire of old photos and letters. Before that ugly break up I battled a challenging marriage. And, before my marriage I was a serial monogamist. Now, I am simply terrified of dating!
To be honest, Love Rehab is not Pulitzer Prize worthy and the story is predictable, but the concept of a Love Addicts Anonymous (LAA) support group is brilliant! I believe in the healing power of support groups and therapy … it got me through my divorce. I certainly could have used LAA when I was 19 years old and my high school sweetheart dumped me for another co-ed! It could have saved me 15+ years of failed relationships.
I did highlight one quote in the book that is Pulitzer Prize worthy: “Looking back, I had loved the idea of all my boyfriends, had loved the idea of being in love, but hadn’t truly been in love with them. I wanted them to turn me and my life into what I imagined it should be.”
If you enjoyed the Bridget Jones books you will probably really enjoy Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps.
by Jo Piazza
When Sophie opens up her home to the obsessed and lovelorn, she finds a way to help every woman out there who’s overdosed on the wrong man—and she saves herself in the process. Love is a drug and the only things that can save us are the steps, rules, and one another.
I suffered from a broken heart for almost two years. I may or may not be guilty of crying myself to sleep for months, Facebook stalking, or making a bonfire of old photos and letters. Before that ugly break up I battled a challenging marriage. And, before my marriage I was a serial monogamist. Now, I am simply terrified of dating!
To be honest, Love Rehab is not Pulitzer Prize worthy and the story is predictable, but the concept of a Love Addicts Anonymous (LAA) support group is brilliant! I believe in the healing power of support groups and therapy … it got me through my divorce. I certainly could have used LAA when I was 19 years old and my high school sweetheart dumped me for another co-ed! It could have saved me 15+ years of failed relationships.
I did highlight one quote in the book that is Pulitzer Prize worthy: “Looking back, I had loved the idea of all my boyfriends, had loved the idea of being in love, but hadn’t truly been in love with them. I wanted them to turn me and my life into what I imagined it should be.”
If you enjoyed the Bridget Jones books you will probably really enjoy Love Rehab: A Novel in Twelve Steps.
May 29, 2013
I loved this book! I just can't get over it! In fact, I feel like I should label it, "A Guide of Do's and Don'ts: Love Edition" or something. I'm not good with titles, don't judge! LOL. Anyway, so basically Sophie is going through this bad breakup and she's feeling all sorts of down and awful and she practically lives in her pajamas, dunks everything in ice cream (okay maybe not that much), and all those things girls do when we're heartbroken. Personally, I've never been heartbroken and touched bottom (I need to actually date someone first), but I really hope I never do! Yikes! If I ever do though, I'll have to dig out this novel. Sophie turns into a cyber-stalker and starts texting Eric aka the Cheating Bastard, non-stop and she just doesn't know what to do! So, she gets this fabulous idea that it's an addiction to love and all addicts need rehab, so she starts Love Rehab. Pretty fucking genius if you ask me. Seriously, halfway through the book I was considering starting one. So many girls need it! And in this Love Rehab they all confess, non-judgmentally of course, all of the crazed love addicts things they've done. And it was hilarious and just awesome! A definite read for pretty much everyone.
May 19, 2013
Sophie's Twelve Step Program for Love Addicts
After a breakup with her boyfriend, Eric, Sophie retreats to the New Jersey house she inherited form her grandmother. She knows she's acting crazy: sending drunken emails, cyber-stalking his new love, driving by his apartment; but she can't seem to stop. Then her friend, Annie, ends up on her lawn in a stolen police car after a major drinking bout.
Annie is sent to AAA by the court and begs Sophie to come with her. Annie hates the meeting and refuses to participate, but Sophie loves it. She confesses all her behavior giving it an alcoholic twist and feels much better. The AAA meeting makes her realize she's an addict, addicted to love. Maybe a twelve step program can help love addicts, too, and Love Addicts Anonymous is born.
The book is hilarious, if you've ever gone slightly (or more than slightly) nuts after a breakup. Sophie and Annie are very likable characters and easy to relate to, although I would have liked to see more of Annie. The women who end up sharing Sophie's house as a love retreat are a wild crew. I enjoyed each one.
Love Rehab is light reading for a rainy afternoon. If you've ever been in love, or been dumped, you'll rap with these zany ladies. It's a fun read.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
After a breakup with her boyfriend, Eric, Sophie retreats to the New Jersey house she inherited form her grandmother. She knows she's acting crazy: sending drunken emails, cyber-stalking his new love, driving by his apartment; but she can't seem to stop. Then her friend, Annie, ends up on her lawn in a stolen police car after a major drinking bout.
Annie is sent to AAA by the court and begs Sophie to come with her. Annie hates the meeting and refuses to participate, but Sophie loves it. She confesses all her behavior giving it an alcoholic twist and feels much better. The AAA meeting makes her realize she's an addict, addicted to love. Maybe a twelve step program can help love addicts, too, and Love Addicts Anonymous is born.
The book is hilarious, if you've ever gone slightly (or more than slightly) nuts after a breakup. Sophie and Annie are very likable characters and easy to relate to, although I would have liked to see more of Annie. The women who end up sharing Sophie's house as a love retreat are a wild crew. I enjoyed each one.
Love Rehab is light reading for a rainy afternoon. If you've ever been in love, or been dumped, you'll rap with these zany ladies. It's a fun read.
I reviewed this book for Net Galley.
May 31, 2013
E-book received from NetGalley.
I thought this was a common romantic comedy: girl meets boy, fall in love, fight and get together at the end. But it's totally different! It's a story written in 12 steps (like AA steps) and very funny. BTW, one of the rules was to banish the romantic comedies, because they create an ideal image in our heads that will hardly come true.
I loved the LAA (Love Addicts Anonymous) idea! Everyone knows how hard it is to deal with a broken heart - even more in our digital times, where we are just a few clicks away from each other's lives. Can you imagine being obsessed by the Facebook and Twitter accounts of your ex and his new girlfriend? Because that's where Sophie is, and that's how she realizes she needs help.
The other women stories are also great. I felt like I was in the middle of a BFF conversation and loved all the characters - specially one whose boyfriend dumped her after 3 years, to participate in a The Bachelor kind of reality show.
** My review in Portuguese: http://www.meujardimdelivros.com.br/2...
I thought this was a common romantic comedy: girl meets boy, fall in love, fight and get together at the end. But it's totally different! It's a story written in 12 steps (like AA steps) and very funny. BTW, one of the rules was to banish the romantic comedies, because they create an ideal image in our heads that will hardly come true.
I loved the LAA (Love Addicts Anonymous) idea! Everyone knows how hard it is to deal with a broken heart - even more in our digital times, where we are just a few clicks away from each other's lives. Can you imagine being obsessed by the Facebook and Twitter accounts of your ex and his new girlfriend? Because that's where Sophie is, and that's how she realizes she needs help.
The other women stories are also great. I felt like I was in the middle of a BFF conversation and loved all the characters - specially one whose boyfriend dumped her after 3 years, to participate in a The Bachelor kind of reality show.
** My review in Portuguese: http://www.meujardimdelivros.com.br/2...
May 4, 2013
Laugh out loud look at break ups and the love hangover that inevitably follows. Two friends, One with a drinking problem and one with a “he dumped me for the secretary and all I do is stalk him” problem. After an AA meeting inspiration hits. Over pie and conversation love rehab is born.
Two friends with love and a sense of humor open their door and their hearts to woman that have been knocked down by love and need to learn how to deal. They debunk movie myths and fairytales with comical fervor. Develop their own twelve step program and become better. It’s like a mix of Sex in The City and Friends.
Learning to love yourself is a journey and Love Rehab is a comical, laugh out loud best friend helping you through.
If you have ever been dumped and slipped into crazy town for a bit or have a friend currently setting up residence. READ THIS BOOK! So worth it.
5 STARS
T~
http://ktbookreviews.blogspot.com/
Two friends with love and a sense of humor open their door and their hearts to woman that have been knocked down by love and need to learn how to deal. They debunk movie myths and fairytales with comical fervor. Develop their own twelve step program and become better. It’s like a mix of Sex in The City and Friends.
Learning to love yourself is a journey and Love Rehab is a comical, laugh out loud best friend helping you through.
If you have ever been dumped and slipped into crazy town for a bit or have a friend currently setting up residence. READ THIS BOOK! So worth it.
5 STARS
T~
http://ktbookreviews.blogspot.com/
May 28, 2013
The first couple chapters of this book had me rolling. The beginning was drenched in cynicism and sarcasm and I was loving it. I haven't read many books that had me laughing out loud. This one had me laughing out loud and with duration. It was quirky and real.
The laughter load lightens a bit toward the meat and bones of the story, which was slightly disappointing, but still enjoyable. I really felt like I understood what each girl was going through. It was tender when it needed to be tender and gritty when it needed to be gritty.
It was basically a rom-com that was heavier on the com than the rom. It gets a little cheesy at moments, but overall, it's a quick, fun read that is perfect for a poolside respite.
Read more reviews on my blog: Sweet Green Tangerine
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review!
The laughter load lightens a bit toward the meat and bones of the story, which was slightly disappointing, but still enjoyable. I really felt like I understood what each girl was going through. It was tender when it needed to be tender and gritty when it needed to be gritty.
It was basically a rom-com that was heavier on the com than the rom. It gets a little cheesy at moments, but overall, it's a quick, fun read that is perfect for a poolside respite.
Read more reviews on my blog: Sweet Green Tangerine
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to review!
May 1, 2013
I was totally engrossed from start to finish! Love Rehab had some very believable, hilarious scenarios of heartbroken women doing things that I'm sure have been done in reality. I laughed out loud in the middle of the night since I couldn't put the book down. There were situations that I could relate to and all of the characters were likeable, even Dave. This book is for anyone who has been wronged, dumped, cheated on, or had an addiction. Virtually everyone can relate to problems of the lovely women of LAA. The concept of very different women living together and helping each other to heal and stay strong was also nice.
There were terms in the book that I had never heard before that I found amusing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh or to know that they are not alone when it comes to stalking am ex on social media sites!
There were terms in the book that I had never heard before that I found amusing. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh or to know that they are not alone when it comes to stalking am ex on social media sites!
May 4, 2013
While reading "Love Rehab," I found myself chuckling and smiling throughout it.
A lot of what goes on with the protagonist, Sophie, TOTALLY CORRELATES TO A LOT OF REAL LIFE post-romantic breakup behavior. It made me think of my older sister and her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend and the similar situations that she and Sophie go through to settle or "rehabilitate" themselves after their breakup to move on with their lives.
I think EVERYONE should to go to a "Love Rehab" like how Sophie at some point of their relationships whether they're together or not. After all, love is a crazy thing and sometimes makes you do irrational things. Lol.
Trust me guys. This author did her homework in creating a relatable environment for people that “addicted to love.”
A lot of what goes on with the protagonist, Sophie, TOTALLY CORRELATES TO A LOT OF REAL LIFE post-romantic breakup behavior. It made me think of my older sister and her relationship with her now ex-boyfriend and the similar situations that she and Sophie go through to settle or "rehabilitate" themselves after their breakup to move on with their lives.
I think EVERYONE should to go to a "Love Rehab" like how Sophie at some point of their relationships whether they're together or not. After all, love is a crazy thing and sometimes makes you do irrational things. Lol.
Trust me guys. This author did her homework in creating a relatable environment for people that “addicted to love.”
May 30, 2013
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked this book. I could actually see it made into a chick flick and I think people would curl up on the couch to watch it. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a pick me up after a break up. There was actually some decent advice that I could have used back in the day when I was single.
I think Sophie did everything that most girls would never admit to after a breakup. Social media encourages stalking. And when she met Joe and formed the group, I really hoped that she and Joe would hook up.
The book also has this underlying message of empowerment, that a woman doesn't need a man to be strong. A lot of women need to get that message. They should probably read this book.
I really liked this book. I could actually see it made into a chick flick and I think people would curl up on the couch to watch it. I would recommend this to anyone who needs a pick me up after a break up. There was actually some decent advice that I could have used back in the day when I was single.
I think Sophie did everything that most girls would never admit to after a breakup. Social media encourages stalking. And when she met Joe and formed the group, I really hoped that she and Joe would hook up.
The book also has this underlying message of empowerment, that a woman doesn't need a man to be strong. A lot of women need to get that message. They should probably read this book.
May 15, 2013
I love a good chick lit, i love a good relationship break down, crazy woman, obsessive drunk dialing chick lit. There, i said it. This is a wonderful novel, well written & humours. Love Rehab tells the story of Sophie, who is struggling to deal with the breakdown of her relationship. Stumbling upon an AA meeting, Sophie takes the concepts and applies them to her life, introducing Love Rehab. Love Rehab takes those women, who when falling apart and brings them all together, through the support and love of those facing the same situations learn to deal with the breakdown.
Full review - http://www.afternoonbookery.blogspot....
December 20, 2013
I wasn't sure I was going to like this when I started it, but it surprised me. The story was good, and I liked some of the pop culture references. However, it still bothers me that there was a character who was a BH 90210 fan and bought a Mustang to be like Dylan McKay, when it was Brandon Walsh who had the Mustang. The author mentions that she and some of her friends watched the show while she was writing this book, so why didn't she get that right?
Now that I've read this, I'm tempted to track down a book called The I Hate to Date Club. I remember it having a similar story, so I'd like to read it again.
Now that I've read this, I'm tempted to track down a book called The I Hate to Date Club. I remember it having a similar story, so I'd like to read it again.
May 26, 2013
While dealing with a bad breakup and her best friend’s alcoholism, Sophie learns how to cope with life’s ups and downs through a self-help group of her own creation. A little too unbelievable for my liking but a good summer read.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.
June 10, 2016
A short (140 pages) read that you will find yourself giggling your behind off. Love Rehab comes off as a bit of a self-help book and I found it hard to see the connections with the characters Maybe it was because it was such a short read.
May 15, 2013
I think everyone could use a little love rehab. Cute read, kinda makes me look at my own love life.
May 26, 2013
Smart "chick lit." Jo Piazza is a really good writer and this book is both thoughtful and funny. Perfect for a beach book or a long car/train ride.
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