Once Upon An Apple Martini

by Kendal Taylor

IN THIS HUMOROUS DEBUT NOVEL, TAYLOR EXPLORES FAMILY, FRIENDSHIPS, ADULTHOOD, AND THE THEORY OF ROCK BOTTOM. IS LIFE JUST LIKE GAMBLING OR CAN EVERYTHING BE CALCULATED? There’s nothing like a strong drink after a day of hard work. Calyssa is at her favorite bar in New York, drinking, because things aren’t going swimmingly for her. After landing a remunerative job at Shred Unread as a secretary, Calyssa was able to afford a one-bedroom apartment, and even purchased her first couch to prove to her mom she’s now an adult. If life is anything like gambling, this job is the equivalent of a royal flush. However, there’s Babette, a unibrow secretary with bad breath who wants Calyssa fired. For whatever reason, Babette’s boss, Mr. Grunt—the founder and CEO of Shred Unread—wants to see Calyssa first thing Monday morning, three days from now. To get her fired, for sure. Calyssa can’t afford to be fired. What would her mom think? True, Amelia is dead, but still. Calyssa has always wondered whether Amelia is in hell or in heaven, and most importantly, whether there’s any alcohol. Calyssa must keep her job. Whatever it takes. The only person who can protect Calyssa is her boss Adam, who’s vacationing in Hawaii. But, what if Adam declines to speak up for her? To be safe, Calyssa decides to blackmail him, a task for which she’ll go to Hawaii, find him and get him drunk, and take some provocative photos of him naked—an idea empowered by the delicious apple martinis. This is how Calyssa ends up in Honolulu with a stolen fish, a black cat, a liar, a stripper, and a gambler—searching for Adam—to only learn that Hawaii is indeed a land of creation, but also a land of destruction.

477 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2015

Reviews

[Nichole Streeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kendall Taylor's book, 'Once upon an Apple Martini' has it all. The exploration of various relationship dynamics including modern family, friendship, and I saw it very much a metaphor for a young persons transition into the world of adulthood and the large messes that the main character finds herself in echo the different struggles that every man and woman faces as they start to grow up and have to face the real world.

Albeit what Calyssa goes through may be to the extreme, the author paints a picture of a glorious adventure that beautifully and humorously makes this lesson come to life for us.

A book with three dimensional characters that are not too cliche or too bland are the icing on the cake for this book, and without the various main and supporting characters within this novel, Taylor would not have effectively been able to do what she set forth to do with this book.

I really enjoyed this book, and finished it in an entire weekend. It was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing more from this author in the near future. She has definitely made my watch list. I give this 5 stars, and highly recommend it.