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The To-Do List
Between unending housework and thankless efforts to appease a loutish husband and acid-tongue teens, Ginny Cooper’s to-do list never seems to get done. Her guilty pleasure—fantasizing about her husband’s demise—her weakness—the drive-thru at Arby’s. On the job as head librarian at the county’s obsolete library, tedium reigns. One afternoon Ginny innocently stumbles upon a dating website, where the rabbit hole awaits.
Who is Ginny Cooper? She is every woman who knows the exact number of calories in a Snickers bar, every woman who has ever struggled with her weight. She is every woman who has grappled with the gray areas, every woman who has wanted to escape her own life. At times the reader will want to reach between the pages, shake her, and talk some sense into her. But Ginny will have to navigate her own road. And through it all, we root for her.
Ginny’s childhood memories of her fading hometown provide a bittersweet backdrop for The To-Do List.
Who is Ginny Cooper? She is every woman who knows the exact number of calories in a Snickers bar, every woman who has ever struggled with her weight. She is every woman who has grappled with the gray areas, every woman who has wanted to escape her own life. At times the reader will want to reach between the pages, shake her, and talk some sense into her. But Ginny will have to navigate her own road. And through it all, we root for her.
Ginny’s childhood memories of her fading hometown provide a bittersweet backdrop for The To-Do List.
- GenresFiction
Audiobook
First published December 23, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 3, 2017
This is the book that did it, the one that made me want to invent a negative star rating system because I hated it so much that it was the audio version of watching a train wreck that only seemed to get worse by jumping the track and going down Main Street, taking out little old ladies and puppies along the way.
I'll be quite frank with you, I hated this book. If it were possible to give a negative star rating, something I've never hoped for before, even in the case of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, this would be the book. Therefore, things might get a little rant-like at times. I encourage you to bear with me because I have reasons for hating it as much as I do and I'll explain them.
First, let me start with some not quite so horrible things.
Cover
This book is a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. It's a good cover in general, but for this particular book it was all wrong. Going by what I saw, I thought that it might be a murder mystery of some kind. Why you might ask? There's the titular to-do list with "Kill Cal" on it, a cleaver on the table, and blood dripping from the "t" in "List". It's the perfect cover for one of those "lite" mysteries that I imagined it to be. For the book it ended up being? It fails at conveying almost anything in relation to the book.
Narration (Sara K. Sheckells)
The sound quality of the narration was good. There was no static like quality to it and I could hear the narrator's enunciation well.
The narrator herself was something of a 50/50 situation. Her narration when not dealing with character voices was good. It was neither too high pitched nor too low. However, when she tackled the different characters, the male voices sounded quite fake. A good narrator should be able to, even with a different gendered character, present a decent front in their act, but I didn't get that in the portrayal of either Cal or Luke. Clark's stutter sounded accurate, but when his diction got better, his voice blended with the narrator's natural voice and faded into the background.
The women's voices were slightly better. They were each unique, at least, but the life behind them didn't feel special or particularly vivacious. Ginny's voice had a bit of a nasal, speaking-to-a-child-like quality to it that didn't make sense and probably added to the reasons why I didn't like her.
This is the first time I've heard this narrator and I might be willing to give her a chance again, but I think that I'd prefer it if it were a non-fiction book or one with no conversation, as that seems to be her weakness.
The Book - Plot
This part is going to be long. There will be SPOILERS and a Trigger Warning (sexual assault) within because I wrote notes as I was listening to this story and expounded upon the parts that bothered me, so fair warning. Also, I will make notes as to what percent I noted some things at, which pertain to the Audible version of this book, in case you decide to listen to this yourself.
Starting very early on in the story (7%), it was evident that the people in Ginny’s life were awful. I was still on her side in the beginning mostly because she only seemed to have one decent person around: her co-worker, Clark. Margie, her only other co-worker and one that she insinuates has the job because of her connections to the mother of Ginny’s boss, makes comments behind Ginny’s back that we overhear and is “subtly” rude to her face.
Ginny herself was a confusing character here too because she had issues with flip-flopping emotions regarding people and things, making it difficult to get a grasp on what she really felt about them or thought: i.e. first she says Margie is cold/distant, then she’s personable and able to get the children at the library they work in to listen; also Ginny’s comments about her leather shoes being unforgiving, then breaking in wonderfully, then horribly tight again. The inconsistencies in her observations of things made her a conundrum to me.
Things got worse because it became evident, once we met Ginny’s husband Cal (10-14%), that she was being emotionally abused. The problem with the handling of this subject in the book was that it wavered between possibly being severe underappreciation and downright emotional abuse. It takes so long for anyone to even hint at anything being wrong, let alone address the actual issue, that I couldn’t be sure if that was what the author was intending, for Ginny to be an emotionally abused character.
Noticing it before the characters did, though, made it easy to spot the parts in her life where it was affecting her (17%). It made it difficult for her to complete her job, for her to work with anyone at the library, including Margie and her boss, Owen.
At (24%), while Ginny is blind to her own situation, I am glad that she sees and tries to intervene for her daughter. It's heartbreaking to see her not realize that she's in the same position she's warning Kelly away from, which Kelly is smart enough to finally confront her on. Ginny's kids have grown up seeing her abused and thinking it's ok, which is why Kelly's in this pickle. After the night when this occurs, though, it gets dropped again and not really talked about, which seemed like an odd moment of clarity before getting swept under the rug again.
I was painfully aware of how done with this book I was at (28%), but little did I know that things would get worse. At (42%), the book took a turn from the unlikeable and boring to the downright disgusting. We’ve already established that Ginny is an abused character and given the visual marketing for this book, I would never have suspected that there was this kind of content within, but I have to include a TRIGGER WARNING for instances of sexual assault.
Cal rapes his wife and all Ginny is worried about is soothing his ego. If she hadn’t been set up as so damn unlikable earlier in the book, before the emotional abuse even took place, this might have had a different effect other than disgust. The fact that it happens and is never mentioned again, not even to Ginny’s divorce attorney later in the book, feels like a slap in the face. Such a traumatic event shouldn’t be used for shock value.
Ginny, at some point, thought that it would be interesting and fun to sign up for a trial subscription to a dating site. Okay, fine, but then she starts to lead one of the men on (44%). Doing so is a despicable action. She knows that he’s a real person and yet she pretends to be a real person, someone that can be with him for something like a date for coffee, when she is not. This is prior to her separation, so no, it’s no okay. It definitely would’ve been cheating, even with the sorry excuse for a husband she has. To make matters worse, she used a fake name and a fake picture, so right then she was cat fishing and I hated her for it. While I did feel sorry for Luke initially, once he does find out about her deception, he completely forgives her for it and they start moving towards dating. That is either completely unbelievable or the moment when I gave up on Luke as a serious person. How could he trust a thing she said when she admitted that everything they’d shared until that point was a lie, even her name?
To further why I don't like Ginny, despite her being a pitiable character at this stage in the book, she’s started constantly makes snide little remarks about people. Like Jackie, the receptionist at Curves and old friend (remakes about her "prepubescent" body). Like Margie, an elderly woman who, while admittedly not a great person, has hearing problems and can't cope as well these days.
Moving on in the book, once she’s separated from Cal and she’s thinking of dating Luke, she has this interaction with Jackie, her friend, that begins something in the narrative I felt was disturbing.
When Ginny is talking to Jackie about meeting Luke, she wonders if she’s racist because she reveals that Luke is black (which, to my memory, is the first time his race is ever mentioned) and she’s nervous. Jackie comments that she doesn’t think Ginny is racist, merely cautious because all women need to be cautious these days, especially if you’re meeting someone from online. That was said, I was done, moving on.
HOWEVER, then Ginny is waiting in the car prior to her date with Luke and is having second thoughts and, rather than thinking she’d made a mistake meeting a man from the Internet, she specifically states a black man from the Internet. While she’s not a vile racist spewing slurs all over the place, that statement right there is evidence there’s at least a little racism going on in that head of hers and excusing it under the guise of caution annoyed me. The author could’ve left Ginny’s thoughts at a man from the Internet, but by adding that note she added another layer of meaning and not a good one, rather a potentially harmful one that wasn’t necessary.
And while we’re on the subject, once she does meet Luke for the date, while I’m saying caution is good, Ginny throws what little she had, laced as it was with the aforementioned bad feeling, to the wind because she assumes that based on Luke’s appearance he couldn’t possibly be a rapist or a murderer. This has nothing to do with skin color, just his clean cut appearance. Dear God, woman, ANYONE can be a serial killer or rapist, have you not seen American Psycho? I don’t understand how Ginny could flip between these two extremes so quickly.
(87%) really highlighted something a genuinely foolish act on Ginny’s part that felt like the cherry on top of the hate I’d gathered for this character. She and Cal are moving on with the divorce. He has, at some point, found out about her trial dating service, and threatens to use that as leverage in the divorce (yet another thing that is mentioned once and never again). So, when Ginny finally does read the divorce contract that was served to her, she reads it carefully, apparently…and then signs it without showing it to her lawyer.
That was the single STUPIDEST thing I think she did in the entire book. She had no history with law, other than reading a couple of books in preparation for getting divorced, she knows nothing about the intricacies of a contract, but because she thinks it sounds fair after a couple of reads she decides to just go ahead and sign it without showing her lawyer. I was really hoping for something to back to bite her in the ass at that point because she would’ve deserved it for being so quick to sign and careless. She only thought about how foolish it was after she’d dropped the contract off in the mailbox.
After that horrible incident, things were starting to wrap up and I was coming to the conclusion that, while I felt sorry for Ginny because of the emotional abuse and disliked her for a great deal of other things, there was no way the author could make me hate her more. I was wrong. She holds a barbecue at her house, inviting some friends, and while that was nice, one of the people she invites is her old co-worker, Clark (he was downsized early on in the story) and his girlfriend Maya. Her treatment of Maya demonstrated that she puts down other people to, ostensibly, make herself feel better about being plus size (which is NOT a bad thing, but it’s her issue here).
(95%) When Clark shows up with his girlfriend, Maya, Ginny describes her as bland. Seeing as Ginny doesn’t know her very well and doesn’t have the slightest idea what the relationship is like, this was insulting. When she accepts the tulips that Maya brought and is out of the room, she was internally gleeful that Maya was bland. This haughty and bitchy reaction was due, in part, to Ginny believing that Clark had had, and might still have, a crush on her, which she enjoyed even though she hadn’t been in a position to act upon it.
Maya was among strangers and it never occurred to Ginny that maybe she’s uncomfortable around them. Ginny never had any interest in Clark as a love interest until he was taken by someone else. That was infuriating because, again, she has NO idea what Clark and Maya’s relationship is like outside of this one time she’s meeting her.
At the end, the very end, Ginny has decided to go to law school and start a practice to help abused women and their families. That was the best move she probably made the entire book.
The Book - Pacing
The book lagged so badly through the majority of the story. I would check the finished percentage fairly infrequently and still be astonished at how little progress was being made. The littlest things were dragged out, like Ginny's obsession with Arby's or her engaging with her dog; the trouble with Kelly that never really amounted to anything. She was never really punished, not in a meaningful way, nor did she have to see a counselor of any kind for her acting out behavior (pot smoking, excessive lying, etc). The only time a counselor was brought up was after the divorce papers were signed, when Kelly's whole demeanor had changed. It's like a light switch flipped and I still don't know why.
I think that a lot of the excess material from this book could have been removed, turning it into a novella, and maybe, MAYBE, it would have been salvageable. As it is, there's no way I'll consider picking up another book by this author. This was too bad of an experience to warrant trying again.
I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
I'll be quite frank with you, I hated this book. If it were possible to give a negative star rating, something I've never hoped for before, even in the case of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, this would be the book. Therefore, things might get a little rant-like at times. I encourage you to bear with me because I have reasons for hating it as much as I do and I'll explain them.
First, let me start with some not quite so horrible things.
Cover
This book is a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. It's a good cover in general, but for this particular book it was all wrong. Going by what I saw, I thought that it might be a murder mystery of some kind. Why you might ask? There's the titular to-do list with "Kill Cal" on it, a cleaver on the table, and blood dripping from the "t" in "List". It's the perfect cover for one of those "lite" mysteries that I imagined it to be. For the book it ended up being? It fails at conveying almost anything in relation to the book.
Narration (Sara K. Sheckells)
The sound quality of the narration was good. There was no static like quality to it and I could hear the narrator's enunciation well.
The narrator herself was something of a 50/50 situation. Her narration when not dealing with character voices was good. It was neither too high pitched nor too low. However, when she tackled the different characters, the male voices sounded quite fake. A good narrator should be able to, even with a different gendered character, present a decent front in their act, but I didn't get that in the portrayal of either Cal or Luke. Clark's stutter sounded accurate, but when his diction got better, his voice blended with the narrator's natural voice and faded into the background.
The women's voices were slightly better. They were each unique, at least, but the life behind them didn't feel special or particularly vivacious. Ginny's voice had a bit of a nasal, speaking-to-a-child-like quality to it that didn't make sense and probably added to the reasons why I didn't like her.
This is the first time I've heard this narrator and I might be willing to give her a chance again, but I think that I'd prefer it if it were a non-fiction book or one with no conversation, as that seems to be her weakness.
The Book - Plot
This part is going to be long. There will be SPOILERS and a Trigger Warning (sexual assault) within because I wrote notes as I was listening to this story and expounded upon the parts that bothered me, so fair warning. Also, I will make notes as to what percent I noted some things at, which pertain to the Audible version of this book, in case you decide to listen to this yourself.
Starting very early on in the story (7%), it was evident that the people in Ginny’s life were awful. I was still on her side in the beginning mostly because she only seemed to have one decent person around: her co-worker, Clark. Margie, her only other co-worker and one that she insinuates has the job because of her connections to the mother of Ginny’s boss, makes comments behind Ginny’s back that we overhear and is “subtly” rude to her face.
Ginny herself was a confusing character here too because she had issues with flip-flopping emotions regarding people and things, making it difficult to get a grasp on what she really felt about them or thought: i.e. first she says Margie is cold/distant, then she’s personable and able to get the children at the library they work in to listen; also Ginny’s comments about her leather shoes being unforgiving, then breaking in wonderfully, then horribly tight again. The inconsistencies in her observations of things made her a conundrum to me.
Things got worse because it became evident, once we met Ginny’s husband Cal (10-14%), that she was being emotionally abused. The problem with the handling of this subject in the book was that it wavered between possibly being severe underappreciation and downright emotional abuse. It takes so long for anyone to even hint at anything being wrong, let alone address the actual issue, that I couldn’t be sure if that was what the author was intending, for Ginny to be an emotionally abused character.
Noticing it before the characters did, though, made it easy to spot the parts in her life where it was affecting her (17%). It made it difficult for her to complete her job, for her to work with anyone at the library, including Margie and her boss, Owen.
At (24%), while Ginny is blind to her own situation, I am glad that she sees and tries to intervene for her daughter. It's heartbreaking to see her not realize that she's in the same position she's warning Kelly away from, which Kelly is smart enough to finally confront her on. Ginny's kids have grown up seeing her abused and thinking it's ok, which is why Kelly's in this pickle. After the night when this occurs, though, it gets dropped again and not really talked about, which seemed like an odd moment of clarity before getting swept under the rug again.
I was painfully aware of how done with this book I was at (28%), but little did I know that things would get worse. At (42%), the book took a turn from the unlikeable and boring to the downright disgusting. We’ve already established that Ginny is an abused character and given the visual marketing for this book, I would never have suspected that there was this kind of content within, but I have to include a TRIGGER WARNING for instances of sexual assault.
Cal rapes his wife and all Ginny is worried about is soothing his ego. If she hadn’t been set up as so damn unlikable earlier in the book, before the emotional abuse even took place, this might have had a different effect other than disgust. The fact that it happens and is never mentioned again, not even to Ginny’s divorce attorney later in the book, feels like a slap in the face. Such a traumatic event shouldn’t be used for shock value.
Ginny, at some point, thought that it would be interesting and fun to sign up for a trial subscription to a dating site. Okay, fine, but then she starts to lead one of the men on (44%). Doing so is a despicable action. She knows that he’s a real person and yet she pretends to be a real person, someone that can be with him for something like a date for coffee, when she is not. This is prior to her separation, so no, it’s no okay. It definitely would’ve been cheating, even with the sorry excuse for a husband she has. To make matters worse, she used a fake name and a fake picture, so right then she was cat fishing and I hated her for it. While I did feel sorry for Luke initially, once he does find out about her deception, he completely forgives her for it and they start moving towards dating. That is either completely unbelievable or the moment when I gave up on Luke as a serious person. How could he trust a thing she said when she admitted that everything they’d shared until that point was a lie, even her name?
To further why I don't like Ginny, despite her being a pitiable character at this stage in the book, she’s started constantly makes snide little remarks about people. Like Jackie, the receptionist at Curves and old friend (remakes about her "prepubescent" body). Like Margie, an elderly woman who, while admittedly not a great person, has hearing problems and can't cope as well these days.
Moving on in the book, once she’s separated from Cal and she’s thinking of dating Luke, she has this interaction with Jackie, her friend, that begins something in the narrative I felt was disturbing.
When Ginny is talking to Jackie about meeting Luke, she wonders if she’s racist because she reveals that Luke is black (which, to my memory, is the first time his race is ever mentioned) and she’s nervous. Jackie comments that she doesn’t think Ginny is racist, merely cautious because all women need to be cautious these days, especially if you’re meeting someone from online. That was said, I was done, moving on.
HOWEVER, then Ginny is waiting in the car prior to her date with Luke and is having second thoughts and, rather than thinking she’d made a mistake meeting a man from the Internet, she specifically states a black man from the Internet. While she’s not a vile racist spewing slurs all over the place, that statement right there is evidence there’s at least a little racism going on in that head of hers and excusing it under the guise of caution annoyed me. The author could’ve left Ginny’s thoughts at a man from the Internet, but by adding that note she added another layer of meaning and not a good one, rather a potentially harmful one that wasn’t necessary.
And while we’re on the subject, once she does meet Luke for the date, while I’m saying caution is good, Ginny throws what little she had, laced as it was with the aforementioned bad feeling, to the wind because she assumes that based on Luke’s appearance he couldn’t possibly be a rapist or a murderer. This has nothing to do with skin color, just his clean cut appearance. Dear God, woman, ANYONE can be a serial killer or rapist, have you not seen American Psycho? I don’t understand how Ginny could flip between these two extremes so quickly.
(87%) really highlighted something a genuinely foolish act on Ginny’s part that felt like the cherry on top of the hate I’d gathered for this character. She and Cal are moving on with the divorce. He has, at some point, found out about her trial dating service, and threatens to use that as leverage in the divorce (yet another thing that is mentioned once and never again). So, when Ginny finally does read the divorce contract that was served to her, she reads it carefully, apparently…and then signs it without showing it to her lawyer.
That was the single STUPIDEST thing I think she did in the entire book. She had no history with law, other than reading a couple of books in preparation for getting divorced, she knows nothing about the intricacies of a contract, but because she thinks it sounds fair after a couple of reads she decides to just go ahead and sign it without showing her lawyer. I was really hoping for something to back to bite her in the ass at that point because she would’ve deserved it for being so quick to sign and careless. She only thought about how foolish it was after she’d dropped the contract off in the mailbox.
After that horrible incident, things were starting to wrap up and I was coming to the conclusion that, while I felt sorry for Ginny because of the emotional abuse and disliked her for a great deal of other things, there was no way the author could make me hate her more. I was wrong. She holds a barbecue at her house, inviting some friends, and while that was nice, one of the people she invites is her old co-worker, Clark (he was downsized early on in the story) and his girlfriend Maya. Her treatment of Maya demonstrated that she puts down other people to, ostensibly, make herself feel better about being plus size (which is NOT a bad thing, but it’s her issue here).
(95%) When Clark shows up with his girlfriend, Maya, Ginny describes her as bland. Seeing as Ginny doesn’t know her very well and doesn’t have the slightest idea what the relationship is like, this was insulting. When she accepts the tulips that Maya brought and is out of the room, she was internally gleeful that Maya was bland. This haughty and bitchy reaction was due, in part, to Ginny believing that Clark had had, and might still have, a crush on her, which she enjoyed even though she hadn’t been in a position to act upon it.
Maya was among strangers and it never occurred to Ginny that maybe she’s uncomfortable around them. Ginny never had any interest in Clark as a love interest until he was taken by someone else. That was infuriating because, again, she has NO idea what Clark and Maya’s relationship is like outside of this one time she’s meeting her.
At the end, the very end, Ginny has decided to go to law school and start a practice to help abused women and their families. That was the best move she probably made the entire book.
The Book - Pacing
The book lagged so badly through the majority of the story. I would check the finished percentage fairly infrequently and still be astonished at how little progress was being made. The littlest things were dragged out, like Ginny's obsession with Arby's or her engaging with her dog; the trouble with Kelly that never really amounted to anything. She was never really punished, not in a meaningful way, nor did she have to see a counselor of any kind for her acting out behavior (pot smoking, excessive lying, etc). The only time a counselor was brought up was after the divorce papers were signed, when Kelly's whole demeanor had changed. It's like a light switch flipped and I still don't know why.
I think that a lot of the excess material from this book could have been removed, turning it into a novella, and maybe, MAYBE, it would have been salvageable. As it is, there's no way I'll consider picking up another book by this author. This was too bad of an experience to warrant trying again.
I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
June 4, 2018
This was a fun, easy to listen to, enjoyable chick lit. Well written and well narrated.
I found this a humorous and wittily written journey following Ginny as she re-evaluates her life and takes a journey of rediscovery. Throughout her journey Ginny discovers that she has a previously unrealised strength to take control of her life and improve her situation. This could have been a full on drama but JC Miller's wit and humour make this a far more enjoyable listen.
Sara K. Sheckells made this a pleasure to listen to with her talented vocal acting.
I received a copy of this audiobook through The Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review.
I found this a humorous and wittily written journey following Ginny as she re-evaluates her life and takes a journey of rediscovery. Throughout her journey Ginny discovers that she has a previously unrealised strength to take control of her life and improve her situation. This could have been a full on drama but JC Miller's wit and humour make this a far more enjoyable listen.
Sara K. Sheckells made this a pleasure to listen to with her talented vocal acting.
I received a copy of this audiobook through The Audiobookworm in exchange for my honest review.
March 4, 2015
Is Ginny Cooper running her life, or is her life running her?
Ginny Cooper wears many hats in her life: a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and librarian. Her daily to-do list is never ending, and somewhere along the way she has lost the sense of who she was, while becoming everything to everyone in her family. Between Snicker bars and Arbys, failed diets, struggling with her weight, and dysfunctional family drama, Ginny wants to escape her life, so she embarks on a personal journey of rediscovering herself and taking back control of her life!
In The To-Do List, author JC Miller weaves a realistic tale mixed with humor, wit, and sassiness that captures the true essence of one woman's life that many women can relate to. The reader follows Ginny's story as she struggles to be everything to everyone in her family and career, until she finally realizes that somewhere along the way she has lost herself, and decides to embark on a journey to take back control of her life.
As I followed Ginny's story, I found myself connecting with her on so many levels, especially my love of Snickers, Arby's roast beef sandwiches, making lists, and dealing with the never ending and unappreciated daily trials and tribulations ... damn JC, did you peek into my life? lol Ginny's story can be anyone's story, you'll find yourself shaking your head in recognition of some part of your life in her story, and you can't help but cheer Ginny on as her inspirational personal journey leads her back to her true self.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
Ginny Cooper wears many hats in her life: a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and librarian. Her daily to-do list is never ending, and somewhere along the way she has lost the sense of who she was, while becoming everything to everyone in her family. Between Snicker bars and Arbys, failed diets, struggling with her weight, and dysfunctional family drama, Ginny wants to escape her life, so she embarks on a personal journey of rediscovering herself and taking back control of her life!
In The To-Do List, author JC Miller weaves a realistic tale mixed with humor, wit, and sassiness that captures the true essence of one woman's life that many women can relate to. The reader follows Ginny's story as she struggles to be everything to everyone in her family and career, until she finally realizes that somewhere along the way she has lost herself, and decides to embark on a journey to take back control of her life.
As I followed Ginny's story, I found myself connecting with her on so many levels, especially my love of Snickers, Arby's roast beef sandwiches, making lists, and dealing with the never ending and unappreciated daily trials and tribulations ... damn JC, did you peek into my life? lol Ginny's story can be anyone's story, you'll find yourself shaking your head in recognition of some part of your life in her story, and you can't help but cheer Ginny on as her inspirational personal journey leads her back to her true self.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Chick Lit Plus Blog Tours.
http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot...
October 24, 2017
I wonder how many women in America are like Ginny Cooper: miserable in their marriage, afraid to speak up and stand up to their emotionally abusive husbands. After so many years their soul shrivels into little worms, and it will take a serious amount of momentum and self-determination to get out of their situation.
This book has made me take special notice of my marriage. I am fortunate to have a very strong wife who is not afraid to stand up to me if I upset or offend her in any way, and I feel our relationship is stronger and long-lasting because of it. However, Ginny is the polar opposite of my wife: meek, timid, afraid to stand up for herself, and it’s frustration being an observer to this.
The To-Do List was a very interesting listen. It was a linear story - there were no twists or turns. But it was a tale that peeked into the life of an abused woman and how she mentally coped with it, and how she turned it around. I think it’s hilarious how she never got anything done. Her to-do list remained static for most of the book. As a fellow procrastinator I understand!
As the narrator, Sara Sheckells did an outstanding job. I love how she integrated the personality of each character into her voice. Cal was a prick in the story, and Sheckells made me want to punch him every time he opened his mouth. He kids Kevin and Kelly were the typical parent-averting, tech-savvy disrespectful teenagers of today’s generation, and Sheckells nailed their acts.
This audiobook was gifted to me in exchange for an unbiased review.
This book has made me take special notice of my marriage. I am fortunate to have a very strong wife who is not afraid to stand up to me if I upset or offend her in any way, and I feel our relationship is stronger and long-lasting because of it. However, Ginny is the polar opposite of my wife: meek, timid, afraid to stand up for herself, and it’s frustration being an observer to this.
The To-Do List was a very interesting listen. It was a linear story - there were no twists or turns. But it was a tale that peeked into the life of an abused woman and how she mentally coped with it, and how she turned it around. I think it’s hilarious how she never got anything done. Her to-do list remained static for most of the book. As a fellow procrastinator I understand!
As the narrator, Sara Sheckells did an outstanding job. I love how she integrated the personality of each character into her voice. Cal was a prick in the story, and Sheckells made me want to punch him every time he opened his mouth. He kids Kevin and Kelly were the typical parent-averting, tech-savvy disrespectful teenagers of today’s generation, and Sheckells nailed their acts.
This audiobook was gifted to me in exchange for an unbiased review.
August 7, 2020
This book was so good except the ending. Not to mention they left things unsaid and undone. There is so much I want to say about this book but it is all let the ending and I was very disappointed and felt like I wasted my time. Let me just say this there was one guy who she realizes she has feelings for and it is mentioned more than once, but there was no resolution to it then there was another Who it was made out as if he was a dream guy and he showed interest in her yeah there was no chemistry put the paper. Plus I found a conversation stilted despite the fact in the book it says they had a easy camaraderie between them I didn’t find that at all and there was no resolution to it. Not to mention at the end of the book that made it like it was all about her love for her town Linton, yeah that is not at all with the whole 8 1/2 hour book was about. Yes I get the ending but what about… And what about… I don’t want to put any spoilers as I hate when reviewer’s do that but man I am so disappointed in the ending of this book. I am mostly just disappointed though, because it was ramping up to be one of the best books I have ever read but then it got to the ending and it landed flat.😞 let me nut in withoot mentioning what a great narrator they had for this book Had it been a great ending this would’ve been a really great book. I totally get the ending oh yes wait and let me say her husband who was a big jerk never got his comeuppance he should have God is due and that would’ve been a great addition to the ending but no oh no he never gets it. So disappointing!
March 15, 2017
The To-Do List :
JC Miller
Ginny is in the sandwich generation, worrying over parents and sometimes rebellious teenagers. She works full time as head librarian, runs a household all while being bullied by an arrogant husband. She makes to do lists that are never ending. She wants to escape her life. Ginny represents every woman at some point in their life. The author adds humor to keep this from being a total downer. I couldn't stop once I started. I'll definitely look for more from this author.
The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.Sara K. Sheckells was wonderful at bringing this story alive!
"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."
JC Miller
Ginny is in the sandwich generation, worrying over parents and sometimes rebellious teenagers. She works full time as head librarian, runs a household all while being bullied by an arrogant husband. She makes to do lists that are never ending. She wants to escape her life. Ginny represents every woman at some point in their life. The author adds humor to keep this from being a total downer. I couldn't stop once I started. I'll definitely look for more from this author.
The narration was well done.The characters were well portrayed.Sara K. Sheckells was wonderful at bringing this story alive!
"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."
August 3, 2017
This book came through in a free/bargain books newsletter I subscribe to and I decided to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did! The characters are alive! Ginny is your average mom, wife, and working woman and then one day something inside her changes. She is fierce, she is brave, she is ballsy! I couldn't stop reading this book until I was finished and then I was sad it was over. I'll definitely be reading more from this artist! Her writing was so descriptive that I felt like I was there and knew these characters.
April 25, 2020
Mom of teens trying to juggle life and relying on lists to help her accomplish daily tasks.one day she finally has had enough about feeling bad about EVERYTHING and she finally opens herself up to possibilities.
March 5, 2015
Review originally posted on my blog www.livinglifewithjoy.com
The To-Do List is a funny story about what happens when your life falls apart from a crumbling marriage. Written with wit and humor, I was drawn into the story within the first few pages. 41-year-old Ginny finds herself in a loveless marriage with an emotional bully and pathetic excuse of a husband that’s constantly berating her about her weight. She drives a cluttered minivan, works at the local library, and has an affinity for making to-do lists. Up until now, she’s continued to go about her existence as a wife and mother to their two teenagers, Kelly and Kevin.
When she finds her life falling apart, she has no choice but to continue to move forward and on with her life, or what’s left of it. Life is funny though, the things that seem like terrible luck sometimes turn out to be blessings in disguise. At first Ginny seems a bit pathetic when it comes to her husband and her family, but as I read on, I began to pity the poor woman. Up until her husband makes a life-altering decision, Ginny lived with her hand in the sand and pretended that if she didn’t pay attention to something, that it wasn’t really happening.
Does time heal all wounds? Maybe, maybe not. But it definitely helps when you have no choice but to move on with your life. Marriage should be filled with love and respect for one another and when that isn’t the case, things have to change. Change can be a good thing, it can bring you to a happier place in your life and improve your life for the better.
This novel reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones’s Diary. I loved how Ginny starts off in the story by counting calories for everything she ate and always over-indulging in unhealthy food. As her life begins to change, she stops keeping track of calories and starts eating to fuel her body and feel good in her own skin. Interesting factor in the story that her weight may have been a defense mechanism to her unhappy marriage. I found it interesting to see how Ginny’s life evolves and changes into something different, something that she never could have foreseen happening.
The To-Do List left me with a smile on my face and I enjoyed the humor throughout the story. Four stars for this fun and quick read.
The To-Do List is a funny story about what happens when your life falls apart from a crumbling marriage. Written with wit and humor, I was drawn into the story within the first few pages. 41-year-old Ginny finds herself in a loveless marriage with an emotional bully and pathetic excuse of a husband that’s constantly berating her about her weight. She drives a cluttered minivan, works at the local library, and has an affinity for making to-do lists. Up until now, she’s continued to go about her existence as a wife and mother to their two teenagers, Kelly and Kevin.
When she finds her life falling apart, she has no choice but to continue to move forward and on with her life, or what’s left of it. Life is funny though, the things that seem like terrible luck sometimes turn out to be blessings in disguise. At first Ginny seems a bit pathetic when it comes to her husband and her family, but as I read on, I began to pity the poor woman. Up until her husband makes a life-altering decision, Ginny lived with her hand in the sand and pretended that if she didn’t pay attention to something, that it wasn’t really happening.
Does time heal all wounds? Maybe, maybe not. But it definitely helps when you have no choice but to move on with your life. Marriage should be filled with love and respect for one another and when that isn’t the case, things have to change. Change can be a good thing, it can bring you to a happier place in your life and improve your life for the better.
This novel reminded me a bit of Bridget Jones’s Diary. I loved how Ginny starts off in the story by counting calories for everything she ate and always over-indulging in unhealthy food. As her life begins to change, she stops keeping track of calories and starts eating to fuel her body and feel good in her own skin. Interesting factor in the story that her weight may have been a defense mechanism to her unhappy marriage. I found it interesting to see how Ginny’s life evolves and changes into something different, something that she never could have foreseen happening.
The To-Do List left me with a smile on my face and I enjoyed the humor throughout the story. Four stars for this fun and quick read.
February 19, 2015
I don’t like the words we have in English to describe middle-aged women. Cougar? Crone? Grandma? Even if you discount the sexual connotations of cougar, we’re still not the heroines of the epic romance story. The best we can hope for is the relationship story.
And that’s where JC Miller comes in. Her books give life and voice—not to mention humor—to what the French call femmes d’une certaine age. Her latest release, The To-Do List, stars the irresistible Ginny Cooper, wife/mother/librarian/daughter/friend/failed-dieter. On her never-ending to-do list—the last vestige of her attempt to label the life she can no longer control—the first six items are no more achievable than the last one.
As she stumbles through the next months, Ginny sees her marriage, job, and relationship with her children crumble. But even as that’s happening, the items on her list start to tell a different story. Her husband’s furious diatribe about Ginny’s failure to pick up his dry cleaning finally accomplishes what years of list-making could not, and the list item pick up dry cleaning changes to3. Pick up dry cleaning. In hell-hahahaha.
Slowly, painfully the list is whittled down. While clean garage will probably never make it off the list, we can tell that Ginny is finally on the way to being the owner of her to-do list and her life.
The To-Do List would have been almost painful to read if it wasn’t for JC Miller’s humor and wit. With those, I immediately recognized Ginny. She’s my sister, my friend, my colleague, myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to give this five stars, and congratulate Miller on creating a novel where the successful relationship Ginny finally achieves is with herself.
*I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
And that’s where JC Miller comes in. Her books give life and voice—not to mention humor—to what the French call femmes d’une certaine age. Her latest release, The To-Do List, stars the irresistible Ginny Cooper, wife/mother/librarian/daughter/friend/failed-dieter. On her never-ending to-do list—the last vestige of her attempt to label the life she can no longer control—the first six items are no more achievable than the last one.
Monday
April 28
To-Do List
1. Sign up for Curves!
2. Quit eating sugar.
3. Clean garage.
4. Call Mom.
5. Wash van.
6. Buy milk.
7. Kill Cal.
As she stumbles through the next months, Ginny sees her marriage, job, and relationship with her children crumble. But even as that’s happening, the items on her list start to tell a different story. Her husband’s furious diatribe about Ginny’s failure to pick up his dry cleaning finally accomplishes what years of list-making could not, and the list item pick up dry cleaning changes to
Slowly, painfully the list is whittled down. While clean garage will probably never make it off the list, we can tell that Ginny is finally on the way to being the owner of her to-do list and her life.
The To-Do List would have been almost painful to read if it wasn’t for JC Miller’s humor and wit. With those, I immediately recognized Ginny. She’s my sister, my friend, my colleague, myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to give this five stars, and congratulate Miller on creating a novel where the successful relationship Ginny finally achieves is with herself.
*I received this book for free from the publisher or author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
March 3, 2015
Review originally posted on Hello Precious Bliss on March 2, 2015.
When I saw the sign up for this tour, I had no idea what I was getting into with this one, but it involved lists so I couldn’t resist! Fortunately, I was not disappointed. Lists galore!
The story starts out with Ginny Cooper creating her to-do list for the day. Ok. So far, so good! The last item on her list is to “Kill Cal”. Kill her husband? What kind of book did I sign up to read? Did I even read that right? Just keep reading. Yup, read it right. Fortunately she changes her mind on that one. Phew. Anyways, the story continues to show us her marital and familial issues. Her husband is a jerk, her kids are teens. We get to see how she handles both of those issues, and I’m happy to say, I’m a bit proud of her for her end results. You’ll have to read to see what I mean there. Not about to give out the super spoilers. ;) I always try to find a way that I can relate to the story. I’m not married and I don’t have kids so other than the lists and her love of books(!!! How could I forget to mention that she worked at a library?!), I was afraid I wouldn’t have much else. This bit might be construed as spoilery but Ginny reconnects with her best friend from High School. Recently, I reconnected with a very good friend and that little connection with the book made it worth reading! All the warm fuzzies!
Overall, I’m glad I bit on this tour sign up. The story was great and did have me guessing at a few points throughout! I can’t tell if this story was set up for a sequel or not. If it was, I’ll gladly read the next!
**I received this book for free from CLP Blog Tours and JC Miller in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
When I saw the sign up for this tour, I had no idea what I was getting into with this one, but it involved lists so I couldn’t resist! Fortunately, I was not disappointed. Lists galore!
The story starts out with Ginny Cooper creating her to-do list for the day. Ok. So far, so good! The last item on her list is to “Kill Cal”. Kill her husband? What kind of book did I sign up to read? Did I even read that right? Just keep reading. Yup, read it right. Fortunately she changes her mind on that one. Phew. Anyways, the story continues to show us her marital and familial issues. Her husband is a jerk, her kids are teens. We get to see how she handles both of those issues, and I’m happy to say, I’m a bit proud of her for her end results. You’ll have to read to see what I mean there. Not about to give out the super spoilers. ;) I always try to find a way that I can relate to the story. I’m not married and I don’t have kids so other than the lists and her love of books(!!! How could I forget to mention that she worked at a library?!), I was afraid I wouldn’t have much else. This bit might be construed as spoilery but Ginny reconnects with her best friend from High School. Recently, I reconnected with a very good friend and that little connection with the book made it worth reading! All the warm fuzzies!
Overall, I’m glad I bit on this tour sign up. The story was great and did have me guessing at a few points throughout! I can’t tell if this story was set up for a sequel or not. If it was, I’ll gladly read the next!
**I received this book for free from CLP Blog Tours and JC Miller in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
January 26, 2015
This book tells the story of Ginny, a 41 year old librarian. Ginny's children are teenagers who pretty much think she knows nothing. She has a husband who expects her to do everything, as he is the "breadwinner" in the family. She is very much unappreciated by her family.
The synopsis does mention the fact that she stumbles onto a dating website, but that is not the main element in this story, although it is very much part of the story. For the most part, this story tells of Ginny's transformation from being a brow-beaten wife and mother to very much taking control of her life. The author very much captures what some women at the age feel - the tedium of her job, the exasperation felt toward her kids and her husband, dealing with your husband by saying what you know he wants to hear, just to avoid an argument. I connected to this woman because sometimes, it seems as though the wife is expected to do so much without appreciation. Further, it seems dad, who in this story is very much a jerk, gets to be the hero even though mom is the force behind, well - everything.
Once again, I give kudos to this author and her attention to detail. It is amazing how she can describe something as simple as putting on a kettle of water for tea and makes it sound fascinating. Her her descriptive style enriches the story.
I have to say that I do not think this book is for people who mostly read NA novels or romances. If those are your main source of reading material, this book is not for you. However, if you love chick lit or women's fiction, and especially feeling unappreciated as a wife and mother - you will find yourself connecting with Ginny and rooting for her.
The synopsis does mention the fact that she stumbles onto a dating website, but that is not the main element in this story, although it is very much part of the story. For the most part, this story tells of Ginny's transformation from being a brow-beaten wife and mother to very much taking control of her life. The author very much captures what some women at the age feel - the tedium of her job, the exasperation felt toward her kids and her husband, dealing with your husband by saying what you know he wants to hear, just to avoid an argument. I connected to this woman because sometimes, it seems as though the wife is expected to do so much without appreciation. Further, it seems dad, who in this story is very much a jerk, gets to be the hero even though mom is the force behind, well - everything.
Once again, I give kudos to this author and her attention to detail. It is amazing how she can describe something as simple as putting on a kettle of water for tea and makes it sound fascinating. Her her descriptive style enriches the story.
I have to say that I do not think this book is for people who mostly read NA novels or romances. If those are your main source of reading material, this book is not for you. However, if you love chick lit or women's fiction, and especially feeling unappreciated as a wife and mother - you will find yourself connecting with Ginny and rooting for her.
March 8, 2015
Ok, I am in love with the lead character Ginny Cooper, she is a Librarian!! Jealous much!? Enough in to the book, I learn that jealousy fades.
This is JC Millers third novel that I have had the pleasure to read. She has a special way of making her main characters truly recognizable; they will either remind you of yourself, or someone you know. You will have Ginny’s back and be rooting for her the whole time.
This is the story of a 41-year-old woman that is the wife of a “not-so-nice” man/husband Cal, the Mom of two teenagers, Kelly and Kevin. She lives her life by making “to-do lists”, just to get by. Phone calls, groceries, dry clean pick-ups and even Killing Cal are on her lists. There needs to be a List App named for her...Haha.
There is a lot to be said for reading stories of women that are going through personal distress, and come out swinging! And, Ginny is not about to just settle for her life as it is!! So, I suggest that you grab this book and find out what she does to overcome her inner and outer battles, or has any that should remain the same.
Ginny is tired of watching her weight by counting calories, overeating anyway, listening to her family complain about almost everything, and live a life that is just not fun. She will find it, but you know I cannot tell you how…It is worth the read. I will tell you that her past does come back….but, who?
JC Miller has not ever let me down, she is a very talented story-teller, full of witty banter and serious entertainment. Her books are quick to read…but, it may be because I just get so wrapped up in her story that I don’t want to put it down.
I dare you to try!
September 20, 2015
Ginny is an interesting character. We watch her stagnate, suffer, and grow. Many relationships involving emotional bullying and/or domestic violence happen in private and are maintained by silence. Here, the author shows us Ginny's inner dialog as she moves toward independence. We watch her struggle against society's expectations. We see her repeated disappointments and her resilience in the face of them. I liked this book and believe it could provide excellent opportunities for book club members to discuss all sorts of topics, such as troubled relationships, self-worth, inertia, emotional overeating, self-care, domestic violence, verbal abuse, societal pressures, and more.
January 7, 2015
I loved it! J.C. Miller is one of my favorite authors. I've loved every book she's written. If you love reading about the complications of human relations, and like your books to end happily, J.C. Miller is for you. In the To Do List, Ginny doesn't "Kill Cal", but she does turn her life into one worth living.
March 4, 2015
Ginny is a 41 year old, under appreciated wife and mother. Her life changes when she discovers an online dating site.
This is a hilarious chick-lit novel about a woman facing her aging unhappy life. The author did a great job with the every day life a woman faces. She turns everyday events into roll-on-the-floor laughter, which most women can relate to.
A fun, quick read!!
This is a hilarious chick-lit novel about a woman facing her aging unhappy life. The author did a great job with the every day life a woman faces. She turns everyday events into roll-on-the-floor laughter, which most women can relate to.
A fun, quick read!!
November 15, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Ginny was very relatable and very funny! Quick. light read.
May 24, 2016
Sadly this went in my dnf pile. I really wanted to like this book. the reviews I read were pretty good. I just couldn't get into the book. it felt like I was reading and getting no where.
April 5, 2017
I think there's a little Ginny in most middle-aged women. Caught between teenage children, aging parents and struggles with her weight, Ginny is unhappy with her life. After escaping her abusive husband, she is able to forge a new life for herself and achieve the happiness that she deserves. Excellent writing and great narration! I enjoyed Ginny's journey and would recommend The To-Do List.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator. This review is my honest opinion.
April 10, 2017
Review originally published at: http://www.lomeraniel.com/audiobookre...
I have received this book in audio format from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Ginny's life is starting to crumble. She cannot keep her weight down, her husband is having an affair and her teenage son and daughter seem out of control. Things are not good either at the library where she works. Buried in a pile of tasks, Ginny makes a to-do list every morning, but in the end very little from it she can accomplish. She needs a change in her life, when she suddenly stumbles upon a dating site.
I really liked the premises of this book. A story about a woman in her forties reaching a dead end definitely has place for great events and personal growth. I somehow expected something grand to happen here to Ginny, but it is like that moment never came. I partly understood her attitude, as I have witnessed people in similar situations, and I expected something to click inside her at some point, but she made mistake after mistake, and at moments I just wanted to shake her and tell her to think things twice. I guess it is easy to see things from outside, and in the end, she indeed reacts, but we do not really witness that. We see that Ginny is a mess, Ginny improves a little but she is still a mess, and just at the end of the book, it is mentioned that she moved on and made a smart move. I somehow missed that final stage of the evolution, and felt that we were just given a part of the story.
The book is full of things that could have been but were not. Ginny is indeed scared of doing many things, but as I have said before, I missed the part of her evolution in which she dared to do new things. She had also suspicions about some of the other characters in the book, which not were explained, so I guess it was all in her mind, but I think a deeper character developing would have worked better here.
Something that felt strange to me when I started to listen to this book is that it was written in third person. I think a story like this one would have worked better in first person, and would have made us feel closer to the main character.
I really liked Sarah K. Sheckells' narration. She expressed very well Ginny's insecurities with her tone and cadence, as well as doing a great interpretation of the rest of characters. I have a small comment though. There was some background noise in general, that got a little worse at times. It was evident at the end of each chapter because there was a short instant of completely silence. I think adding the same background noise to those parts would have helped to mask it. I also felt the pause between chapters a bit abrupt and on the short side.
I enjoyed this book, even though I did expect more from it. Sheckells' narration has improved the final product and I am looking forward to listening to more books narrated by her.
I have received this book in audio format from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Ginny's life is starting to crumble. She cannot keep her weight down, her husband is having an affair and her teenage son and daughter seem out of control. Things are not good either at the library where she works. Buried in a pile of tasks, Ginny makes a to-do list every morning, but in the end very little from it she can accomplish. She needs a change in her life, when she suddenly stumbles upon a dating site.
I really liked the premises of this book. A story about a woman in her forties reaching a dead end definitely has place for great events and personal growth. I somehow expected something grand to happen here to Ginny, but it is like that moment never came. I partly understood her attitude, as I have witnessed people in similar situations, and I expected something to click inside her at some point, but she made mistake after mistake, and at moments I just wanted to shake her and tell her to think things twice. I guess it is easy to see things from outside, and in the end, she indeed reacts, but we do not really witness that. We see that Ginny is a mess, Ginny improves a little but she is still a mess, and just at the end of the book, it is mentioned that she moved on and made a smart move. I somehow missed that final stage of the evolution, and felt that we were just given a part of the story.
The book is full of things that could have been but were not. Ginny is indeed scared of doing many things, but as I have said before, I missed the part of her evolution in which she dared to do new things. She had also suspicions about some of the other characters in the book, which not were explained, so I guess it was all in her mind, but I think a deeper character developing would have worked better here.
Something that felt strange to me when I started to listen to this book is that it was written in third person. I think a story like this one would have worked better in first person, and would have made us feel closer to the main character.
I really liked Sarah K. Sheckells' narration. She expressed very well Ginny's insecurities with her tone and cadence, as well as doing a great interpretation of the rest of characters. I have a small comment though. There was some background noise in general, that got a little worse at times. It was evident at the end of each chapter because there was a short instant of completely silence. I think adding the same background noise to those parts would have helped to mask it. I also felt the pause between chapters a bit abrupt and on the short side.
I enjoyed this book, even though I did expect more from it. Sheckells' narration has improved the final product and I am looking forward to listening to more books narrated by her.
April 24, 2017
Ginny never seems to finish her daily to-do list, between daily life and the fantasies of killing her husband she somehow never manages to get around to cleaning the garage and car. Ginny is the mother of 2 teenagers and the head librarian in a county with a library that sees very little daily business. She also has a husband that is nothing but critical of her, always complaining that she is too fat, doesn't dress right and can't seem to do everything around the house while holding down a full time job. Ginny does manage to check off joining Curves from her to-do list and in the process reconnects with a childhood friend. However she never actually manages to go to Curves and get in that first workout. I often wanted to just yell at Ginny your husband is abusive get rid of him. She does eventually get the much needed divorce.
One day at work while playing on the internet to kill some time Ginny lands on a dating website. She creates a fake profile and starts playing around. Eventually she decides to meet one of the people from the site, however she does have to explain to him why she looks nothing like her profile picture. She does wait to actually meet him until she is going through her divorce but is uncomfortable dating while still technically married. She also says she is not sure she will ever be ready to date again.
Ginny does eventually learn to move on with her life. She gets a divorce, realizes how abusive and manipulative her husband has always been to her and starts finding her own way in the world. I was left with the feeling that Ginny would be much happier with her life but I was also left feeling a little unsatisfied as to exactly what that new life would be.
I received this book for free from the publisher/author in exchange for my honest review.
One day at work while playing on the internet to kill some time Ginny lands on a dating website. She creates a fake profile and starts playing around. Eventually she decides to meet one of the people from the site, however she does have to explain to him why she looks nothing like her profile picture. She does wait to actually meet him until she is going through her divorce but is uncomfortable dating while still technically married. She also says she is not sure she will ever be ready to date again.
Ginny does eventually learn to move on with her life. She gets a divorce, realizes how abusive and manipulative her husband has always been to her and starts finding her own way in the world. I was left with the feeling that Ginny would be much happier with her life but I was also left feeling a little unsatisfied as to exactly what that new life would be.
I received this book for free from the publisher/author in exchange for my honest review.
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