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Avoiding The Pity Party
Where witty complications and comedic chaos occurs when you find yourself stuck living with your quirky family…
Deanne Harrison wants to hide from the world after shattering her fairytale romance by publicly outing her cheating fiancé in the middle of her own wedding. Then, while trying to suffer in silence during her honeymoon of heartbreak at home, Deanne is forced to deal with a bad boy issue, her big brother, and her bridesmaids, in a freakish family intervention.
Just when she thinks she’s got it all together, Sean, a handsome stranger she’d deliciously kissed once, re-enters her life. More dating disasters are the last thing Deanne needs. Yet, amidst the chaos of comedic proportions, they discover a secret saboteur is threatening to destroy Deanne.
Can Deanne save the family business, break a clan-conjured-curse, all while avoiding Sean, her big brother, Jimmy, and the rest of the backyard botherers?
If you enjoy quirky characters and witty complications that test the routines of daily life, you’ll love Avoiding the Pity Party, where surviving the break-up blues in suburbia is filled with inspirational heartfelt fun!
Deanne Harrison wants to hide from the world after shattering her fairytale romance by publicly outing her cheating fiancé in the middle of her own wedding. Then, while trying to suffer in silence during her honeymoon of heartbreak at home, Deanne is forced to deal with a bad boy issue, her big brother, and her bridesmaids, in a freakish family intervention.
Just when she thinks she’s got it all together, Sean, a handsome stranger she’d deliciously kissed once, re-enters her life. More dating disasters are the last thing Deanne needs. Yet, amidst the chaos of comedic proportions, they discover a secret saboteur is threatening to destroy Deanne.
Can Deanne save the family business, break a clan-conjured-curse, all while avoiding Sean, her big brother, Jimmy, and the rest of the backyard botherers?
If you enjoy quirky characters and witty complications that test the routines of daily life, you’ll love Avoiding the Pity Party, where surviving the break-up blues in suburbia is filled with inspirational heartfelt fun!
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First published March 16, 2018
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30 people want to read
About the author
Mel A. Rowe
30 books66 followersAustralian Bestselling Author, Mel A ROWE creates romantic escapes for today’s busy readers to enjoy from the comfort of their home.
Living in Australia’s final frontier, the Northern Territory, it’s her love of the Outback that fuels her addiction for random road trips, while fumbling with her camera, and singing badly from her many playlists. Mel also has a knack for making friends in the middle of nowhere—except for water buffalos. She’s been chased by a few.
To learn more about Mel find her at MelAROWE.COM
Living in Australia’s final frontier, the Northern Territory, it’s her love of the Outback that fuels her addiction for random road trips, while fumbling with her camera, and singing badly from her many playlists. Mel also has a knack for making friends in the middle of nowhere—except for water buffalos. She’s been chased by a few.
To learn more about Mel find her at MelAROWE.COM
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 2, 2018
The author via Booktasters provided a copy of the ePub in exchange for an honest review.
Avoiding the Pity Party is a refreshing New Adult Contemporary fiction where the female protagonist is identifiable. Deanne is introduced as she is preparing to walk down the aisle. She does walk down the aisle, confronts her cheating fiancé and leaves the chapel. Wearing her wedding dress, she eventually finds herself in a bar and the reader meets Sean. An unexpected kiss changes everything for both characters.
The novel introduces the reader to Deanne’s world. She has a strong support system including but not limited to her family and her ‘Greatest-Girls-of-the-Galaxy’ girlfriends. She needs time to become herself again-- focused, ambitious, confident and comfortable in her own skin. She is likeable and real. The primary and secondary characters are well developed with strong and identifiable personalities. Their friendships and personal lives drive the novel. This well-written novel is character driven and does not disappoint. The short chapters move the story along quickly and the author draws the reader into Deanne’s healing journey. Mel A. Rowe is a talented storyteller. Readers will be hooked on this page-turner. Avoiding the Pity Party is a truly delightful read.
Avoiding the Pity Party is a refreshing New Adult Contemporary fiction where the female protagonist is identifiable. Deanne is introduced as she is preparing to walk down the aisle. She does walk down the aisle, confronts her cheating fiancé and leaves the chapel. Wearing her wedding dress, she eventually finds herself in a bar and the reader meets Sean. An unexpected kiss changes everything for both characters.
The novel introduces the reader to Deanne’s world. She has a strong support system including but not limited to her family and her ‘Greatest-Girls-of-the-Galaxy’ girlfriends. She needs time to become herself again-- focused, ambitious, confident and comfortable in her own skin. She is likeable and real. The primary and secondary characters are well developed with strong and identifiable personalities. Their friendships and personal lives drive the novel. This well-written novel is character driven and does not disappoint. The short chapters move the story along quickly and the author draws the reader into Deanne’s healing journey. Mel A. Rowe is a talented storyteller. Readers will be hooked on this page-turner. Avoiding the Pity Party is a truly delightful read.
November 17, 2018
i love humor, quirky comedy moments ... about real life ... i mean we are all living a real life ... we can see humor ... or should see humor in it all right??! relax and breathe ... now laugh!! gets me through every day life. what about u?
February 2, 2019
Couldn’t put it down. Really enjoyed how it played out.
April 14, 2018
The author via Booktasters provided a copy of the ePub in exchange for a honest review and I'm glad they did. I absolutely enjoyed reading this book. It is a fun lighthearted book and the chapters flow smoothly.
Deanne does the breast things a girl can do by wearing her wedding dress to a local dive bar. It is there that she meets the almost to good to be Sean. But the Greatest Girls of the Galaxy find her and save. She has a small dalliance with Johnny Walker Black Label her bad boyfriend. She had to end the relationship because he was just to much for her to handle. De as they call her has a great support system comprised of family and friends.
She works at the local hardware store in town which her father owns. The plants are her favorite part. Not going to tell you how Sean found her again but he did. He shows up at her job, her family home, and on her running trail.
Sean definitely has a past. But the chemistry between them is off the charts. This is were the mystery starts regarding a landscaping proposal and some robin's egg blue notes she keeps getting and they aren't from Tiffany's.
Deanne is definitely a heroine. She's smart, strong willed, and hard working.
If your looking for a good book, then I recommend you buy this book immediately.
It was a privilege to review this book from a talented writer. I am looking forward to reading more of Mel A Rowe's books in the future.
Deanne does the breast things a girl can do by wearing her wedding dress to a local dive bar. It is there that she meets the almost to good to be Sean. But the Greatest Girls of the Galaxy find her and save. She has a small dalliance with Johnny Walker Black Label her bad boyfriend. She had to end the relationship because he was just to much for her to handle. De as they call her has a great support system comprised of family and friends.
She works at the local hardware store in town which her father owns. The plants are her favorite part. Not going to tell you how Sean found her again but he did. He shows up at her job, her family home, and on her running trail.
Sean definitely has a past. But the chemistry between them is off the charts. This is were the mystery starts regarding a landscaping proposal and some robin's egg blue notes she keeps getting and they aren't from Tiffany's.
Deanne is definitely a heroine. She's smart, strong willed, and hard working.
If your looking for a good book, then I recommend you buy this book immediately.
It was a privilege to review this book from a talented writer. I am looking forward to reading more of Mel A Rowe's books in the future.
November 7, 2018
Really enjoyed reading this story.
April 4, 2018
Quick witted and fast paced dialogue from the heroine of the story. And the supporting characters aren’t too shabby either. The book gets better the more you read on - it’s certainly not just a pretty face and you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! There’s a few twists in the tale! I’m hopeful there’s more to come from Deanne and the greatest girls in the Galaxy. Big thumbs up from me.
December 3, 2018
What a nice surprise a book with some suspense, romance & off beat humour. To top it off an Aussie author too! The cover also drew me in.
Deanne dumps her cheating fiancé on her wedding day & she ends up in a bar where she meets Sean. At first I didn't know what to make of him & his background but as the story progressed the more he grew on me. While D might have sworn off men he is ever persistent. Normally a guarded person she wakes something up inside him.
However D has other ideas & tries her best to avoid him. Add in her odd bunch of female friends & family to make this quite a funny tale. I especially liked Nans driving, Johnnie Black & the neighbour Chris. I'm sure any fellow Aussies will definitely like humour in this. There were so many things you can also connect with as well.
D was sweet, naive & a very genuine person with a horrible backstory that you hoped for once she got her HEA.
I definitely enjoyed this & I'm sure you will too!
I received a complimentary copy for an honest review from Voracious Readers Only. 4.5*
Deanne dumps her cheating fiancé on her wedding day & she ends up in a bar where she meets Sean. At first I didn't know what to make of him & his background but as the story progressed the more he grew on me. While D might have sworn off men he is ever persistent. Normally a guarded person she wakes something up inside him.
However D has other ideas & tries her best to avoid him. Add in her odd bunch of female friends & family to make this quite a funny tale. I especially liked Nans driving, Johnnie Black & the neighbour Chris. I'm sure any fellow Aussies will definitely like humour in this. There were so many things you can also connect with as well.
D was sweet, naive & a very genuine person with a horrible backstory that you hoped for once she got her HEA.
I definitely enjoyed this & I'm sure you will too!
I received a complimentary copy for an honest review from Voracious Readers Only. 4.5*
December 19, 2019
Set in smalltown Australia where everyone knows each other and there are no secrets, this is a story of a runaway bride; a doting bride right up until the wedding ceremony when she overhears a conversation from her pregnant cousin's mouth about cheating with her husband-to-be. This changes her intention to marry and life from then onwards.
This book has a complicated plot of schemes underlying the main character's transition from compliant and lacking in confidence to a strong, interesting woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself, whatever it takes.
I really enjoyed this book. Initially, it took me a short while to settle in to the unique turns of phrase used by Rowe, but as I progressed through the novel, I was totally drawn in by the story and the way Rowe used her words so cleverly. Some of the descriptions were so powerful that I found myself going back to read them again just to remember the wonder of the description.
This book has a complicated plot of schemes underlying the main character's transition from compliant and lacking in confidence to a strong, interesting woman who is not afraid to stand up for herself, whatever it takes.
I really enjoyed this book. Initially, it took me a short while to settle in to the unique turns of phrase used by Rowe, but as I progressed through the novel, I was totally drawn in by the story and the way Rowe used her words so cleverly. Some of the descriptions were so powerful that I found myself going back to read them again just to remember the wonder of the description.
December 10, 2018
I received a review copy of this book from the author through Voracious Readers.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a fairly quick read, but very entertaining. This book is definitely dialogue and character driven - which I like, but some readers may not enjoy. All of the characters, and there are quite a few of them, are well developed and believable and a little quirky. But the story itself is a little quirky, so it all works. This book touched all the bases - it had romance, suspense, mystery and quite a bit of offbeat humour. The heroine, Deanne, was likeable and relatable and I personally thought, the hero, Sean, was swoon-worthy in a reformed bad boy sort of way. All in all, I found this to be a fun and engaging read, that left me smiling. Great entertainment!
I really enjoyed this book. It is a fairly quick read, but very entertaining. This book is definitely dialogue and character driven - which I like, but some readers may not enjoy. All of the characters, and there are quite a few of them, are well developed and believable and a little quirky. But the story itself is a little quirky, so it all works. This book touched all the bases - it had romance, suspense, mystery and quite a bit of offbeat humour. The heroine, Deanne, was likeable and relatable and I personally thought, the hero, Sean, was swoon-worthy in a reformed bad boy sort of way. All in all, I found this to be a fun and engaging read, that left me smiling. Great entertainment!
December 16, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this from beginning to end and I would definitely recommend it and buy more of your books
December 31, 2018
I’m a self declared grammar nazi. I can’t stand poor grammar. It distracts me from what I’m reading because I’m too busy focused on mentally correcting grammatical errors. This is one of those books. A book that was a struggle to get through because of the grammar. For example, “pregnant to her fiancé”. What!?! I thought maybe it was just a colloquialism because the author is Australian. I googled the phrase but couldn’t find anything like it. It’s pregnant with, not to! This was just the most glaring error, but the book was filled with more. Even the Author’s page on Goodreads is grammatically incorrect! There were so many sentence fragments I wanted to hurl my Kindle at the wall.
The protagonist keeps referring to herself as a well trained seal. For some reason, I find this to be incredibly obnoxious. How many times does she need to tell us about the family curse or refer to her “non-wedding”!?!? The story is so riddled with bizarre transitions, I couldn’t even keep up with the plot. Don’t even get me started on Sean. The man is an abusive, self-centered ass. For example, “He pulled her close. His hands cupped her face and his lips collided with hers. She struggled to pull back, but he endured until she surrendered and her supple lips parted.” What kind of man forces a woman to kiss him?
The love story is terrible. There are so many different plot lines, I don’t even know what’s going on half the time. I had to force myself to finish the book so I could write s thorough review, but I really want to get a quarter of the way through. It didn’t get any better.
I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers in exchange for an honest review.
The protagonist keeps referring to herself as a well trained seal. For some reason, I find this to be incredibly obnoxious. How many times does she need to tell us about the family curse or refer to her “non-wedding”!?!? The story is so riddled with bizarre transitions, I couldn’t even keep up with the plot. Don’t even get me started on Sean. The man is an abusive, self-centered ass. For example, “He pulled her close. His hands cupped her face and his lips collided with hers. She struggled to pull back, but he endured until she surrendered and her supple lips parted.” What kind of man forces a woman to kiss him?
The love story is terrible. There are so many different plot lines, I don’t even know what’s going on half the time. I had to force myself to finish the book so I could write s thorough review, but I really want to get a quarter of the way through. It didn’t get any better.
I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2018
I received this book from the author and Voracious Readers Only for free.
I so wanted to like this book! The book description sounded quite funny, with a typical romantic ending. But I could not finish the book, and here's why:
1. Too many characters introduced too soon. Within the first chapter there are ten characters introduced and their relationships to Dee and each other not clearly defined. Or if they are I missed it because I was trying to figure out who was who.
2. Slow pace -- halfway through the book and nothing is happening to Dee. She's still moping and Sean has manhandled her a few times, but that's it. And now the author is introducing other characters and their potential love interests.
3. Sean is not a likeable character. He grabs Dee for every kiss and the book is clear that she is resistant and then gives in.
I can't finish the book. It's moving too slowly for me.
I so wanted to like this book! The book description sounded quite funny, with a typical romantic ending. But I could not finish the book, and here's why:
1. Too many characters introduced too soon. Within the first chapter there are ten characters introduced and their relationships to Dee and each other not clearly defined. Or if they are I missed it because I was trying to figure out who was who.
2. Slow pace -- halfway through the book and nothing is happening to Dee. She's still moping and Sean has manhandled her a few times, but that's it. And now the author is introducing other characters and their potential love interests.
3. Sean is not a likeable character. He grabs Dee for every kiss and the book is clear that she is resistant and then gives in.
I can't finish the book. It's moving too slowly for me.
December 16, 2018
I wanted to like this book but it just never quite gelled for me.
The characters were simple sketches instead of complex, well developed individuals. The girl group was cliche, with a tough butch type, a man eater and a sweet mothering type. The protagonist is, as she laments quite often, boring. The love interest is boring too. He is supposed to be a reformed bad boy with a hard past, changing for the love of a good girl. It just isn’t evident. He is a shell of a character, that never comes alive.
The mystery that becomes the focus of the story was lacklustre and bland.
The dialogue didn’t flow right, oft times repeating itself after the answer was already delivered.
All in all I just found the whole thing felt like a checklist of a story. All the standard elements were added but it never felt cohesive.
I received a complimentary copy from VRO in return for an honest review.
The characters were simple sketches instead of complex, well developed individuals. The girl group was cliche, with a tough butch type, a man eater and a sweet mothering type. The protagonist is, as she laments quite often, boring. The love interest is boring too. He is supposed to be a reformed bad boy with a hard past, changing for the love of a good girl. It just isn’t evident. He is a shell of a character, that never comes alive.
The mystery that becomes the focus of the story was lacklustre and bland.
The dialogue didn’t flow right, oft times repeating itself after the answer was already delivered.
All in all I just found the whole thing felt like a checklist of a story. All the standard elements were added but it never felt cohesive.
I received a complimentary copy from VRO in return for an honest review.
April 11, 2018
I read this book twice and I really liked it. Dare say I loved it, and it wasn't necessarily because of Dee and Sean, but because of Dee herself (her introduction says it all) and people around her. Dee's friends were amazing. They echoed what she already knew inside herself and just needed a little nudge to see again. I read this gem twice because after the first go round I wasn't sold on Sean. He came off as pushy, arrogant. He was still pushy and arrogant the second go, but nobody is perfect, if the were we'd be boring. I laughed with this story (Everybody needs a Lou!). Only thing missing from this goodness is Sean's sisters....could you imagine?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2019
it's always a good idea to avoid a pity party, even if it means dating black johny and consorting with dodgy sexy men who should be a bad idea but are oh so good.
It's a fun yet sad ride with Dee as she licks her wounds and attempts to get over Dickhead Darren, along with her Greatest girls in the galaxy, excriminals and the men of the beer shed this rag tag group of unlucky in love may find aliens, new challenges and happiness.
Love this story, Mel has done it again. A funny aussie tale that's so relatable and feels like life.
It's a fun yet sad ride with Dee as she licks her wounds and attempts to get over Dickhead Darren, along with her Greatest girls in the galaxy, excriminals and the men of the beer shed this rag tag group of unlucky in love may find aliens, new challenges and happiness.
Love this story, Mel has done it again. A funny aussie tale that's so relatable and feels like life.
January 10, 2019
I received a copy of this book from the author via Voracious Readers Only. This book was a cute, quick read. It started out a little awkward for me, but once I settled into the author’s writing style it was good.
July 25, 2021
Delightful
A fabulously Australian story about second chances and proof that love will save us all! The characters and setting were completely relatable. Any chance Jimmy and Chris will get their own stories?
A fabulously Australian story about second chances and proof that love will save us all! The characters and setting were completely relatable. Any chance Jimmy and Chris will get their own stories?
April 6, 2018
Confronting her cheating fiance during their wedding ceremony, Deanne Cuba her way to a bar where she meets Sean, a young man who listens to her woes and takes makes her spend a lovely evening, besides the disaster of her non-wedding. When he seeks her out with the intention to get to know her better and maybe sunbathing else, both of them have to overcome their demons in order to give it a chance.
It's an entertaing, funny story of giving themselves a second opportunity to love, trust and to immerse themselves in a new relationship. The plot is sometimes slow, with lots of repetitions of the same questions the main characters confront themselves with, but it is written in a humorous and funny way.
It's an entertaing, funny story of giving themselves a second opportunity to love, trust and to immerse themselves in a new relationship. The plot is sometimes slow, with lots of repetitions of the same questions the main characters confront themselves with, but it is written in a humorous and funny way.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews