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More From Life
My Kids live in Cyber Space and my mother lives in Cloud Cuckoo land. Me - I live in denial.
Somehow, I've got to the stage in life where my teenagers obviously hate me, my mother abandons me for exciting adventures and my ex-husband is getting re-married.
I am left gazing lustfully at just about any fit guy in an HRT induced belief that they would be attracted to me.
Is this really what I've become?
Have I reached the point in life where I should give up and accept my fate?
The trouble is, I always wanted more from life and now it appears to be on fast-forward.
So, it's decision time. Do I just accept my lot with resignation and gratitude? Or do I take control and embrace the unknown?
What would you do?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Follow Amanda's path to re-discover the girl she once was before the woman she became took over.
Somehow, I've got to the stage in life where my teenagers obviously hate me, my mother abandons me for exciting adventures and my ex-husband is getting re-married.
I am left gazing lustfully at just about any fit guy in an HRT induced belief that they would be attracted to me.
Is this really what I've become?
Have I reached the point in life where I should give up and accept my fate?
The trouble is, I always wanted more from life and now it appears to be on fast-forward.
So, it's decision time. Do I just accept my lot with resignation and gratitude? Or do I take control and embrace the unknown?
What would you do?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Follow Amanda's path to re-discover the girl she once was before the woman she became took over.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 26, 2018
2088 people are currently reading
446 people want to read
About the author
S.J. Crabb
33 books173 followersS J Crabb lives in the UK in the South of England and when she isn't writing feels pressured to go to the nearby Zumba class because apparently, that's what you should do these days.
She loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts, shopping and Florida.
You may also find her pretending she can act in her village drama group and she always wants to play the Fairy. One of her goals in life is to take a selfie without looking like she's escaped from somewhere and discover a filter that takes at least twenty years off.
Having tried every craft going she tried her hand at writing and discovered a new passion. If you love Romantic Comedy and happy endings these books may be for you.
She has featured in many bestseller charts on Amazon and her books have been enjoyed around the world.
You can follow her on the usual social media so head on over to her website and click on the links to follow. sjcrabb.com
She loves Krispy Kreme doughnuts, shopping and Florida.
You may also find her pretending she can act in her village drama group and she always wants to play the Fairy. One of her goals in life is to take a selfie without looking like she's escaped from somewhere and discover a filter that takes at least twenty years off.
Having tried every craft going she tried her hand at writing and discovered a new passion. If you love Romantic Comedy and happy endings these books may be for you.
She has featured in many bestseller charts on Amazon and her books have been enjoyed around the world.
You can follow her on the usual social media so head on over to her website and click on the links to follow. sjcrabb.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 131 reviews
August 11, 2018
Let me first, paint you a picture of the type of person that would like this book. Then, I will explain this book and all the reasons why I wish I could give this a -1 out of 5.
Imagine, a white suburban 35 year old mother of 3 who posts her every move and mom related memes to Facebook, all throughout the day, as well and constantly talking about god and bible versus but only uses religious to push misguided and often unthoughtout view points about things that don’t effect her. She buys this book on her husbands credit card to fill the void of her loveless marriage, having seen him check out the waitresses behind on their weekly date night where they silently eat together on their cellphones. She silently grapples with the fact there is a solid 78% chance her husband is cheating on her and too afraid of the reality to even look into that chance. She stands in that Barnes and Nobles and pays full price for this mindless dribble, standing in checkout with her lulu lemon pants, “jesus loves me” off the shoulder baggy tee, the messy bun she spent an hour on to perfect with a full face of makeup holding a pink camo tumblr with pink monogram initials filled with red wine at 11am. She believes in free range parenting, that letting her children make the most important decisions for themselves at all times and what they choose to do with their time and how they interact with others is the best way to learn, without guidance or “interference” from others. She also was a c average student and has no discernible talents or passions except her Etsy shop she stopped updating because she felt that crafting for profit while her kids were at school took the fun out of crafting, but really they were not selling well.
The follow contains spoilers. I promise you, do not waste your time on reading this. There are so many better books. My fan fiction about this random woman was more engaging then this book, and that isn’t even to be self-aggrandizing, the book is just that bad. So you aren’t missing anything I PROMISE.
This book has like, severely basic character names except for these random exceptions. A great example of how the writer reads as a 12 year old on fanfiction.net, the leads name is Amanda Swallows, but her married names is dickins. Haha so funny! But it’s only used once in the book as a side thought of the main character, not even as a joke within the story.
ANOTHER THING. The NAME of this book is “More from life: a funny and feel-good romantic comedy” by S J Crabb. Listen here Mr. Crabb, your book was the most unfunny and not feel good thing I have ever read. I didn’t laugh a single time. Not once. Not even a chuckle. In fact, I spent the majority of the book being pissed off. I will dive into WHY I was pissed.
Saskia. Firstly, the HECK kind of name is that? Beyond that, she is the singlehandedly the most atrocious, unforgivably awful fictional character I have EVER had the displeasure of having to observe in literature. It’s like the author has never interacted with teenagers before and had only ever read articles about how entitled and awful teenagers are. Saskia is obsessed with social media, is vapid and annoying, but worst of all is EXTREMELY emotionally abusive to her mother. She is disrespectful, nasty and down right disgusting in the way she cuts her mother down, calling her old and ugly, constantly critiquing her and putting her down for being “embarrassing”, not making enough money for what she wants. She thinks she is above doing chores and treats her mother like a peasant maid and cook, while also putting down her efforts to please her daughter.
And the worst part about this character is instead of her having any kind of come to jesus moment, Having any kind of character development or improvement whatsoever, when the book is being wrapped up saskia just suddenly decides to start being nicer to her mom. There is no reason for it, no turn of event, nothing. Worst of all, HER MOTHER NEVER ONCE EVEN TRIES TO DISCIPLINE HER DAUGHTER OR MAKE HER DAUGHTER ACT RIGHT IN ANY WAY. I am not a fan of spanking of physical punishment but this child was so out of wack and out of order I would have back handed her 16 ways to Sunday. Ryan, her brother, was spoiled and entitled in a brooding, silent treatment way. So he was annoying but I didn’t want to actually murder him in his sleep.
And whenever saskia would wrap up a conversation during the book whenever she was being disgustingly problematic, she would randomly and suddenly say something kind or genuine, and her doormat of a mother would just suddenly melt and gush about her daughter giving her positive attention.
Like imagine being that weak of a parent that you allow your child to emotional abuse you without reprimand and just yearn for her positive attention so you let her do what she wants. Saskia should not exist. Her entire character makeup is deplorable and down right tragic. I’ve never hated a character more.
The over all problem with this book is that it isn’t funny. I would never be friends with someone that genuinely found this story compelling or funny. It’s clear this is an author that churns out stories for publishing dead lines and money and not for the art of story telling. It’s so incredibly disjointed, and nothing makes sense. The whole premise of the book COULD have been good, if the way things plays out had been more thought out and frankly if it had been written by a better author.
Also, Amanda had this really weird homophobic undertone about her daughter possibly dating a girl, which I THINK was suppose a funny sub plot. However, it just came off WEIRD. And after she frets for several chapters about how she possibly FAILED AS A MOTHER, (THATS HOMOPHOBIC YALL) she gets weirdly defensive with Edward (her love interest) about how she ISNT homophobic...
Over all the arc of Edward was again, extremely poorly done. It’s like the person who wrote this book is either a sociopath or has the emotional depth of a nat. He starts out being disgustingly nasty, like unredeemable mean to the main character and the writer does a piss poor job explaining WHY until the “twist” later in the book when he is suddenly a kind and nice man. It wasn’t endearing, it was jarring and unpleasant.
Their lusting/love scene were like pg/pg13 but when they started being romantic, it read like an extremely bad porn intro. Like Lemon Tree Wh*** bad.
Amanda is also a self aware doormat. Like she called herself one, but then throughout the entire book acts like a freaking doormat and NEVER DOES ANYTHING TO GROW OR IMPROVE. NOT EVEN IN THE ENDING. Also her life is so unrealistic. She is “just getting by” working 3 shifts a week for 4 hours and then she gets a magical free dream vacation with a man who ends up rescuing her from her boring life. This is literally middle aged woman po**, without the xrated bits for women who just want a man to come in and rescue them. This is mindless thoughtless dribble.
The social media aspect of this book makes no sense either. She makes a fake account and because a blogger on Instagram, and the allude to her getting famous on it (in less then a week btw) but never talk about how many followers she got and mainly focus on the fact that her kids get catfished by her, and her son has a crush on this fake account which I guess again was suppose to be funny??? But it just came across as CREEPY??? Like how did her kids even find this random account if she never even followed them first? You don’t blow up on an account that quickly ESPECIALLY WHERE YOU
NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE!
Edward was fine as a character once he was a pretentious jerkwad who almost killed Amanda with crocodiles. Yes, that happened. But that jarring, disjointed “character development” was tragic. The ONLY character I actually liked was Amanda’s mom and I honestly would have rather read a book about her adventures out at sea with that random captain she ended up marrying. There was no development about that through out the book, it was just thrown in at the end and I guess was suppose to be another comedic part of the book but was severely, poorly executed.
I could rant about everything wrong with this stupid book for days. I’m gonna leave it with this. Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time or money on this book. Don’t even use your kindle unlimited for it like I did. The time wasted wasn’t worth it. I spent most of my time reading it pissed off and confused. I have read 45 books this year and this by leaps and bounds is the worst one I have read not only this year but this decade. It is poorly written, thought out and executed. A 12 year old on fanfic.net writes a better story then this book. This book even have typos and grammatical errors. Love yourself enough to read better then this. I beg you. “
Imagine, a white suburban 35 year old mother of 3 who posts her every move and mom related memes to Facebook, all throughout the day, as well and constantly talking about god and bible versus but only uses religious to push misguided and often unthoughtout view points about things that don’t effect her. She buys this book on her husbands credit card to fill the void of her loveless marriage, having seen him check out the waitresses behind on their weekly date night where they silently eat together on their cellphones. She silently grapples with the fact there is a solid 78% chance her husband is cheating on her and too afraid of the reality to even look into that chance. She stands in that Barnes and Nobles and pays full price for this mindless dribble, standing in checkout with her lulu lemon pants, “jesus loves me” off the shoulder baggy tee, the messy bun she spent an hour on to perfect with a full face of makeup holding a pink camo tumblr with pink monogram initials filled with red wine at 11am. She believes in free range parenting, that letting her children make the most important decisions for themselves at all times and what they choose to do with their time and how they interact with others is the best way to learn, without guidance or “interference” from others. She also was a c average student and has no discernible talents or passions except her Etsy shop she stopped updating because she felt that crafting for profit while her kids were at school took the fun out of crafting, but really they were not selling well.
The follow contains spoilers. I promise you, do not waste your time on reading this. There are so many better books. My fan fiction about this random woman was more engaging then this book, and that isn’t even to be self-aggrandizing, the book is just that bad. So you aren’t missing anything I PROMISE.
This book has like, severely basic character names except for these random exceptions. A great example of how the writer reads as a 12 year old on fanfiction.net, the leads name is Amanda Swallows, but her married names is dickins. Haha so funny! But it’s only used once in the book as a side thought of the main character, not even as a joke within the story.
ANOTHER THING. The NAME of this book is “More from life: a funny and feel-good romantic comedy” by S J Crabb. Listen here Mr. Crabb, your book was the most unfunny and not feel good thing I have ever read. I didn’t laugh a single time. Not once. Not even a chuckle. In fact, I spent the majority of the book being pissed off. I will dive into WHY I was pissed.
Saskia. Firstly, the HECK kind of name is that? Beyond that, she is the singlehandedly the most atrocious, unforgivably awful fictional character I have EVER had the displeasure of having to observe in literature. It’s like the author has never interacted with teenagers before and had only ever read articles about how entitled and awful teenagers are. Saskia is obsessed with social media, is vapid and annoying, but worst of all is EXTREMELY emotionally abusive to her mother. She is disrespectful, nasty and down right disgusting in the way she cuts her mother down, calling her old and ugly, constantly critiquing her and putting her down for being “embarrassing”, not making enough money for what she wants. She thinks she is above doing chores and treats her mother like a peasant maid and cook, while also putting down her efforts to please her daughter.
And the worst part about this character is instead of her having any kind of come to jesus moment, Having any kind of character development or improvement whatsoever, when the book is being wrapped up saskia just suddenly decides to start being nicer to her mom. There is no reason for it, no turn of event, nothing. Worst of all, HER MOTHER NEVER ONCE EVEN TRIES TO DISCIPLINE HER DAUGHTER OR MAKE HER DAUGHTER ACT RIGHT IN ANY WAY. I am not a fan of spanking of physical punishment but this child was so out of wack and out of order I would have back handed her 16 ways to Sunday. Ryan, her brother, was spoiled and entitled in a brooding, silent treatment way. So he was annoying but I didn’t want to actually murder him in his sleep.
And whenever saskia would wrap up a conversation during the book whenever she was being disgustingly problematic, she would randomly and suddenly say something kind or genuine, and her doormat of a mother would just suddenly melt and gush about her daughter giving her positive attention.
Like imagine being that weak of a parent that you allow your child to emotional abuse you without reprimand and just yearn for her positive attention so you let her do what she wants. Saskia should not exist. Her entire character makeup is deplorable and down right tragic. I’ve never hated a character more.
The over all problem with this book is that it isn’t funny. I would never be friends with someone that genuinely found this story compelling or funny. It’s clear this is an author that churns out stories for publishing dead lines and money and not for the art of story telling. It’s so incredibly disjointed, and nothing makes sense. The whole premise of the book COULD have been good, if the way things plays out had been more thought out and frankly if it had been written by a better author.
Also, Amanda had this really weird homophobic undertone about her daughter possibly dating a girl, which I THINK was suppose a funny sub plot. However, it just came off WEIRD. And after she frets for several chapters about how she possibly FAILED AS A MOTHER, (THATS HOMOPHOBIC YALL) she gets weirdly defensive with Edward (her love interest) about how she ISNT homophobic...
Over all the arc of Edward was again, extremely poorly done. It’s like the person who wrote this book is either a sociopath or has the emotional depth of a nat. He starts out being disgustingly nasty, like unredeemable mean to the main character and the writer does a piss poor job explaining WHY until the “twist” later in the book when he is suddenly a kind and nice man. It wasn’t endearing, it was jarring and unpleasant.
Their lusting/love scene were like pg/pg13 but when they started being romantic, it read like an extremely bad porn intro. Like Lemon Tree Wh*** bad.
Amanda is also a self aware doormat. Like she called herself one, but then throughout the entire book acts like a freaking doormat and NEVER DOES ANYTHING TO GROW OR IMPROVE. NOT EVEN IN THE ENDING. Also her life is so unrealistic. She is “just getting by” working 3 shifts a week for 4 hours and then she gets a magical free dream vacation with a man who ends up rescuing her from her boring life. This is literally middle aged woman po**, without the xrated bits for women who just want a man to come in and rescue them. This is mindless thoughtless dribble.
The social media aspect of this book makes no sense either. She makes a fake account and because a blogger on Instagram, and the allude to her getting famous on it (in less then a week btw) but never talk about how many followers she got and mainly focus on the fact that her kids get catfished by her, and her son has a crush on this fake account which I guess again was suppose to be funny??? But it just came across as CREEPY??? Like how did her kids even find this random account if she never even followed them first? You don’t blow up on an account that quickly ESPECIALLY WHERE YOU
NEVER SHOW YOUR FACE!
Edward was fine as a character once he was a pretentious jerkwad who almost killed Amanda with crocodiles. Yes, that happened. But that jarring, disjointed “character development” was tragic. The ONLY character I actually liked was Amanda’s mom and I honestly would have rather read a book about her adventures out at sea with that random captain she ended up marrying. There was no development about that through out the book, it was just thrown in at the end and I guess was suppose to be another comedic part of the book but was severely, poorly executed.
I could rant about everything wrong with this stupid book for days. I’m gonna leave it with this. Do not, I repeat, do not waste your time or money on this book. Don’t even use your kindle unlimited for it like I did. The time wasted wasn’t worth it. I spent most of my time reading it pissed off and confused. I have read 45 books this year and this by leaps and bounds is the worst one I have read not only this year but this decade. It is poorly written, thought out and executed. A 12 year old on fanfic.net writes a better story then this book. This book even have typos and grammatical errors. Love yourself enough to read better then this. I beg you. “
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 14, 2018
I struggled to finish it. I found the characters one dimensional and not interesting. I thought Amanda a stupid, frivolous woman that I cared little for. The story should have ended with her waking from a dream as the story was too far fetched. The editing was atrocious- no punctuation, they’d instead of there’d, sentences that made no sense. The story felt like a child’s attempt at romance but obviously wasn’t due to the constant reminder of HRT.
I love a good escapist story but not this one.
I love a good escapist story but not this one.
June 2, 2018
I thought this book was great fun and humorous! This author has a knack of writing wonderful characters and it so easy to get caught up in the story, forgetting everything else! A divorced mother of two very self involved teenagers gets the travel opportunity of a lifetime and the craziness is on! Highly recommend!
August 26, 2018
Just terrible. No other words needed.
June 11, 2022
DNF at 45%.
What is this? Honestly, someone tell me what this is. Because my view? A bored divorcée who sexualizes and fetishizes all the men she comes into contact with. A woman who HATES her children and yet complains that they don’t want to spend time with her.
Amanda Swallows is vapid and uninteresting. She is a doormat and insufferable. I couldn’t BEAR to finish More from Life because I believe I deserve more from life than to read this book. And you do too.
What is this? Honestly, someone tell me what this is. Because my view? A bored divorcée who sexualizes and fetishizes all the men she comes into contact with. A woman who HATES her children and yet complains that they don’t want to spend time with her.
Amanda Swallows is vapid and uninteresting. She is a doormat and insufferable. I couldn’t BEAR to finish More from Life because I believe I deserve more from life than to read this book. And you do too.
Want to read
January 13, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (1/13/2020)! 🎁
February 5, 2020
2.5 Stars
This is a fun, light read and it definitely ticks the escapism box. Nothing here can be taken too seriously which is both in the story's favour and to it's detriment. It's sheer frothiness both beguiles and repels the reader. I found myself really enjoying the rather cliched ride for a number of pages and then becoming completely disenfranchised by it. Very odd to say the least, but at least it made me feel something whilst reading and that has to be good, doesn't it?
It also features one of my trigger issues - the store is Tesco and NOT Tescos - throughout the tale it is referred too in the plural (not the possessive) and it drove me ever so batty. Yes, a tiny, inconsequential little thing but one that irritates me no end on an almost daily basis. Throw in a lot of colloquial language and a whole ship's worth of cliches and you could be forgiven for dismissing this as a swing and a miss in an overpopulated genre. However, there are some little glimpses of a talented storyteller peeking through and the odd genuine reflection on life after divorce, life during and after the menopause. Regrettably, in this book they are only glimpses.
The biggest problem for me was the relationship between Amanda and her teenaged children. It was all pretty much made-for-TV movie cliche and the fact that Amanda couldn't see how stifling she was being whilst blaming them for ignoring her made me quite mad. I also hated that when forced to spend a week with their father and his new wife both offspring suddenly realised how important Amanda was. This is a familiar trope and one that I have never had the misfortune to see in real life, so much so I am beginning to think that it is purely a fictitious construct.
Despite all the above I did find the overall story to be rather charming - even if so far removed from reality as to be almost a fantasy. Honestly, the whole holiday thing is beyond the bounds of plausibility and throw in the rather naive romance and it does feel cloying as well as fantastical. Somehow, I didn't hate it and my brain tells me I really should have but my heart tells me it enjoyed the devil may care, throw reality to the wind nature of the plot and the rather breezy, almost inconsequential telling.
In fact, that is what I took away from the book - an author that made me have fun with characters that have little depth, an author with a rather limited vocabulary for dialogue, an author that managed to entertain me despite everything. Critically this is a flop. Emotionally I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Surprisingly I found myself looking up the author's previous works and adding them to my shopping list.
This is a fun, light read and it definitely ticks the escapism box. Nothing here can be taken too seriously which is both in the story's favour and to it's detriment. It's sheer frothiness both beguiles and repels the reader. I found myself really enjoying the rather cliched ride for a number of pages and then becoming completely disenfranchised by it. Very odd to say the least, but at least it made me feel something whilst reading and that has to be good, doesn't it?
It also features one of my trigger issues - the store is Tesco and NOT Tescos - throughout the tale it is referred too in the plural (not the possessive) and it drove me ever so batty. Yes, a tiny, inconsequential little thing but one that irritates me no end on an almost daily basis. Throw in a lot of colloquial language and a whole ship's worth of cliches and you could be forgiven for dismissing this as a swing and a miss in an overpopulated genre. However, there are some little glimpses of a talented storyteller peeking through and the odd genuine reflection on life after divorce, life during and after the menopause. Regrettably, in this book they are only glimpses.
The biggest problem for me was the relationship between Amanda and her teenaged children. It was all pretty much made-for-TV movie cliche and the fact that Amanda couldn't see how stifling she was being whilst blaming them for ignoring her made me quite mad. I also hated that when forced to spend a week with their father and his new wife both offspring suddenly realised how important Amanda was. This is a familiar trope and one that I have never had the misfortune to see in real life, so much so I am beginning to think that it is purely a fictitious construct.
Despite all the above I did find the overall story to be rather charming - even if so far removed from reality as to be almost a fantasy. Honestly, the whole holiday thing is beyond the bounds of plausibility and throw in the rather naive romance and it does feel cloying as well as fantastical. Somehow, I didn't hate it and my brain tells me I really should have but my heart tells me it enjoyed the devil may care, throw reality to the wind nature of the plot and the rather breezy, almost inconsequential telling.
In fact, that is what I took away from the book - an author that made me have fun with characters that have little depth, an author with a rather limited vocabulary for dialogue, an author that managed to entertain me despite everything. Critically this is a flop. Emotionally I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Surprisingly I found myself looking up the author's previous works and adding them to my shopping list.
Read
May 28, 2018Amanda, a middle aged woman, had two kids and was living a dull life as a part time checkout clerk. Two self centered teenagers and an ex husband about to be married do not help Amanda much at all. Amanda gets offered chance for a free trip to Orlando, Florida and jumps at the chance for an adventure. Bring in Edward a miserable, middle aged man who is not fit for any sort of company and automatically thinks of Amanda as a spoiled, rich woman. Things definitely get interesting.
This story was light with a mixture of warm and fuzzy feelings. I sighed at parts and felt myself really routing for Amanda and Edward to get what they truly deserve and find themselves again.
It is a second chance at life and love, which made me start to reevaluate my life and how to ensure I continue to find my happiness. It is about stepping out of your comfort zones and going for what you want in life regardless of any consequences that may ensue. Finding your true self and motivations. A great story and I look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This story was light with a mixture of warm and fuzzy feelings. I sighed at parts and felt myself really routing for Amanda and Edward to get what they truly deserve and find themselves again.
It is a second chance at life and love, which made me start to reevaluate my life and how to ensure I continue to find my happiness. It is about stepping out of your comfort zones and going for what you want in life regardless of any consequences that may ensue. Finding your true self and motivations. A great story and I look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 28, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the characters are incredibly well written and believable and their interactions are hilarious, but so true to life, I particularly loved the Grandmother, and her great adventure with the 'Jolly Rogers'. The portion of the book that was set in Florida was particularly enjoyable, and could have been written from real experiences. The romance is also very well written, and again, quite believable.
The only slight issue I had, was the ending, it just seemed a bit too saccharine and too good to be believable, and a little bit rushed as well. Now I do realise that most books in this genre finish in a similar manner, and it was very 'feel-good', but just a bit too unbelievable after the realism of the rest of the book.
However I must reiterate that this is still a great read, and laugh-out-loud funny in places.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The only slight issue I had, was the ending, it just seemed a bit too saccharine and too good to be believable, and a little bit rushed as well. Now I do realise that most books in this genre finish in a similar manner, and it was very 'feel-good', but just a bit too unbelievable after the realism of the rest of the book.
However I must reiterate that this is still a great read, and laugh-out-loud funny in places.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 29, 2018
I have been a fan of SJ for a while now, enjoying each of her books and the familiarity with which we become accustomed to her characters- as if they are players in our own lives. What I was hit head on with was a dose of reality in the most beautiful of ways - to learn that Amanda was just like every mother and wife at some point in their lives- that feeling of wondering what could have been, what is to come, and the sometimes “hollowness” of feeling unappreciated. She captured the essence in a most elegant manner- raw, and unapologetic. Amanda just wasn’t someone you rooted for throughout the book, she was one that you were PROUD of.
If you’re a fan, this is the best one yet. If you aren’t a fan (yet), you will be as soon as you dive into this book. I truly hope that there is a sequel to this so we can see where Amanda’s journey - and that of her family - heads to on their great adventures.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
If you’re a fan, this is the best one yet. If you aren’t a fan (yet), you will be as soon as you dive into this book. I truly hope that there is a sequel to this so we can see where Amanda’s journey - and that of her family - heads to on their great adventures.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 24, 2019
Classic, easy reading, chick lit!! I loved it! Sometimes you just need a feel good book that doesn't tax the brain but does make you smile. This was that book.
My Kids live in Cyber Space and my mother lives in Cloud Cuckoo land. Me - I live in denial.
Somehow, I've got to the stage in life where my teenagers obviously hate me, my mother abandons me for exciting adventures and my ex-husband is getting re-married. I am left gazing lustfully at just about any fit guy in an HRT induced belief that they would be attracted to me.
Is this really what I've become? Have I reached the point in life where I should give up and accept my fate? The trouble is, I always wanted more from life and now it appears to be on fast-forward.
So, it's decision time. Do I just accept my lot with resignation and gratitude? Or do I take control and embrace the unknown? What would you do?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Follow Amanda's path to re-discover the girl she once was before the woman she became took over.
My Kids live in Cyber Space and my mother lives in Cloud Cuckoo land. Me - I live in denial.
Somehow, I've got to the stage in life where my teenagers obviously hate me, my mother abandons me for exciting adventures and my ex-husband is getting re-married. I am left gazing lustfully at just about any fit guy in an HRT induced belief that they would be attracted to me.
Is this really what I've become? Have I reached the point in life where I should give up and accept my fate? The trouble is, I always wanted more from life and now it appears to be on fast-forward.
So, it's decision time. Do I just accept my lot with resignation and gratitude? Or do I take control and embrace the unknown? What would you do?
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Follow Amanda's path to re-discover the girl she once was before the woman she became took over.
April 28, 2020
Though I empathized with the main character at the beginning of the story, I grew quite tired of her whining and complaining, and of the guilt she continued to carry with her as she, for once in her life, put herself first. Though this behavior is probably typical of a lot of wives/mothers, it wasn’t very inspiring to read about.
I did like how the story unfolded and the way she ended up meeting Edward. I enjoyed the way their relationship grew and their interactions with one another. In the end, it was a bit inspirational, and all the characters grew through their experiences, so I won’t say I didn’t like it. I just think it could have been an even better story without all the “poor me” whining, though I do understand why there was so much focus on her past behaviors. After all, one does not change overnight, and these behaviors had been many years in the making.
I did like how the story unfolded and the way she ended up meeting Edward. I enjoyed the way their relationship grew and their interactions with one another. In the end, it was a bit inspirational, and all the characters grew through their experiences, so I won’t say I didn’t like it. I just think it could have been an even better story without all the “poor me” whining, though I do understand why there was so much focus on her past behaviors. After all, one does not change overnight, and these behaviors had been many years in the making.
January 20, 2020
Amanda and Edward --The perfect match?
Amanda's been struggling to keep her two children and herself fed and cared for since her divorce. Working part time at the local grocery store as a checker is just managing to do that. When her mother finds an online ad for a job as a secret traveler, traveling to Florida for the week that her children will be spending in France at her ex's wedding, Amanda switches shifts with a friend and takes the job. It's the first time since she married her first boyfriend in college, that she's really done something just for herself.
Such a fun and unexpected plot with great characters, both hero and heroine and the children, make for a wonderful book. Enjoy!
Amanda's been struggling to keep her two children and herself fed and cared for since her divorce. Working part time at the local grocery store as a checker is just managing to do that. When her mother finds an online ad for a job as a secret traveler, traveling to Florida for the week that her children will be spending in France at her ex's wedding, Amanda switches shifts with a friend and takes the job. It's the first time since she married her first boyfriend in college, that she's really done something just for herself.
Such a fun and unexpected plot with great characters, both hero and heroine and the children, make for a wonderful book. Enjoy!
February 24, 2020
All over the place
I found Amanda to be extremely unlikable. And I was really bothered by her constantly referring to her children as hellish teenagers. Her interactions with Chase are absurd, and he is American, so he wouldn’t use words like fancy and Barbie. But more importantly he wouldn’t be carrying a perfect OLDER stranger more than half his age out of the swimming pool. Amanda spends a lot of time Skyping or hanging out with teenage boys but makes no real effort with her teenage children and mostly avoids them. This was just too unrealistic for me with an everything goes right fairytale ending.
I found Amanda to be extremely unlikable. And I was really bothered by her constantly referring to her children as hellish teenagers. Her interactions with Chase are absurd, and he is American, so he wouldn’t use words like fancy and Barbie. But more importantly he wouldn’t be carrying a perfect OLDER stranger more than half his age out of the swimming pool. Amanda spends a lot of time Skyping or hanging out with teenage boys but makes no real effort with her teenage children and mostly avoids them. This was just too unrealistic for me with an everything goes right fairytale ending.
May 29, 2022
2.5 stars
Overall, this was a sweet book of wish fulfillment as long as you were willing to suspend disbelief and accept a romance formed in a week is viable for changing your whole life. But that’s kind of the point on happy fiction, so I didn’t mind it. However, I had two major issues with this book:
1) There was little to no editing done on it. Copy editing errors were all over the place and the writing was repetitive in many places in ways an editor should have caught.
2) One of the top stresses of the main character was her daughter may have fallen in love with a woman which is not an issue and made me lose almost all respect for the main character that it was.
Overall, this was a sweet book of wish fulfillment as long as you were willing to suspend disbelief and accept a romance formed in a week is viable for changing your whole life. But that’s kind of the point on happy fiction, so I didn’t mind it. However, I had two major issues with this book:
1) There was little to no editing done on it. Copy editing errors were all over the place and the writing was repetitive in many places in ways an editor should have caught.
2) One of the top stresses of the main character was her daughter may have fallen in love with a woman which is not an issue and made me lose almost all respect for the main character that it was.
May 30, 2018
If real life, family and other people's lives have become more important than you yourself then you need to read this book. This extremely funny book is a reminder that miracles can happen, you can still be the carefree happy go lucky person you always have been and fun, love and romance is not just for the young. Put your feet up, grab your favourite drink and prepare to laugh out loud as you enjoy this fabulous book. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
July 31, 2018
ave to say thisave rfriends about it. If you g day to day read this. It will give you something to look forward to.
I have to say this is the most entertaining book I have read in a long time,and I read 2/3books a week.I loved this and will tell all my Facebook friends about if you want to do something with your life and are afraid of change read this. If you feel lonely stuck in a rut and living 2day read this. It will give you something to look forward to. Can't wait to read more of AN Crabb.
I have to say this is the most entertaining book I have read in a long time,and I read 2/3books a week.I loved this and will tell all my Facebook friends about if you want to do something with your life and are afraid of change read this. If you feel lonely stuck in a rut and living 2day read this. It will give you something to look forward to. Can't wait to read more of AN Crabb.
August 26, 2018
Heart-warming and inspirational
This book hit home! While I am not divorced like the main character, I do have teenagers and am in my forties. The descriptions of how Amanda is treated and interacted with her teens mirrors my own. I laughed out loud a few times and, on several occasions, teared up. This book's message is one of hope and never looking at your current situation as final. Loved and devoured it!I
My one critique: Please make sure you have your book proofread. (Some minor grammatical errors or words were left out.) Those detract from the pleasure of your writing.
This book hit home! While I am not divorced like the main character, I do have teenagers and am in my forties. The descriptions of how Amanda is treated and interacted with her teens mirrors my own. I laughed out loud a few times and, on several occasions, teared up. This book's message is one of hope and never looking at your current situation as final. Loved and devoured it!I
My one critique: Please make sure you have your book proofread. (Some minor grammatical errors or words were left out.) Those detract from the pleasure of your writing.
November 2, 2019
Just could not connect
The book was mildly amusing, but i found it very difficult to connect with the characters. I'm sorry, but the kids were just total brats and she was an unimpressive parent. I also felt the book just jumped too fast. We hate each other, now suddenly we love each other. The whole story seemed to move that way. And i found the kids reactions on her return inconsistent with their characters up to this point, though i understand everyone wants a happy ending. A little disappointed.
The book was mildly amusing, but i found it very difficult to connect with the characters. I'm sorry, but the kids were just total brats and she was an unimpressive parent. I also felt the book just jumped too fast. We hate each other, now suddenly we love each other. The whole story seemed to move that way. And i found the kids reactions on her return inconsistent with their characters up to this point, though i understand everyone wants a happy ending. A little disappointed.
February 13, 2020
A bit repetitive, naive and rushed.
The author is bad at researching the facts. For example, it is not possible to get married in Europe without proper proof of no impediment, even if you are an EU citizen. In the UK you have to wait 30 days to get your certificate of no impediment, plus there are plenty more documents needed and the plot in this book covers a week...
Plus the concept of Saxon genitive is foreign to this author.
The jury is still out on whether I will read any more of this author or not.
The author is bad at researching the facts. For example, it is not possible to get married in Europe without proper proof of no impediment, even if you are an EU citizen. In the UK you have to wait 30 days to get your certificate of no impediment, plus there are plenty more documents needed and the plot in this book covers a week...
Plus the concept of Saxon genitive is foreign to this author.
The jury is still out on whether I will read any more of this author or not.
February 19, 2020
Cute but drags on in the middle.
This book grabbed my attention from the beginning but then seemed to drag on a little through the middle. I will say, if you find it dragging on, just keep reading. It picks back up at the end and certain parts made me laugh while reading. This book was a little predictable but I liked the relationship between the 2 main characters. I felt like the kids were a little exaggerated and not relatable because of that. It ends up being a cute book, so I do recommend it.
This book grabbed my attention from the beginning but then seemed to drag on a little through the middle. I will say, if you find it dragging on, just keep reading. It picks back up at the end and certain parts made me laugh while reading. This book was a little predictable but I liked the relationship between the 2 main characters. I felt like the kids were a little exaggerated and not relatable because of that. It ends up being a cute book, so I do recommend it.
April 26, 2020
I’m all for escapism but this book stretches belief to its absolute limits. The protagonist is a 47 year old woman for whom everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) falls into place as soon as she decides to go on a free, all-expenses paid holiday. The conversations she has with others are frankly ridiculous and seem to be constructed from inspirational quotes. Her teenage children are monstrous caricatures of awful human beings who miraculously become thoughtful after a week away from her. I don’t know why I kept going to the end-I think that I couldn’t quite believe what I was reading.
May 30, 2018
I enjoyed this book the the further I got into reading. Nice romance( and lessons without all the steamy stuff. Nice enjoyable easy to read book to sit and chill with.
Like the end message in the book.
It contains some British humor which is not my forte. Do not let that stop you from reading it though! I did giggle in places too.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Like the end message in the book.
It contains some British humor which is not my forte. Do not let that stop you from reading it though! I did giggle in places too.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 30, 2018
A light engaging and entertaining story from S. J. Crabb.
This is about a second chance at life by the main protagonist and how she goes about getting it.
Well written, the story features believable characters, (especially loved the Grandmother), lots of family dynamics and lots of humour and laughs throughout the book.
It is a clean, refreshing and enjoyable book to read.
I received the book via Boosprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.
This is about a second chance at life by the main protagonist and how she goes about getting it.
Well written, the story features believable characters, (especially loved the Grandmother), lots of family dynamics and lots of humour and laughs throughout the book.
It is a clean, refreshing and enjoyable book to read.
I received the book via Boosprout and am voluntarily reviewing it.
July 5, 2018
Sweet, Encouraging Story
Sure, life is not always what we want or deserve, but let's not lengthen the odds by quietly settling for less! Ask, and we are FAR more likely to receive. That's basically the message of this sweetly told tale of encouragement to those who doubt the Universe: Dream our life and don't forget it's up to us to then LIVE our dream. Crabb delivers uplifting thoughts in a light hearted tone. This isn't a profound read, but I enjoyed her novel quite a bit!
Sure, life is not always what we want or deserve, but let's not lengthen the odds by quietly settling for less! Ask, and we are FAR more likely to receive. That's basically the message of this sweetly told tale of encouragement to those who doubt the Universe: Dream our life and don't forget it's up to us to then LIVE our dream. Crabb delivers uplifting thoughts in a light hearted tone. This isn't a profound read, but I enjoyed her novel quite a bit!
July 30, 2018
This book is generally interesting . It reminds me a little about real life. It talks about her life after a devourse. How the person is just living and getting by. All of a suddenly her mother reads an ad about a week of travels and convinced her to take. She now glad she did. It changed her. She is a lot happier.
I have this rating because the book is relatable. It encourages you to take risks. You got to go read it.
I have this rating because the book is relatable. It encourages you to take risks. You got to go read it.
September 25, 2018
Fun, encouraging story
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was fun, and thankfully lacking all of the zany, madcap situations of so many chick-lit titles. Too many of today's stories seem to follow the same outline. I find them predictable, and even cringe worthy. Not so with this book which was refreshingly straightforward and had me thinking the character of Amanda was someone I might actually like and root for.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It was fun, and thankfully lacking all of the zany, madcap situations of so many chick-lit titles. Too many of today's stories seem to follow the same outline. I find them predictable, and even cringe worthy. Not so with this book which was refreshingly straightforward and had me thinking the character of Amanda was someone I might actually like and root for.
November 15, 2018
This was a fun piece of escapist literature infused with a good bit of situational humor and some good clean romance. And it's a fast read, too. What's not to like?
Well... I would've liked to see this work get a good bit more editing. There are lots of grammatical errors and misspellings. Still? It's a pleasant read and much better than watching TV. (No commercials, either!)
Three and a half stars.
Well... I would've liked to see this work get a good bit more editing. There are lots of grammatical errors and misspellings. Still? It's a pleasant read and much better than watching TV. (No commercials, either!)
Three and a half stars.
January 16, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It's not high literary fiction, it's a lovely feel good story perfect for reading lazing on a beach. The feelings of guilt and inadequacy Amanda has are all too familiar. The British English makes a pleasant change and Amanda's voice comes across as real. I cheered for her!
There are a couple of formatting errors which aggravated me at the beginning but the story carried me along.
There are a couple of formatting errors which aggravated me at the beginning but the story carried me along.
January 18, 2020
I’m glad I found this author
Delightful from the beginning to the end. I had to laugh out loud at some parts. Very witty writing style. Can’t say when I enjoyed reading a book for the sheer joy of it. Would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a get away from it all book. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue with and about her two children. Loved when she put her ex husband in his place on the phone. He sounded so full of himself until she set him straight.
Delightful from the beginning to the end. I had to laugh out loud at some parts. Very witty writing style. Can’t say when I enjoyed reading a book for the sheer joy of it. Would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a get away from it all book. I particularly enjoyed the dialogue with and about her two children. Loved when she put her ex husband in his place on the phone. He sounded so full of himself until she set him straight.
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