Have a Nice Guilt Trip

The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman #5

by Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella are back with another collection of warm and witty stories that will strike a chord with every woman. This four book series is among the best reviewed humor books published today and has been compared to the late greats, Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron. Booklist raved of the third book in the series, Meet Me At Emotional Baggage Claim,  “readers can count on an ab-toning laugh session, a silly giggle, a sympathetic sigh, and a lump in the throat as life’s moments are rehashed through the keen eyes and wits of this lovable mother-daughter duo.” This fourth volume, Have a Nice Guilt Trip, maintains the same sterling standard of humor and poignancy as Lisa and Francesca continue on the road of life acquiring men and puppies. Ok, to be honest, Lisa is acquiring the puppies, while Francesca is lucky enough to have dates with actual men. They leave it to the readers to decide which is more desirable and/or or easier to train.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Essays, Short Stories, Biography

Audiobook

First published July 2, 2014

About the author

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar award-winning author of 33 novels. Her books are book-club favorites, and Lisa and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has served as President of Mystery Writers of America, and her reviews of fiction and non-fiction have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs. Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice and Fiction. Lisa has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reviews

[Danielle Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always choose the audio version of their books because I think hearing the stories in Lisa and Francesca's voices adds to the experience. The stories about Mother Mary were especially poignant, knowing she recently passed away. I was sad to come to the end of the CDs.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 1 out of 5]

No. No no no no no. Both of these women are annoying, self-absorbed, I have nothing in common with them and have no interest in reading their self-congratulatory/self-deprecating anecdotes any further. Did not finish.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am a fan of Ms. Scottoline. I enjoy reading her books. I can't remember really not liking any of the books I have read. I had this book sitting on my stack for a while begging me to check it out. I finally grabbed it and started reading it. While I like that I felt I got to know Ms. Scottoline better as well as her family including her daughter, Francesca, brother, Frank and her mother, Mary, I was thinking and hoping that this book would read more like a comedy. It did not so and I agree with another reader that the snippets just did not really work for me. Plus, I felt that this book was more one sided with Lisa leading a more dominant voice then her daughter, Francesca. Also, I have to tell you that I don't ever want to piss off an Italian. After only getting about a third of the way into this book I just could not finish reading it.

[Yaritza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book officially wins five stars from me.This is the most hilarious book I have ever read. Lisa is an amazing author who could make anyone laugh with her jokes. I have never met Lisa but feel like I am her best friend after reading all those personal and at times embarrassing moments she had. Mother Mary is just the funniest and controlling mother, who I learn to cherish throughout the book. Francesca is an amazing author who really loves and cherishes her family. The most funniest part that I couldn't stop laughing was when Lisa had the rash and brought the butt cream in the airport. Lol. Thanks so much Lisa and Francesca I really enjoyed this book and will share it with all my friends.

[Katlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently won this book in a giveaway on this site... As a thirteen almost fourteen year old girl I had never heard of this author. But as I began to read more and more of this book I thought it was amazingly written. However, I am pretty sure that I wasn't the target audience :p I am giving this book a 3/5 stars because although very entertaining; I didn't really connect with the characters and I understood that this book was meant to be read by someone who was probably in there late twenties. I still think that this was a pretty good read. Not too long either ( I finished it in a day ). I liked it.

[Donna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by this author. This one is nonfiction and it was also a joint project with her daughter. This book was just okay for me. It really wasn't my kind of humor. Sometimes I felt like it was a little on the TMI side. She talked about things I really didn't want to know about, let alone the gritty details of said things.

Also, I'm not a fan of the format. It was just a bunch of snipets...all unrelated.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sister won the book from a good reads giveaway and I hijacked it at the airport on our trip. It was highly amusing and a quick read, so much so that I was reading the last page as we stepped off the last plane.

[Mary Gramlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will need more than a carry on for this trip!

When you read this series of books by Lisa and Francesca (see I acted like they are my friends) you are thinking “authors have really normal lives” which sucks because I expected so much more from them. They have relationship issues, family drama, getting into trouble when you have free time, and animals they love. The only thing is it seems more interesting when you read about these things going on than when you are living them, why is that? Write about these life events Lisa and Francesca do with such aplomb and funny finesse you are always thinking you wish you were related to them.

As a reader I felt as if I were exchanging emails with dear friends I have known forever. We are conversing about what is going on in our lives, discuss what else can go wrong today, how our mothers whom we affectionately refer to as the daisies could be more critical of our clothing or demanding of our time, relate again what amazing people we created in our children, and of course how much we love our dogs even though they just threw up in the living room.

Friends are the cornerstone of our existence and hearing these wonderful snippets of what life is like for Lisa and Francesca is a joy to the rest of us who find our lives less funny and more grueling. Yet they are like everyone else trying to get through a day, explore new avenues of fun, and try at the end of the month to pay bills.

What a great read, write, listen to and enjoy experience from two wonderful authors that just happen to be related.

[Laraf123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many of the essays are entertaining, some are touching and a few are profound. "A Wall of Guilt" made a lasting impression on me as did the last piece in the book.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read Lisa Scottoline. With the exception of the book that just came out this week, I have read them all. I especially enjoy the humorous essays that she writes with her daughter. I have been to her house with my sister and daughter. I identify with everyday things that she writes about and love that she sees the humor in them. She has a daughter making her way in NYC. I have a daughter making her way in NYC. She goes to visit her daughter. I go to visit my daughter. We should totally hang out and meet for dinner in the Big Apple. And the funny thing is that she probably would do it because that is who she is - down to earth, funny, welcoming, and personable. Now, let's see if I can wait to see if Santa puts Betrayed under the Christmas tree for me. Oh well, what the heck, I never was good at waiting. Guess I will just do a little Black Friday shopping at Amazon. It will be here in only a few days.

[Kristine R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not my kind of book at all. I made the mistake of listening to it on audio and I know it is just me personally but, I find books that are narrated by the people who wrote them to be very irritating. I only finished half of it. It is difficult for me to take life lessons from someone who is far younger than me who seemingly grew up under a sheltered canopy of what life is really like. I can't really take advice from someone who doesn't know what it's like to have your spirit broken once in a while. Shrug.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lisa Scottoline's books. She is just like me! She makes the ordinary seem hilarious! "My favorite food is calories". OMG!! That is me!! She too has painstakingly created a garden that ended up a mess - just like me. And she laughed about it. She has a Thing 1 and a Thing 2 - just like me. She is an amazing woman. I really admire her strength and independence. I will read every one of these books that she puts out. Finding humor in everyday life. Its something we all should do more of.

[Erin Barnett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this as part of a first reads promotion. It is a witty, quick read. If you're looking for something deep and thought-provoking, this isn't going to fill that void. However, this is great beach or airplane reading. It's light enough that distractions aren't a big deal and each story is only a few pages long. There were times I know the author would have expected a laugh that just felt too contrived, but there were some funny parts.

[Susan McChesney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually love Lisa Scottoline's books. She's a local author for me. This book was a mishmash of short narratives by either her or her daughter. Some of hers were amusing. Some of them were her take on politics or our government. I really did not like her daughters at all. I did not find them interesting or amusing and frankly most the time I found them boring. I will continue to love and read Lisa's books. However I will steer clear of her collections of short stories.

[S R · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started to listen to this book on CD in the car on the way to work. The book is read by the authors, an Italian mother and her daughter who wrote vignettes about different thoughts and experiences they have had in life. The stories did make me laugh aloud, but after many short chapters, I grew bored and wanted to hear a more substantial book. If you want a very light book, nothing heavy, that may make you laugh, then you will enjoy this book.

[Diana Brewster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was somewhat bittersweet to read because some of the stories featured Mother Mary, who recently passed away. As usual the stories written by Lisa Scottoline and her daughter were humorous, interesting, short & sweet. I always look forward to these books and read them very quickly once they are published and I get them from the library.

[Nicole Neal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my 2nd book by Scottoline and this one was quite a bit different writing style, this book was a mishmash of short narratives by either her or her daughter. Some of hers were amusing. Some of them were her take on politics or our government. I will probably steer clear of the short story books of hers but still have 2 others on my want to read list and will read them.

[Gina Torn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this series of nonfiction stories by this mother-daughter duo! Every chapter is either hilarious or has a life lesson. They’re relatable whether you’re 25 or 65. Some of my favorite chapters in this one are Ms. Scottoline and her gardening mishaps or Ms. Serritella’s story about jury duty which is the worst! I enjoy the stories of their mom and grandmother affectionately called Mother Mary who wanted to sue Stevie Wonder for stealing a song she claims she wrote in her younger days a song writer! Priceless.

I love listening to these short stories on audio because the two authors read it themselves and the way the stories are told makes them even better. You don’t have to read them in order but some of the repeat family members and such make it funnier. This is my 36th (!!!) book of Ms. Scottoline and I won’t stop until I’ve read them all! I have one more in this series! I love them! Highly recommend if you need a good and humorous story!

[Tammy Adkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

At the beginning I thought I was going to love the humor in this book and really "get into" it. I didn't. I read the entire book so I could discuss it at book club but the stories were all unrelated and I got bored before finishing it.

[Wanda Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good clean stories about what women think about a variety of topics.

[Jen (The Jenerator) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series of books. They take me a long time to get through 'cuz I'm constantly stopping to re-read passages to my family and friends! They really make me laugh right out loud!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again a winner of a book. This series is light hearted and a quick read. Lisa Scottoline puts every woman's feeling right there in black and white for the whole world to react to....I choose to laugh, smile and enjoy. And Lisa, BTW I kiss my dogs on the lips too.

[Gina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always enjoy the light hearted stories they share.

[Martha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this in audio-book format. It's actually a collection of short essays written by Scottoline and her daughter. For years, I've enjoyed the fictional works of Scottoline and was curious to check this book out. Our book club had planned to read one of her more recent collaborative efforts next month so this was sort of a recon effort before we committed to this book.

Needless to say, after listening to this book, I proposed we read a more traditional book.

It's not that this book was bad, it just wasn't good. Lisa and her daughter take turns crafting short essays but I can't say there was a common theme to any of them, and no sooner had a listened to an essay, I'd forgotten what the point of said essay was. That's not good, when you have such a limited recall of the subject matter.

Between the two, I will say Scottoline writes a more interesting short essay. Maybe because she's closer in age to myself, I connected with her. But there was such a vast discrepancy between mother and daughter that I couldn't help but wonder if these collective essays were an effort for mother to use her name recognition to help her daughter's writing career? Harsh...but when I mentioned it to another friend (who had gone ahead and read the proposed book for our next gathering) nodding in agreement.

Fear not, I will remain a fan of Scottoline in her more traditional works. But for these short essays that she writes with her daughter, I'll have to pass.

[Jen K · Rating 2 out of 5]

A memoir in a series of memoirs written by a mother and daughter about their daily lives, family and working as authors. The stories swing from poignant about their mother/ grandmother who passed away soon after the book was published to banal on deer eating flowers and seeing the voter volunteers at the farmers market and the beloved dogs.

The stories were okay. Some were thoughtful critics of life in the US, some made me chuckle but many seemed like filler on random topics or thoughts. It was also probably not the best on audio. There are so many one-liners that seemed to be missing the following groan and 'get-it? I'm so clever' nudge.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit - I didn't like it at first. From the title, the description, and the opening paragraphs, I was expecting something quite different - more like a book exploring the theme of intergenerational guilt. Once I accepted it as a collection of humor columns with no particular theme, I was able to enjoy it for what it was.

This was a light, fun, quick read. The sarcasm was rarely painful, and the humor was clean and good natured throughout. It would be cloying if read all at once, but was a good way to lift the spirits a few minutes at a time at the end of a long day.

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scottoline is one of my favorite authors -- for both her fiction and nonfiction. I absolutely love her sense of humor and perspective on life, and this series of autobiographical snippets from her life is delightful, clever, funny. The kind of book to read a few chapters at a time, put aside for a bit, and pick back up without missing a beat. Have read all of these and look forward to the next ones (already published).

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this audio series. Lisa and daughter, Francesca, tell about their lives and, generally, how they feel about almost everything. This audio was particularly touching to me since my Mother has just passed away. I still hear her trying to make me feel guilty sometimes! Definitely worth a read or a listen!

[Bayou des Cannes Cajun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written by a mother and daugter. It is a witty, light yet insightful comical read focusing on their individual family life experiences that have resulted in emotional guilt.

"Because in a family, unlike a court of law, there's no statute of limitations on being heard. In a family, you can air your grievances, however crazy they may sound."

[Stephanie Hong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I definitely recommend to any girl or woman. It is hilarious and quirky with some interesting jokes thrown in here and there. I extremely enjoyed the book; I could always depend on it to get my spirits back up!