What do you think?
Rate this book
Five Mississippi
Ginny Edley has always prided herself on living an organized life. Structure. Order. Control. After growing up in an environment with a complete lack of stability, and having any semblance of hope slip right through her fingers, she has made it her mission in life to only ever rely on herself. Until Jack McKinney comes in and threatens to ruin everything that she has spent her life building.Working on the same television show as staff writers, Ginny and Jack get to know each other quite well. When secrets from Jack’s past are unearthed, Ginny makes it her mission to distract him, and “Mission: Make Jack Happy” becomes her summer project. But Jack’s past heartache leaves Ginny questioning her own happiness, and as his friendship begins to poke at old wounds of her own, Ginny is caught between letting her past define her and allowing someone else into her life in a way that might let those old wounds begin to heal instead of scarring over. As her relationship with Jack grows, planting new roots in parts of her heart that she had thought were otherwise dead, Ginny finds herself struggling with just how lonely life can be when the only person in your corner is you.
291 pages, Paperback
Published August 16, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 18, 2020
Honestly, I thought it’d be really difficult to follow up “Too Much of a Good Thing” because Charlotte and James are such easy to love characters and make you want to root for them from the get to. But after having finished “Five Mississippi,” I can say that it rises to the challenge beautifully. It is truly one of my favorite books of 2020.
Maybe it’s because I really resonate and connect with Ginny, or maybe it’s because her story is written in a way that evokes really strong emotions as you start to piece together her past, or maybe it’s because Jack McKinney is everything you want in a leading man. It’s probably a combination of all three and many others, like the way that counting five Mississippi’s or skipping rocks is weaved throughout the book, each new use taking on a heightened significance. Oh, or the way that you get to be witness to some very real character growth over the course of the book, as Ginny’s walls break down an she starts to accept the love and care that people want to give her. And the way that, once again, Allie is a genius when it comes to writing dialogue and delivers line after line of poignancy and comedy blended together in a masterful way. I have about a million more ways that I can list that this book is so enjoyable and so worth the read, but instead I will just encourage anyone reading this review to find out for themselves.
I was so lucky to get an ARC of this book and have the opportunity to read it ahead of its release date, August 18th. You better believe that I will have a paper copy on the way ASAP so that Ginny and Jack can live next to Charlotte and James (seen in this book but featured in “Too Much of a Good Thing,” which you should also be reading if you haven’t yet!) and I can visit my friends any time I like.
Maybe it’s because I really resonate and connect with Ginny, or maybe it’s because her story is written in a way that evokes really strong emotions as you start to piece together her past, or maybe it’s because Jack McKinney is everything you want in a leading man. It’s probably a combination of all three and many others, like the way that counting five Mississippi’s or skipping rocks is weaved throughout the book, each new use taking on a heightened significance. Oh, or the way that you get to be witness to some very real character growth over the course of the book, as Ginny’s walls break down an she starts to accept the love and care that people want to give her. And the way that, once again, Allie is a genius when it comes to writing dialogue and delivers line after line of poignancy and comedy blended together in a masterful way. I have about a million more ways that I can list that this book is so enjoyable and so worth the read, but instead I will just encourage anyone reading this review to find out for themselves.
I was so lucky to get an ARC of this book and have the opportunity to read it ahead of its release date, August 18th. You better believe that I will have a paper copy on the way ASAP so that Ginny and Jack can live next to Charlotte and James (seen in this book but featured in “Too Much of a Good Thing,” which you should also be reading if you haven’t yet!) and I can visit my friends any time I like.
August 17, 2020
This was such a beautiful read, and I struggled putting it down once I started. What really stood out to me were the characters, they were beautifully written and jumped off the page, making them easy to relate to and a joy to follow along with. Ginny was a character that felt real to me, and her need for organization and control were such a good setup for her personality, especially when she had to go from relying on only herself to opening up to others. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her growth and her slowly opening up to and letting her walls down little by little, and found the entire journey she went on powerful to read. Jack made for such a good love interest as well, and he quickly became a character I was fond of. The exploration of both them as individuals and together was beautifully written, the journey of loneliness and love and self discovery, of allowing yourself to be vulnerable in order to accept something new and good.
I found the dialogue brilliant as well, always seeming to describe the person speaking perfectly, creating a whole new debt to the plot and characters.
A wonderful book that I would highly recommend if you enjoy relatable characters and healthy relationships full of growth and support.
August 23, 2021
Who knew counting to five Mississippi could be so heated and painful all at the same time. There is something I love about a slow burn romance. There are small moments that help build the foundation of friendship and each character breaking down emotional walls to finally open up to another person. I love that the author took her time with Ginny and Jack’s story.
The book is beyond heartbreaking. Ginny and Jack are broken and watching them both piece themselves back together was quite the emotional journey. They were each other's safeplace allowing them to remove the mask they show to the public. They are both characters that had a difficult past and an uphill climb to be a part of a “we”. There were little moments that helped the reader feel like a part of their love story and made it impossible not to fall for both Jack and Ginny. I love that this book was as much Jack as it was Ginny though it was only told from her POV.
This was not only the perfect book to follow up Too Much of a Good Thing, but it tells a unique story that makes it distinct from the first book. This story conveys emotions like I have never felt before while reading a book. This author completely shattered my heart but pieced it back together better and stronger than before. I am in awe of how much I loved this touching story about what true love is.
The book is beyond heartbreaking. Ginny and Jack are broken and watching them both piece themselves back together was quite the emotional journey. They were each other's safeplace allowing them to remove the mask they show to the public. They are both characters that had a difficult past and an uphill climb to be a part of a “we”. There were little moments that helped the reader feel like a part of their love story and made it impossible not to fall for both Jack and Ginny. I love that this book was as much Jack as it was Ginny though it was only told from her POV.
This was not only the perfect book to follow up Too Much of a Good Thing, but it tells a unique story that makes it distinct from the first book. This story conveys emotions like I have never felt before while reading a book. This author completely shattered my heart but pieced it back together better and stronger than before. I am in awe of how much I loved this touching story about what true love is.
December 16, 2020
Five Mississippi made me feel all sorts of emotions. It was a wonderful mix of angst, tension, sadness, and relief. The story starts with our main girl, Ginny, who is a secondary character from Too Much of a Good Thing. She begins her journey seemingly emotionless, but confident in who she is. She's successful, driven, and ready to put anyone in their place who tries to uproot the foundation she's worked so carefully to construct.
Jack is her work colleague and the ex-boyfriend of her best friend, Charlotte. The beginning of the story shows her helping Jack get back on his feet from the relationship that was never going to go anywhere. When the story ends, we're given a peek into the sweetest ending one can hope for these two.
When I started this, I thought Ginny was going to be the kind of character who drove me up the wall. However, 5M did a great job of showing how we become who we are. Ginny pushed people out because of her terrible past and it took someone like Jack to show her she mattered and to not give up on her when most people would have.
The story is a rollercoaster of a will they, won't they romance. The backstories for each of these characters are developed so well that you feel as if you know them yourself.
I'm rating this 5 stars for the emotional adventure I wasn't prepared for.
Jack is her work colleague and the ex-boyfriend of her best friend, Charlotte. The beginning of the story shows her helping Jack get back on his feet from the relationship that was never going to go anywhere. When the story ends, we're given a peek into the sweetest ending one can hope for these two.
When I started this, I thought Ginny was going to be the kind of character who drove me up the wall. However, 5M did a great job of showing how we become who we are. Ginny pushed people out because of her terrible past and it took someone like Jack to show her she mattered and to not give up on her when most people would have.
The story is a rollercoaster of a will they, won't they romance. The backstories for each of these characters are developed so well that you feel as if you know them yourself.
I'm rating this 5 stars for the emotional adventure I wasn't prepared for.
February 4, 2021
*includes mild spoilers*
We meet Ginny Edley in Allie Giancarlo’s first book, Too Much of a Good Thing, as Charlotte’s wild best friend from college.
While Ginny was not the main character in TMOAGT, she was an electric part of the book. Now, reading her story is a thrill and a half. We also meet Jack McKinney in TMOAGT as Charlotte’s short-term boyfriend and Ginny’s co-worker.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Ginny and Jack’s friendship develop. Allie has a way of creating characters who seem to leap off the page. I relate to Ginny’s list making and desire for order where order isn’t attainable. I adore Jack’s large and boisterous family gatherings as mine as much of the same. And it truly filled my heart to see the way in which Jack and Ginny are not there to complete each other, but to challenge and support one another.
P.S. I love Lundqvist as much as the next non-NY Rangers fan, but Tuukka is the best. Not sorry. IYKYK.
*I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.* (And honestly, you should read it stat).
We meet Ginny Edley in Allie Giancarlo’s first book, Too Much of a Good Thing, as Charlotte’s wild best friend from college.
While Ginny was not the main character in TMOAGT, she was an electric part of the book. Now, reading her story is a thrill and a half. We also meet Jack McKinney in TMOAGT as Charlotte’s short-term boyfriend and Ginny’s co-worker.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Ginny and Jack’s friendship develop. Allie has a way of creating characters who seem to leap off the page. I relate to Ginny’s list making and desire for order where order isn’t attainable. I adore Jack’s large and boisterous family gatherings as mine as much of the same. And it truly filled my heart to see the way in which Jack and Ginny are not there to complete each other, but to challenge and support one another.
P.S. I love Lundqvist as much as the next non-NY Rangers fan, but Tuukka is the best. Not sorry. IYKYK.
*I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.* (And honestly, you should read it stat).
January 31, 2021
Fantastic
It was great to see what was going to happen. It was a nice continuous story from the first book. Loved it!
It was great to see what was going to happen. It was a nice continuous story from the first book. Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews