Billie Starr's Book of Sorries

by Deborah Elaine Kennedy

Sometimes, a woman has to rescue herself.

Jenny Newberg, Queen of Bad Decisions, is about to make another one. In a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business, down-on-her-luck single mother Jenny is on a first-name basis with the debt collector at the bank, who is moving toward foreclosure. She is constantly apologizing to her precocious young daughter, Billie Starr, who is filling a book with her mother’s sorries, and it seems to Jenny that no apology will ever be enough.

Then a pair of strangers in black suits offers her a hefty check to seduce someone known as the Candidate. Finally, something will go her way.

But nothing ever goes as Jenny plans, and she is swept into the Candidate’s orbit. Surrounded by a wide universe of new ideas, she realizes how constrained her life has been by the expectations of everyone around her, and she starts to see how much more she might be capable of. And when her world is rocked to its core and Billie Starr may be in danger, Jenny is forced to do what she once thought impossible: trust in herself and her own power to make things right.

Shimmering with rage and sparkling with subtle humor, Billie Starr's Book of Sorries showcases Edgar Award-nominee Deborah E. Kennedy's singular voice and shines a light on the town of Benson, Indiana, where lakes, grudges, and family rifts run deep – but so does a mother’s love.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 4, 2022

About the author

Deborah E. Kennedy is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana and a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her writing has appeared in Salon, Sou’wester, Third Coast Magazine, and The North American Review. Deborah has worked as a reporter, teacher, and editor, as well as a cookie packer, ice cream scooper, and children’s baseball coach. She also holds a Master’s in Fiction Writing and English literature from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She currently lives in Forest Grove, Oregon with her mother and young son.

Reviews

[Emma]

This particular novel is a bit of a special case for me: I know the author! Debbie is an alum of my university, Hanover College, and I helped coordinate her visit to the college when I was a senior. We became friendly after that. She's lovely and exactly the kind of author who deserves your support and respect!

I don't want to give this book a rating, since knowing the author makes me biased, so instead of a review, I will write a recommendation.

You would like this book if you like:
-Portraits of small Midwestern towns that are neither unbearably grim nor tooth-rottingly nostalgic
-Literary mysteries: by this I mean a book with a mystery as one of its plot points, but that focuses more on writing and characters.
-Close examinations of women's relationships: mothers and daughters, best friends, and frenemies.

Winter is a great time to read this, since most of the book is set around Christmas. It was good company on cold evenings this month. Read and enjoy!

[Katherina Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billie Starr’s mom is always saying sorry. Mostly, she’s sorry for all the bad choices she has made in her past, although she does feel that one of her best choices was having Billie Starr. In her early thirties, she realizes that maybe she can make better choices. Of course in a small town, everyone knows your business. This book is chock full of wondrous characters, along with a mystery and lots of hope for the future. While it was a good read I had difficulty remembering the specifics of each character. This resulted in some frustration and caused me to only rate it three stars. A fun book, otherwise. Thank you to NetGalley and Flat Iron books for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny Newberg is a high school drop-out and a single mom to her bright and spunky eight year-old daughter Billie Starr. Jenny has been down on her luck her whole life. She is often taken advantage of by others and sexually harassed by men. She spends her days constantly berating herself and apologizing for everything. You couldn't find a woman with lower self-esteem. The one good thing that she believes she did was to have Billie Starr, a young girl so inquisitive about life, looking for the good in it everywhere. Billie befriends those laughed at and scorned by others. She intends to change the world some day.

Life in small town Benson, Indiana where everyone knows (or is related to) everyone else makes it hard to have secrets. People tend to remember what you've done and don't let you forget it. Jenny, with her long record of bad decisions isn't cut much slack by the townspeople, but everyone loves Billie Starr, and when she goes missing, the town comes together to find her.

An ok read, it seemed overly long, and had a huge cast of quirky characters that became difficult to keep straight at times.

My thanks to Flatiron Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book via NetGalley. Publication is set for 10/4/22. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

[Amanda G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, publisher and Goodreads for this giveaway!

This book is a solid 3.5 stars from me. I started it with no expectations and actually really enjoyed the storyline, ending included.

There are a lot of characters in this novel, and each of them uniquely quirky, so it’s a bit to keep up with. That said, it wasn’t hard to follow along and grow attached to them and the very small town, poor, southern, early 90s lives they lead.

At times the sentences seem choppy and slightly confusing, but it’s because we are fully immersed in Jenny’s head and thoughts. I got a lot of Streetcar Named Desire vibes during reading, and as a person who loves the play, I was happily along for ride. The many disasters weren’t too predictable or stretched, and it held my attention and had me eager to stay, while remaining hopeful that things will take a turn for the positive for Jenny and Billie Starr.

[Crystal Palmisano-Dillard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny Newberg has made a series of bad choices and walked all over by too many people.

After being fired by a sexually harassing boss, she’s desperate for money and makes yet another bad choice.

This snowballs into what seems like a good opportunity until her daughter, the precocious Billie Starr goes missing.

[Nann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny Newberg has messed up many times in her life. She's a single mom, recently unemployed, and behind in her house payment. "I'm sorry" peppers most of her conversations with everyone including her chain-smoking mother Carla and her best friend Lyd but mostly with her smart, imaginative seven-year=old daughter Billie Starr. When two black-suited men offer her $5000 if she carries out a scheme to discredit the underdog candidate for governor she says yes. What can go wrong? The scheme leads to job (for pay!) with the candidate's campaign. But when Billie Starr goes missing after a class field trip Jenny has to quickly reevaluate everything about her existence -- and Billie Starr comes first.

There's humor, sorrow, some suspense, blame, forgiveness, acceptance -- and in the end, love.

[Sherwestonstec · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful story, of human interaction, how people react to certain situations, with a mystery thrown in! Loved the characters in this well written novel.

[Mel Raschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, sad and funny. Very funny characters. It proves that a decision made sometimes creates a snowball effect that soon has the entire world wondering what happened

[Ronnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Never underestimate a broke single mom's powers of self-delusion.

Sorry, but this book's a mess. It starts strong, focusing on the struggles of the 28-year-old single mom/high school dropout heroine, Jenny Newberg, and her close relationship with her precocious 8-year-old daughter, Billie Starr, but fairly quickly devolves into a sort of cockamamie whodunnit. It's filled with a cast of colorful, quirky characters--none funnier than Jenny's insufferable, passive aggressive, chain-smoking mother, Carla--but also too many straight-up caricatures, such as the bad guys who actually wear "Black Suits" and the heartless elementary school principal, Gladys Mock, who's not good with kids and sort of mocks the idea of effective and ethical education administration in general. Kennedy seems aware that the incident setting up the book's main conflict is at least an unlikely stretch that requires a pretty steep suspension of disbelief, having Jenny think, "It was all so ridiculous, so hard-boiled and strange, but here she was, making the drive." But then, subsequently, too many scenes are rendered in an equally unbelievable and frustratingly desultory way (e.g., the post-field trip parking lot segment, the whole police station episode, the drunken search party sequence, among others), and the "harebrained sleuthing" that follows is also, at best, far-fetched. It made me think the book's publisher took a mostly laissez-faire approach on the editing front, but still basic proofreading would have helped avoid sentences such as: "A line of young men pushed passed her." Ugh--homophones! The protracted denouement revolving around the police academy struck me as improbable, but the concluding thoughts about the stars were nice.

First line:
"Jenny remembered his arms best."

[Jess Shealy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling read from cover to cover, Billie Starr’s Book of Sorries by Deborah E. Kennedy delivered hours of sheer entertainment. I have not the first clue what’s not to enjoy about this novel full of mystery, political scandal, small-town dramas, and a cast of quirky, realistic characters, including (especially) the clever, funny, sharp-witted titular character herself, Billie Starr.

There was, to me, not a dull moment in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the third-person limited, sometimes rather stream-of-consciousness, point of view of the narrative structure and pace that really allowed us as the reader to be very one with the thoughts of Billie Starr’s mom, Jenny Newberg. The novel’s plot was full of twists and turns, none of which I could predict, and believe me, I tried. (I suppose that could mean I am just bad at putting two and two together, but I choose to believe that it is a testament to how well and craftily Deborah E. Kennedy wrote this story.)

For all the above reasons, and I’m sure probably more I didn’t remember to touch on, I have no hesitation in giving Billie Starr’s Book of Sorries a 5/5 star rating. And, of course, thank you to Flatiron Books for my advance reading copy of this fun book, won in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Estibaliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Goodreads Giveaways and Flatiron Books for providing me with an ARC of this novel, in exchange for my honest review...

And since this is my review, based on my feelings and opinions, I do have to say the three stars are pretty generous, and the final rating rests at 2.5 stars.

And not because this is a bad book, certainly is not, but I was expecting something different, where Billie Starr was more of a main character and there was much more magic... Instead, this is a pretty evocative story, but one that is strongly rooted in the daily life of those of us than others might just label as losers. And, as such, it may hit you hard here and there, but it didn't always succeeded in captivating me.

The story started on quite an interesting and intriguing note, but it took later a turn that, despite all its potential to keep you glued to the page, it actually had the opposite effect on me. So here I am now, finishing the novel after a couple weeks hiatus, and just appreciating the quality of the narrative, but really wanting to jump into something else...

Some endearing characters, though.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billie Starr’s mom has made a lot of mistakes in her life. She's always saying she's sorry. She's trying to make better choices but keeps getting caught up in things she doesn't mean to. There was parts of this book that I really enjoyed. I liked Billie Starr and wish there was a bit more of her in the story. I liked the best friend and the next door neighbor. But some of the story didn't make sense to me. Why would she not have gone back for her raincoat this whole time? Even though I understood how that circled back in the end, I couldn't understand someone who wouldn't go back to get her things. She just seemed to be jumping from one unwise decision to another. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and many of them didn't feel as fleshed out as they could have been. Similarly the sub-plot lines came and went and didn't all feel relevant. I still enjoyed the time I spent with it.

with gratitude to netgalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Debra Medina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dear Billie Starr's Book of Sorries,
You were a beautiful family story about how much a mother's love can transform a person. Jenny Newburg was a woman plagued with a life of poor choices and regrets, and she just felt like she couldn't find her way out of her hole. In a moment of desperation, she makes another regretful decision that leads to the greatest tragedy of her life. You had all of the makings of a beautiful story of sacrifice and regret. Unfortunately, for me, you fell short of that mark. Jenny was difficult to relate to and I wanted to know Billie Starr more. I think I would have loved to have some of her perspective, diving deeper into her. For all of the difficulties Jenny faced, she approached people and situations with a frustrating innocence and hope that it would be the thing to save her from her life. Your writing was beautiful, but I struggled with your pacing, the beginning was a slow burn, and the end felt rushed. You were a decent story, but lacked the depth of character I crave.

[Ed Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many ways this book could’ve spun off the rails — by being overly sentimental, preachy, incorporating silly plot twists — but none of those things happen. In fact, the novel is a revelation, about a young single mom deep in poverty, trying to raise her daughter despite a bitter ex-husband, a clueless and almost evil mother, a town indifferent to her plight and actually reveling in her misfortune and a dubious decision she makes early on. Interspersed are moments of genuine humanity involving those who, on paper, seems like the most odious characters, which is one of the ways this canny novel turns expectations on its head. You could argue that the resolution isn’t entirely earned, and I suppose that is at least a little bit true, but I think that’s a bit besides the point. What we have is a life-affirming portrait of poverty in middle America and the heroic mom and kid who refuse to be defeated by it. The book got generally excellent reviews, which I totally agree with.

Grade: A

[Kasia Hubbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billie Starr's Book of Sorries is a collection of her mother's (Jenny) apologies. Jenny has had a rough time, a big dreamer in a small town who's life has changed since she had Billie. Unfortunately, Billie knows that all too well and once it came out of Jenny's mouth, Billie hasn't let her forget it. Jenny is trying to do the very best that she can, but once she got fired from work because her boss, Bob, took things too far and in order to keep her quiet, has basically blackballed her in town so no one will hire her. Desperate, low on funds, and running out of time, Jenny does something she never would have before. Sleeping with someone for money. But not just anyone, the Candidate, and not for a low amount of money. $5,000!!! Jenny goes ahead with the plan and what happens next is a strange set of events that push Jenny to the edge. Great read!
*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*

[Kim McGee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jenny is a single mom with more than a few things on her mind - the cash she doesn't have, the new job she needs and her daughter Billie Starr who is tired of hearing sorry. One night of no good for some easy cash turns into an above board job offer from the politician she was supposed to set up. What she sees as a turn of luck turns bad again pretty quick when the threats start and Billie goes missing. Billie is a precocious girl who along with her best friend is really tired of sometimes having to be a parent to her parent. Political hijinks, a mom trying to be a better mom than her mom was before her and a bucketful of flawed characters make up this wacky plot. Sure to be a hit with fans of Finlay Donovan and Janet Ivanovich's Stephanie Plum series. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this- set in a Midwestern small town just like her previous book, Tornado Weather. It takes place in 1991 and the protagonist, Jenny, is a young, financially struggling single mom who's made a lot of bad decision and finds herself constantly apologizing to her eight-year-old daughter, Billie Starr. Then she gets involved with a plot to seduce a political candidate, and, well, things get more complicated from there. I sometimes had a hard time keeping track of who all the secondary characters were, but Jenny was a very well-written character.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what word to use to describe the main character in Billie Starr's Book of Sorries, Jenny. Is she ditzy, a pleaser or just plain sorry. Jenny, the mother of Billie Starr has good intentions but seems to be vacant or easily distracted and she makes bad decisions.

Her friend Lyd is always telling her what she should do but Jenny never listens, so when Jenny finds herself down to her last dollar and in the middle of a political scandal, she has no idea how she's going to get out. Her beauty and good heartedness only get her so far.

We don't see a change in Jenny until Billie Starr goes missing after a field trip. It's like she awakens and takes charge. Jenny makes some good friends along the way.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book, and I especially enjoyed the quirky cast of characters. Jenny, a young single mom to the precocious Billie Starr, was fired from her receptionist job after being sexually harassed by her boss. Desperate to make ends meet, she agrees to seduce a politician for a big cash payout. This decision creates a snowball effect that soon has the entire Indiana small town involved.

The story was a little choppy and nonsensical, but it still works as a quick, fun book. If you're in the mood to read about characters with a bunch of problems and an amusing sense of humor, this would be a great choice.

[Michele Coleman]

Jenny Newberg is constantly apologizing to her precocious young daughter, Billie Starr. Sorry she's always late, sorry she's always broke and just sorry in general for failing as a single young mother trying her best. The harder Jenny tries the worse things get. When she finally lands a job, under another bad decision that involves men in black suits, as a receptionist for an up and coming candidate for Govenor she thinks she can finally save her house and be responsible. Jenny has no idea what she may have gotten herself into, not until Billie Starr disappears.
Full of heart and great characters Billie Starr's Book of Sorries will warm your heart.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A woman who has always been valued based upon her looks is putting in a minimum effort to raise her daughter. When she is given the promise of a quick and easy paycheck she goes for it. All she has to do is use her good looks to seduce a man. Despite the urging of her friend, she goes through with it. She does her part but never gets paid as she was promised. Needing money to take care of herself and her daughter, she gets a job. Not realizing that she was still being setup, she keeps living her life. Then she becomes the victim of a crime. The small town law enforcement are unwilling/unable to help her, so she sets out to find the criminals.

#GoodreadsGiveaway

[Dogsandbooksanddogsandbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Billie Starr maybe writing a book about all the times her mother, Jenny, has been sorry for mistakes she has made, but Jenny is drowning in the consequences of those mistakes. With an upbringing that has left her ill-equipped to take care of herself let alone a child, Jenny has relied on her looks. Eventually, she tries to cash in on those looks in a big way and it all goes bad.
Politics, childhood legacies, the working poor are explored along the way as the reader hopes that Jenny will finally figure things out before it's too late.




Thank you to Flatiron Books for my ARC. Rounded up to 4 from a 3.5 star rating

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big story about motherhood, hope, and the struggles of class set in a small place full of unforgettable personalities. Kennedy has a way with dialogue and description that puts you in the thick of it, which in this case is both a flyover state mystery and mediation on being a mom when your choices and circumstances are limited. Funny, touching, and yet still a page-turner, this is one not to be missed!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I thought the book was a good bit odd, but I continued reading it because Jenny was an intriguing character. I kept hoping she’d become more responsible, especially in regards to her daughter. I thought at first that the plot twists were rather unbelievable, but as the story progressed I realized how weak and insecure Jenny was. Without giving too much away, I think the denouement tied it all together and Jenny finally became her own woman.

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Kennedy’s writing style and her characters. Her sense of place is also strong and captivating. The plot was revealed through the experience of the main character, who arrived alternately at conclusions that ranged from dark and dangerous to inept bungling. I found it a good read and will check out the author’s other title. I am inspired that Kennedy studied in my state and attended the Iowa Writer’s Workshop.

[Lauren Nossett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billie Starr's not like the other girls at school--her clothes are second hand and she dresses like a rainbow. Her mom's not like the other Mommy's--she doesn't stay at home and she's often late for school pick up, but she tries the best she can. Heartfelt and beautifully-written, Billie Starr's Book of Sorries is a touching portrait of a mother and daughter in an Indiana town, where small town politics and family grudges run deep. A perfect winter day read!

[Elara Salazar · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro se trata de Jennie, una madre soltera que tiene problemas económicos. Ella tiene el hábito de disculparse por todo. Por más que intenta sacar a Billie Starr, su hija, adelante, tiene dificultades para hacerlo. Toma malas decisiones a lo largo del libro, pero al final logra ser fuerte para ella y su hija. Al principio me desesperaba las decisiones que Jennie tomaba, a pesar de que entendía por qué lo hacía. Me gustó su transición como personaje.

[Gab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jenny is a single mom doing her best to raise Billie Starr, a precocious and observant elementary student. Billie Starr keeps track of when her mom says "sorry". Meanwhile, Jenny makes impulsive choices that keep requiring apologies.

The book was an entertaining journey with unexpected twists and turns.

[Courtney Mauzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Certainly a little quirky and hard to believe at times. Kennedy does get in some conservative Republican knocks which is a bit ironic since the Democratic gubernatorial candidate she signs up with is a thoroughly rotten character. First part of book a bit slow but after Billie's disappearance the pace picks up nicely. Fun read.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not sorry I read this :) I loved the characters, so reminds me of a small town I lived in. Kennedy paints pictures with her words. I can't wait to read her next book and Tornado Weather.
I had the pleasure of meeting the author at Powell's Cedar Hills for the launch of this book.

Favorite line: "I'm coming on too strong, aren't I? I do that sometimes, get out over my skis...."