Deconstructed: A Novel

Cricket Crosby Capers #1

by Liz Talley, Christina Delaine (Narrator), Mikhaila Aaseng (Narrator)

Listening Length 11 hours and 5 minutes

An exhilarating novel about fast friends and fashionable revenge by Liz Talley, the USA Today bestselling author of Adulting.

Antique-store owner Cricket Crosby’s life is turned upside down when she discovers that the rumors of her husband’s affair aren’t just leisurely southern gossip. Her plan: hire an investigator; find an attorney; enlist the help of her new assistant, Ruby; and make her husband pay.

Ruby knows how quickly everything changes. After a dicey past, she’s determined to forge a new future by working for Cricket and reinventing herself as a designer, deconstructing vintage haute couture. If anybody can help mend a few tears in Cricket’s life, she can.

But turns out Cricket’s life isn’t just a little torn. It’s wrinkled, stained, and falling apart at the seams. With Ruby and her ragtag relatives—a soused PI and a hunky tow truck driver—Cricket is sleuthing her way to the truth, no matter how dangerous it gets.

Sure, Cricket’s life isn’t what she imagined. But she’s embracing change and figuring out what she really wants. And that’s kind of fabulous.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Audiobook, Womens Fiction, Amazon

11 pages, Audible Audio

First published February 1, 2022

About the author

I unashamedly read, write and love romance books. I adore the weight of a book in hand and the anticipation of a happy ending. I love the journey, the word play and the magic of story. Nothing's better than reading a good book...except writing one. You can learn more about me and my award-winning romances at http://www.liztalleybooks.com

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the book: “An exhilarating novel about fast friends and fashionable revenge by Liz Talley, the USA Today bestselling author of Adulting.

Antique-store owner Cricket Crosby’s life is turned upside down when she discovers that the rumors of her husband’s affair aren’t just leisurely southern gossip. Her plan: hire an investigator; find an attorney; enlist the help of her new assistant, Ruby; and make her husband pay.”

Deconstructed is the story of Cricket, who owns an antique shop (have I mentioned I love antiques?!). Rumors are swirling that her husband is having an affair. Cricket bursts into action, and the bottom line is her husband will pay. Ruby, her assistant, is along for the ride.

This story reminded me a little of Stephanie Plum’s zaniness. It’s fun and breezy, and I loved the friendship between Ruby and Cricket. I love stories where characters start over. They offer hope, and who doesn’t need more of that? Deconstructed is a warmhearted tale with wonderful characters.

I received a gifted copy.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Jamie Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, I read an early version of this a while back, so I should've written my review then. Now the details aren't clear but I did enjoy the upbeat story of a woman who has been underestimated her whole life, yet when she's betrayed, she strikes back with cunning force, proving everyone wrong about her. And Ruby was a great partner for Cricket--their friendship added a nice layer to the tale as they helped spur each other to make necessary changes in their lives. Liz Talley's accessible and humorous prose always pull me in and have me happily turning pages, and I bet you'll feel the same way.

[Obsidian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what else to say besides this was bad. Really bad. I wanted to like it since I did like the one lead, but the book just dragged on forever and I ceased to care about Cricket or Ruby. Towards the 80 percent mark I started to skim because I was just getting fed up at how boring and tedious the book had become. I think the book could have been stronger if we just followed Cricket honestly. Going back and forth between Cricket and Ruby and the timeline skipping days, weeks, months ahead just made me feel like the whole book was standing still. 

"Deconstructed" follows Cricket Crosby who is hit for a loop when she realizes her husband of many years is cheating on her. Deciding to get even, she gets into a series (of not so hilarious) antics with her assistant Ruby and Ruby's relatives. 

I felt sorry for Cricket, but honestly the book just seesaws back and forth between her and Ruby that you don't even get to sit in the moment and really get why she's angry besides the whole husband cheating on her part. You have glimmers of her realizing that she and her husband have grown apart for many years and she didn't even really like having sex with him anymore. Then the book tosses in some undercover stuff that I guess was to make us hate Cricket's husband even more. At that point it was just gilding the lily so to speak.

Ruby felt fake throughout this book. I just got tired of her and her relatives.

The writing was technically correct, I just think that the book was boring. There are glimmers here and there when we have Cricket talking about her mother, her father and his new wife, etc. And honestly I am realizing that the book really only came alive when we were in Cricket's chapters and her head so to speak. I thought the book would honestly be more about dress making than it was, it just felt like the book didn't know if it was supposed to be a second chance romance, general fiction, chick-lit, etc. 

The flow was awful. I think this may have taken place over a year? I don't even know and refuse to look back to determine if I was correct or not. 

The ending was so unrealistic I just shook my head. 

[Susan Z (webreakforbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2021, I found some amazing authors, most new to me with a great back list.

Well, I'm here to say I found my 2022 author of the year. Liz Talley, I couldn't have loved this book more. Where have you been hiding? She has published over 30 (THIRTY!!!!) books 😲 I'm gonna be busy as a 🐝

Cricket Crosby finds out her husband is cheating her. She allows herself a pity party full of tears and wine, then dusts herself off and takes matters into her own hands. Well her hands and Ruby's hands, her new assistant at her antique store. These two are a force to be reckoned with.

I absolutely loved these 2 strong women with their crazy antics, from undercover detective to fashionista extraordinaire, I cheered them on all the way. It gave me Finlay Donovan vibes, but more grounded. Funny and heartwarming, this book gets all the stars from me

[Linda Langford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun contemporary story. I laughed out loud many times. Cricket is the protagonist, and learns her husband is cheating on her. What follows is a hilarious journey as she attempts to find out all the dirt she can on him with the help of her employee, Ruth, a drunken private investigator, a handsome tow truck driver, a sexy bartender, and more. All the while, Cricket and her sleeze of a hubby must pretend everything’s fine. He’s actually in bad trouble that has nothing to do with his cheating, and the ending is spectacular as Cricket and the law enforcers set up a sting to bring him down once and for all. I highly recommend this novel to readers who enjoy humor and revenge stories!

[Shelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is kind of trashy at the beginning, but doesn't get any worse. I almost gave up on it. It was advertised as general fiction, but it's definitely chick-lit. The idea was interesting, but the execution was mediocre. We never really find out what Scott is up to with his financial scheme, and Ruby's transformation feels incomplete. It's a very forgettable story full of a bunch of random stuff.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

TITLE: Deconstructed
AUTHOR: Liz Talley
PUB DATE: 2/1/2022 an Amazon First Reads
GENRE: Women’s Fiction; Friendship Fiction

Deconstructed is a story of an unlikely friendship between Cricket, owner of a vintage shop, and her new assistant Ruby, who is a budding clothing designer. Cricket finds out through the rumor mill that her husband Scott is cheating on her with their daughters’ tennis coach, Stephanie. In trying to catch them in the act, Cricket along with Ruby turn into sleuths in a series of hilarious antics while deepening their growing friendship. In their sleuthing they find out more than they bargained for in an ending that is worthy of a standing ovation! ⁣
⁣
A fun and cozy read that had me doubling over with laughter.⁣

[Elle G. Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗡𝗔𝗣𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗧: Deconstructed is another winner from Liz Talley. If you enjoy women’s fiction novels about friendships and overcoming life’s hurdles, then you don’t want to miss this one!

It’s official. I love everything Liz Talley writes! This isn’t surprising either because I’ve always been a fan of women’s fiction novels where the heroine is not only overcoming some major hurdles in her life but is also discovering things about herself that she never realized. This is that book and so much more! Liz Talley pens a tale of friendship, revenge, and believing in yourself even though you don’t think you deserve it. This is a novel about putting on your big girl pants and facing the things you want to ignore but knowing you can’t. And this is a novel about chasing your dreams even though you thought they scattered in the wind after some bad things happened in the past. – Overall, I loved it!

I don’t want or need to go into specific details about everything that happens in the plot because you can read the blurb for that, but I will tell you what you can expect from this story:
- A woman getting revenge on her husband who is cheating on her with her daughter’s tennis coach.
- Humor and Hijinks even though the story seems like it would be a really serious one (the author breaks up the emotional pieces with humorous characters and the funny things they seem to get themselves into).
- Fast developing friendships between two women who are complete opposites but are there for one another when needed (I love Cricket and Ruby so much!).
- A sprinkling of romance

If another of those things is your cup of tea, then this is a must read for you! Once again, I love Liz Talley’s writing and will read everything she writes because they are charming and fun! I highly recommend this one.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙:
• Women’s Fiction Novels
• Revenge Themes
• Books about friendship

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cricket Crosby seems to have an idyllic southern lifestyle - a wonderful daughter, a loving and well-respected husband, a successful antique business, and, as with most close-knit southern towns, an efficient rumor circuit. However, when idle gossip turns to Cricket’s own husband having an affair, she soon discovers some rumors are based in truth and must act fast to untangle a web of lies and discover the truth.

Cricket’s assistant Ruby comes from the other side of town and has had anything but a country club upbringing. An ex-con with a complicated family, Ruby’s job at Cricket’s store is just what she needs to turn her life around when she discovers a talent for deconstructing vintage couture into modern, elegant pieces. When Cricket comes to her with news of her life falling apart, Ruby knows exactly how to start patching the case together. The two women may have different backgrounds, but they discover a deep bond of friendship as they investigate the husband’s affair and uncover layers of deceit and shady business.

Deconstructed by Liz Talley is a book full of quick wit, secretive sleuthing, fabulous dresses, and two women coming together to start over and reinvent themselves. I enjoyed the unlikely friendship between Cricket and Ruby as well as their acceptance of the unexpected turns life can take.

[Anne OK · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOTE: jANUARY 2022 Amazon Prime First Read (freebie)

Bunches of fun to be had within the well-written pages of “Deconstructed” with enough drama and light romance to keep it appealing and energized. The choices for Amazon Prime First Read for January were “iffy,” but the cover of Deconstructed was eye-catching, and the book blurb offered an engaging draw. It ended up being a really amusing, lively and witty read and one of the best gambles I’ve taken in a long while. I GOT WAY MORE THAN I EXPECTED!

I’ve only read a couple of Talley’s books and they weren’t really among my favs. But this one certainly made up for those others in spades! Two fabulously developed female leads (Cricket and Ruby) were show-stoppers in this funny, emotional and all-around entertaining gem to read.

I would recommend this one without hesitation.

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deconstructed features two strong women, Cricket and Ruby, who couldn’t be more different—employer and employee; country club wife and a young woman whose family is on “the fringe”—but they come together at a time when they each need support and friendship. I loved watching the relationship between these two women grow, watching each of them enter the other’s world, gaining each other’s trust and support.
When Cricket discovers that her husband is having an affair, she enlists Ruby’s help to find evidence and get some revenge. At the same time, Ruby is finding her way back into the world, and Cricket is able to help her in return.
This book had me laughing out loud so many times; but just as many times I felt my heart aching for both women. I felt myself getting angry for both of them, and I was 100% cheering them on! Deconstructed is as poignant as it is funny, and any book that can make me laugh and cry is truly special.
In the end, this is a story about characters who hurt and heal, who grow at a time when it would be easier to disappear. As Cricket says, “…without the deconstructing, you have no history. It’s the deconstruction that matters. Without understanding who you are and accepting all the good and bad parts of your past, you don’t know the things worth keeping and you can’t get rid of the things that need to be tossed. You can’t remake yourself.”

[Cassie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terrible book but it seemed like too much was happening and nothing was happening at the same time. At the 60% mark I found myself kinda skimming parts just to get to the end.

[Ellodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many things I love about this book. First and foremost, Liz Talley's writing style is fun, easygoing, and feels like a chat with your best friend. Cricket and Ruby are both fierce women, and their friendship is strong, with them truly being there for each other when it mattered. I particularly loved Ruby -- her background, her personality, her style and fashion designs. I wish I could see those designs in person or a drawing of them! No spoilers here, but her love interests and how they turn out are perfect. Yellow carnations -- nice touch. As for Cricket, her journey to catch her husband cheating is a wild, and enjoyable, ride (for the reader, not her!). Along the way, who can blame her if she wants to get to know Griffin better. My only complaint with the book is the little jumps forward between chapters (a week, a month near the end). I wanted more time to know everything about these characters!

I received a free ARC from the author and Netgalley but I was not required to write a review. All opinions are my own.

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deconstructed features two strong women, Cricket and Ruby, who couldn’t be more different—employer and employee; country club wife and a young woman whose family is on “the fringe”—but they come together at a time when they each need support and friendship. I loved watching the relationship between these two women grow, watching each of them enter the other’s world, gaining each other’s trust and support.
When Cricket discovers that her husband is having an affair, she enlists Ruby’s help to find evidence and get some revenge. At the same time, Ruby is finding her way back into the world, and Cricket is able to help her in return.
This book had me laughing out loud so many times; but just as many times I felt my heart aching for both women. I felt myself getting angry for both of them, and I was 100% cheering them on! Deconstructed is as poignant as it is funny, and any book that can make me laugh and cry is truly special.
In the end, this is a story about characters who hurt and heal, who grow at a time when it would be easier to disappear. As Cricket says, “…without the deconstructing, you have no history. It’s the deconstruction that matters. Without understanding who you are and accepting all the good and bad parts of your past, you don’t know the things worth keeping and you can’t get rid of the things that need to be tossed. You can’t remake yourself.”

[Dawnny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Amazon First Read! Get it!

Cricket Crosby is an antique store owner. Life is good until rumors fly about her husband having an affair. Cricket learns that it isn't just rumors. She enlists her new assistant Ruby to help her investigate and make her husband pay. Ruby is looking for a new venture and leaving her past behind. Cricket and Ruby form a friendship that helps heal them both. This was a fast read. I absolutely loved the snappy and often hilarious dialogue. I'm fan of this author who knows how to spin a tale that keeps you hooked. A must read! I loved it.

Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deconstructed by Liz Talley is a story of tearing down to rebuild something better. Catherine “Cricket” Crosby is an antique store owner whose seemingly perfect life is about to turn upside down. After overhearing a gossipy conversation, she learns that the rumors about her husband Scott’s affair are true after all. She sets a plan into motion: hire a private investigator, find an attorney and, with the help of her assistant, make her husband pay. Ruby knows all too well how quickly life can change. Trying to leave her dicey past behind her, she is determined to build a better future by working for Cricket and establishing herself as a designer of deconstructed vintage haute couture. Cricket is determined to use her newfound sleuthing to find the truth, no matter how hurtful or dangerous it gets. Can Cricket repair the life she had or will tearing down and rebuilding lead to the life she always wanted?
Deconstructed caught me by surprise. At first, I wasn’t sure I would like Cricket. She seems like a typical stuffy high society lady who doesn’t want to rock the boat. But as she digs deeper into her husband’s secrets, she dries her tears and feels the anger burn. She’s ready to rock the boat. She goes from uptight lady to the sassy Southern woman I have come to love in movies and books. I loved Ruby who helps Cricket embrace her inner woman scorned and helps her along with her plan as she recruits a couple of less than savory cousins. I laughed with them as they planned and plotted to make sure her husband Scott gets his comeuppance. I cheered alongside Cricket when she finally confronts Scott. Deconstructed is a great book with fun, relatable characters. It’s The First Wives Club (1996) meets Steel Magnolias (1989) with its sassiness, comedic moments and camaraderie between Cricket and Ruby. I highly recommend Deconstructed.

Deconstructed will be available February 1, 2022 in paperback, eBook and audiobook.

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deconstructed was offered as an Amazon First book so I decided to give it a try and I’m glad I did. This was straight up women’s fiction and was a wonderful story of life, loss, and the friends you make along the way.

Cricket was brought up in high society and while she puts up with it, she isn’t completely in love with the trappings of it. Cricket is married to a bank executive and has a teenage daughter; she’s content in her life. She has two employees at her store with Ruby being her latest hire and Cricket craves having a better relationship with the young woman who is a bit of an enigma. When she overhears two women talking about her husband having an affair, her world is turned upside down and once she confides in Ruby who has no love loss for Scott, Ruby intends to help Cricket in any way she can.

I loved the bond of these two women as Cricket takes some risks that aren’t really smart with Ruby by her side to help her through them. As they spend more time together Cricket begins to see that Ruby is a strong, capable, smart, and talented and someone she enjoys spending time around. Ruby worries that if Cricket knew everything about her background and her family that wouldn’t be the case given their very different upbringings, but as Cricket becomes more involved with members of Ruby’s family and Ruby’s secrets come out Cricket shows that she is not judgmental and she and her mother who can be judgmental vow to help Ruby make her dreams come true.

Entertaining, fun, emotional, and uplifting, I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

Review copy provided for a voluntary review.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Amusing Than Timing A Centipede Across The Kitchen. Yes, the title here is actually a play on a line from the book. So sit down, grab some popcorn (Michael Jackson meme style), and get ready for a funny yet poignant cross between Mark Twain (as another Goodreads reviewer noted, which I found appropriate) and the 2014 movie The Other Woman (the one with Cameron Diaz, Leslie Bibb, and Kate Upton's boobs). This book has a solid look at "well, maybe the grass *aint* so greener on the other side" as we see two women from different sides of the tracks - one an ex-con, the other a respected banker's wife who owns her own antique shop - realize that they actually have quite a bit in common and quite a lot to offer each other as they develop a solid friendship. And this is a world that feels like this particular book does a good job setting up... and which could be fun to come back to in a loosely coupled series that maybe looks at some of the other characters introduced here while having many of the primary characters "drop by" in those future stories. Who knows, I've suggested similar in reviews before and the author later ran with it, so maybe Talley will too. :D Overall truly a fun book, and a solidly relatable dose of humor set in the Southern US, but relatable to most anyone. Very much recommended.

[Susan Ballard (subakkabookstuff) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, this is a fun one. I love books about friends and women taking charge, even if they stumble along the way.

When Cricket Crosby overhears some juicy gossip about her husband, she decides to take matters into her own hands. And she gets help from some unlikely people.

Ruby is Cricket’s new assistant at Printemps, Cricket’s antique store. But where Cricket is married, well-off, and is a mom, Ruby is tattooed, pierced, and has served time, yeah, like in prison, but Ruby has a unique family, as well as, hidden talents all her own.

When Cricket begins investigating her husband’s dalliances, Ruby introduces Cricket to her eclectic cousins - Griff and Juke, who come in handy in Cricket’s sleuthing. Cricket also discovers that Ruby also has a knack for taking cast-off clothes and repurposing them into beautiful new designs, and she makes Cricket look good, just when she needs it most. As much as Cricket is revenge-driven, she knows her life would fall apart at the seams if it weren’t for her new friends helping her, especially Ruby.

If you love fantastic friendship fiction mixed with sassy southern chick-lit with some great one-line zingers, then make sure you don’t miss ​​𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝!

Thank you to @suzyapprovedbooktours and @amyliztalley for a spot on tour and a signed copy.

[Coquille Fleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fun to read. I wanted a light book to read to balance out some of the other books I'm chipping away at, and this was the perfect choice. It's the kind of book where everyone gets what's coming to them in the best kind of way. The characters were awesome, especially Ruby. Deconstructed has a vibe kind of like the Sookie Stackhouse Trueblood books without the supernatural. Just down home Southern living with a modern twist. A great vacation read.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cricket and Ruby were so much fun to read! I cheered them on, I cried with them, I got angry with them. This book seriously had me laughing and crying. I loved the message of this book about accepting yourself despite your past. All those different parts make you exactly who you are. This was such a fun, relatable book I hope everyone reads.

[Donna Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sassy fixation on what matters most in life with the help from bloodthirsty friends and important but dysfunctional family members.

[Tonya Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liz Talley tells a great story!!!!

As the first book I've read in 2022 I may have done myself a disservice as its going to be very hard to beat!!! Its a very well written book with extremely awesome characters that I would absolutely love to see turn into a series..... So many directions Ms. Talley could take her fabulous characters that I am so not ready to let go of. That's the only issue I have with this book......it leaves me wanting more.....a whole lot more. Happy Reading 😉

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got swindled by a whole heckuva lot of 5-star reviews on this Amazon First Read. Let's just say that a book where the protagonist is quoted as saying "Thank God for Spanx and Botox" is not up my alley.

[Bill Dukes · Rating 5 out of 5]

[I was provided an advanced copy of this soon to be released book.]

Liz Talley is the Mark Twain of Southern women’s literature. She brings her trademark wit to a tale of contemplated revenge and unfounded regret transformed into restorative redemption. Through her clever, wry, and heartfelt tale of Cricket and Ruby, women who live on opposite sides of society’s tracks, Liz examines the perceptions life’s fortunate hold for those less so and the assumptions the ‘less lucky’ make about the ones who seemingly live charmed existences. She tackles the great divide in modern society between the haves and have-nots in a clever story (sans moralizing) in the same manner Twain addressed race and class when he wrote Huckleberry Finn.
Like the book’s title, Liz deconstructs the lives of her main characters and reassembles their existence into something greater than the sum of individual experiences.

Deconstructed is the tale of Cricket, a woman raised with the rigid set of manners and expected station in life only an omnipotent Southern matriarch demands from her debutante daughter, who faces the metaphorical ‘burning down of her house’ with both an impending divorce from her first love, Scott, coupled with her perceived loss of financial stability. And it is the story of her relationship with Ruby, a young woman who wears her piercings like a survivor’s scars and makes exquisite creations from couture cast-offs, an Ugly Duckling whose hopes and dreams tragically squashed on the cusp of womanhood turned into the Swan she was meant to be. A “pioneer tough” heroine described as “sinewy, strong, and designed to withstand hot Louisiana summers ...[who] might as well be a walking advertisement for a pickup truck” transformed into “an edgy, dramatic, dark Cinderella” at the appropriately named Gritz & Glitz ball.

Both Cricket and Ruby rise like Phoenixes from the ashes of their respective dumpster fire lives to prove in another memorable line from the book that “paper people are consumed by fire, dissipating into ash before scattering to the wind… but others, those made of steel use the fire to form an edge… melding them into something stronger.”

These Southern women are truly ‘Steel Magnolias.’

The supporting cast is richly drawn displaying the disparities between the rich and ruined. I adored the potential suitors: Griff, Ty and Dakota who despite their socio-economic differences shared one thing in common: the love and support of the brave women in their lives learning to own their strength. They are my new favorite book boyfriends.

Ms. Talley’s story has a depth that remains light-hearted as Cricket notes “let us never forget cute as a qualification for everything in life.” Each page brought a chuckle or grin to my face as when Cricket reminds us “a smile [is] your best accessory.”

Like Ruby’s description of Gram at her birthday party, this book felt “like home to me.” Ms. Talley has shared this story has been gestating for nine years. It was worth the wait. I hope we don’t have to wait nearly as long for her to revisit these characters or themes again.

[Briana · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐Rating ⭐
Three stars.

👍🏻Turn Ons
I enjoyed Ruby’s story a lot. I would read another book more focused on her. Cricket’s story was hard because I think her character changed too drastically and too quickly.

👎🏻 Turn Offs
The beginning was awkward and clumsy. I found a few editing mistakes (the name Olive was mentioned once and never again. I think it was supposed to be her daughter, Julie Anne.) Scott’s character was awful and I know we were supposed to hate him (which I did). It felt too clean when the ending came up, especially when you find out what he’s been doing. I had a hard time imagining him hiding some of his indiscretions in their house where she was apt to find them. And the daughter is there but seems like a forgotten character at times.

👵🏻 Safe to talk about with Grandma?
There are some f words and while no graphic sex, there is mentions of lot of sex toys. My grandma might have read this, but I don’t think it would be her favorite.

⏱ Sixty second summery ⚠MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!⚠
Cricket finds out her husband has been having an affair when she overhears some neighbors discussing it. Determined to catch him in the act, she has her new employee, Ruby, help her stake out the girlfriend’s house. This leads to Cricket being introduced to more Ruby’s family who end up helping her uncover more info about what her husband is really up to. The title comes from Ruby’s love of deconstructing old clothing and reinventing it. We also follow Ruby’s recovery from some time in jail and the unfortunate breakup of her high school sweetheart. Happy ending.

Title & Author: Deconstructed by Liz Talley
Format: Kindle
Read: 1/9/21-1/17/21
Rating: Three stars

[Kate Vocke (bookapotamus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Cricket is in the office of her antique store, she overhears a conversation and discovers her husband is cheating on her... and now, she's determined to catch him in the act. She enlists the help of her new employee Ruby, an aspiring vintage clothing designer looking for a fresh start in life, and together they hatch a plan to bring Scott down.

The unlikely friendship trope is one of my favorites! Cricket and Ruby could not be more different, but it's what makes them work. They are so fun together and the story is a riot! There's all the witty banter and silly shenanigans and as they narrow in on nabbing Scott, the friendship between them builds and it's so fun to watch.

But there's also really cozy vibes and heartwarming messages of second chances, believing in yourself, starting over and that life is definitely not one-size-fits-all.

[Regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy Rom Com

I would best describe this book as a cheesy rom-com. It was very predictable, easy to read, comical and filled with clichés and Southern charm. I could actually picture Kate Hudson playing the part of Cricket as I read. Matthew McConaughey could probably play Scott's part well too.

I loved the friendship between Cricket and Ruby. My favorite character was probably Ruby. She is straight out of jail and looking for a fresh start. She's also a very talented, budding fashion designer.

Cricket and Ruby reminded me of Finlay and Vero from the Finlay Donovan series, also comical, entertaining and geared towards getting the cheating husband just what he deserves.

I would have given this book more stars, but the writing was very amateurish and the author just seemed liked she was trying too hard to be funny.

I would recommend this book to someone who does not read a lot or someone looking for an easy read that doesn't require a lot of thinking. You could easily put this book down for a month or even a year and pick right back up where you left off and not skip a beat.

[Rebecca Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

February Book Club Pick.
4 stars as a felt it was a really easy read that was interesting and kept me hooked. Called the ending before it happened (spoiler: fans of The Other Woman would appreciate this book…) Loved seeing the friendship between Cricket and Ruby grow, and was a big fan of how Ruby’s past didn’t interfere in her future and instead drove her forwards.

Would recommend and will look out for more from the author in the future!