The Overdue Life of Amy Byler
Ratings41
Average rating3.8
3.5 stars. Harms is a strong writer with a sly sense of humor. I just wish I had liked the plot more than I did. Maybe I'm too old to remember the days of active parenting (my kids are young adults) but the whole “can I be a mother and not lose myself?” question seems like it's been done too many times already. Plus the fact that finding herself primarily seems to be new clothes and hairdo feels pretty retro and shallow. And while I love the fact that our heroine Amy finds her own “hot librarian” during her sojourn in NYC, the angst over her inability to continue the relationship with him once she goes home seems misplaced; this is the 21st century after all, and NYC and Bucks County PA are not that far away. I did appreciate the secondary characters, especially Amy's BFF Lena, and her kids' personalities jump off the pages without feeling like they are too precocious. I liked the chapter openings that presented journal entries and letters from Amy's 15 year old daughter, and wouldn't have minded more pages devoted to her challenges in spending the summer with the father who deserted the family three years ago but claims he is ready to be a real parent again. I have already downloaded Harms' most recent book, [b:The Bright Side of Going Dark 52679870 The Bright Side of Going Dark Kelly Harms https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576712959l/52679870.SX50_SY75.jpg 73102630] because I did enjoy her voice. Maybe a different plot will work better for me. YMMV, especially if you are still have a household full of kids and little or no time for yourself.
This book is a classic smirk romance. The kind where you catch yourself smiling at every page turn. At least after you get past the first 100 pages. Hot librarian sounds hot, even if completely unrealistic. Would it be a romance novel if the romantic interest wasn't perfect? As I've stated before, I am a nerd for books about books. My dream in life is to open a private library of all the books I've collected throughout my life. This book makes me want to take classes on the dewey decimal system. If you want a non-graphic romance novel, this is a good one for you.
Just a great fun read.
Nice light fun read. I'm sure many issues but I just couldn't help myself and loved it. It's a romance but big on independence. My kind of summer reading!!
What a delightful book! Even though I have very little in common with Amy (nothing but the love for books), I could relate with her sense of humor and candidness.
Amy Byler is a hero!
I absolutely love this story! Amy is a single mother who spent 3 years sacrificing her life for her kids. Finally she has the opportunity to put herself first and realizes that not forgetting to care for herself just makes her a better mother. A total page turner that I don't want to ruin by giving anything away! As soon as I got submit on this review I'm going to look for more books by Kelly!