Synopsis
Twenty-two year old Roxie Golightly is a fun and carefree spirit…until she marries a wealthy man and her role as a trophy wife leaves her isolated in a condo with an ironing board and an obsessive desire to impress people.
When her marriage ends after seven years, Roxie’s identity is buried under layers of furniture polish and piles of designer shoes. She doubts she can ever be the person she once was.
But when Roxie’s charmed life is turned upside down, her bestfriend creates The Good Life List to help turn it back around. The instructions are simple: Complete each task on the Good Life List by the end of the summer.
With list in hand and the help of a sexy and charismatic guy from her past, Roxie is only a few check marks away from living the good life, even if it means getting thrown out of a bar or skinnydipping in the neighbor’s pool at 3am.
My Review
When I think of this book, there are a few things that come to mind. My first thought is that this book is a like a “breath of fresh air”. What do I mean? Well, it isn’t overdone and it isn’t full of the same ol’ thing a lot of books have going on. The plot is unique and the characters are interesting. This book is unlike any others I have read in a long time and I really enjoyed it. The second thing that comes to mind is FUN! This book was a lot of fun to read.
Roxie is our main female character. She is a bit of a self-obsessed, snobby person in the beginning of this story in my mind. She lives up to what others think she should do and not what used to truly make her happy. She goes through the motions of her life but doesn’t really “live”. All that changes when her husband shows up and says he wants a divorce out of the blue. The Good Life list comes into play when Roxie’s best friend decides she needs to live again and gives her a list of things to do. When Roxie moves back to her family home and moves in with her brother and his roommate (who just happens to be the one person Roxie ever truly had feelings for), the Good Life list gets started. Roxie does a number of things on the list but feels like she is faking it all along. What she doesn’t realize is that the list was just a way for her to find out who she is and not to make her into someone else.
Hope is that best friend that created that list. She is amazing and every woman needs a Hope in their life. She decides to help her friend discover her true identity after seeing her turn into a shell of who she was. Hope keeps Roxie grounded while also pushing her to do more and more. Hope is the friend that Roxie turns to when she wants to run away and the friend that helps her to realize where her heart lies.
Jake is Roxie’s long-lost love. Oh man. I loved Jake. He had a relationship with Roxie before she went off to college and, unbeknownst to her, he has always had feelings for her. I just wanted to hug Jake as he was put through the ringer by Roxie time and again. Man that girl could not make up her mind. What I loved most about Jake though is his ability to always know just what Roxie needs and to do the things that make her happy. Jake was able to step away from his own life in order to give Roxie the one she wanted. He is a great guy and a perfect (book) boyfriend!
Jodie’s writing is beautiful and witty. I loved this story so much and would definitely recommend it to others. It is a great reminder for everyone to be yourself and not to live your life for others… live the Good Life and make it yours! The Good Life is Jodie’s first novel and, if this book is any indication, I think she is going to be very successful!
Buy The Good Life
About Jodie Beau
Jodie has been writing fiction since she was a child and it was only natural she would pursue it as a career. While studying at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI, she took every writing class offered before she received a BA in Media Arts. After graduation she moved to Wilmington, NC, with big dreams of one day writing for movies and TV.
Then she met a boy…and there was a wedding. A few years later came another boy, this one even cuter. She gave up her “pipe dream” of being a Hollywood screenwriter and moved back to Detroit to be a wife, mom and career waitress. But babies sleep a lot and she got bored and it was either write or clean the house. So she wrote.
She began with a pregnancy/mom blog (http://underthebigmac.blogspot.com/), but she dreamed of doing more with her writing than making people laugh with stories of baby poop. So she decided to take a chance, to see if success wasn’t just a pipe dream. The Good Life is her first novel.
Where to find Jodie Beau
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
The Giveaway
Two winners will receive an ebook of The Good Life (INT) and one winner will receive a signed paperback (US).
Click the button above and follow along with The Good Life tour.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ToBeThode is not responsible for giveaway or distribution of prizes.
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