RELEASE BLITZ & BOOK REVIEW for "Back in the Burbs" by Tracy Wolff and Avery Flynn

Back in the Burbs

by Tracy Wolff & Avery Flynn

 from Entangled: Amara

(an imprint of Entangled Publishing)

Publication date: March 30, 2021

Two powerhouse authors bring you a hilarious tale of one woman’s journey to find herself again.

Ever have one of those days where life just plain sucks? Welcome to my last three months—ever since I caught my can’t-be-soon-enough ex-husband cheating with his paralegal. I’m thirty-five years old, and I’ve lost my NYC apartment, my job, my money, and frankly, my dignity.

But the final heartache in the suck sandwich of my life? My great-aunt Maggie died. The only family member who’s ever gotten me.

Even after death, though, she’s helping me get back up. She’s willed me the keys to a house in the burbs, of all places, and dared me to grab life by the family jewels. Well, I’ve got the vise grips already in hand (my ex should take note) and I’m ready to fight for my life again.

Too bad that bravado only lasts as long as it takes to drive into Huckleberry Hills. And see the house.

There are forty-seven separate HOA violations, and I feel them all in my bones. Honestly, I’m surprised no one’s “accidentally” torched the house yet. I want to, and I’ve only been standing in front of it for five minutes. But then my hot, grumpy neighbor tells me to mow the lawn first and I’m just...done. Done with men too sexy for their own good and done with anyone telling me what to do.

First rule of surviving the burbs? There is nothing that YouTube and a glass of wine can’t conquer.

~ BOOK REVIEW for Back in the Burbs ~

****(3) out of 5 

This is a pretty good story about finding love the second time around.  As someone who divorced and remarried in her thirties, many of the situations here stuck a chord with me.  And as someone who recently moved into an HOA neighborhood, I can definitely commiserate with Mallory.

I was truly appalled at how everyone in her life — with the exception of great-aunt Maggie — treated Mallory!  And even more depressing was how she just let them do so.  I wanted to go smack some sense into her!  True, she did progress throughout the story toward being a normal human being with some semblance of self-love and self-preservation, but it was definitely painful to watch.  

And just when you start to think that she has achieved some sense of normalcy... well, not to give anything away, but she goes from being a doormat to acting like a spoiled brat.  Once again, I found myself wanting to smack her upside the head.

Nick, in contrast, starts out as a grumpy guy, not very supportive or even tolerant of Mallory (or seemingly much else).  However, as his personality begins to be revealed more, we learn that he is actually something of a nice guy in disguise.  The transition was rather abrupt, and I wondered if we were seeing a dual personality or evil twin situation.

In fact, much of the book did feel as though the characters were at odds with themselves, let alone each other.  Probably due to this, the actual romance between the two characters seemed to fall rather flat.  But in between all of the stops and starts, there were a lot of moments of fun and friendship, not to mention some hot love scenes.  

Despite the overall sense of gloom and doom, and dealing some very serious mental health and abuse issues, this was a fairly good read; one that would be especially appropriate for a lazy spring evening or summer afternoon.

I received a free eBook copy of this title from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley, 

and have willingly provided an honest review.

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2Z2zlre
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