Written by Paula HousemanI loved it! 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
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My thanks to author Paula Houseman and Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation to take part in this Blog Blitz, and a free digital copy of Odyssey in a Teacup in exchange for an honest review.
The blurb:
Encounters with a pair of supersized Y-fronts; a humourless schoolmarm with an unfortunate name and monstrous yellow incisors; and a tut-tutting, big-breasted, modern-day gorgon are the norm for Ruth Roth. She’s used to crazy.
Her mum squawks like a harpy and her dad has a dodgy moral compass. Add in daily face-offs with a relentlessly bitchy mirror, and Ruth’s home life feels like a Greek tragicomedy.
She hankers for the ordinary. But blah is not a good fit for someone who doesn’t fit in. And isn’t meant to.
Ruth’s vanilla existence is an issue for her besties—her hot-looking, obsessive-compulsive cousin and soul mate (who needs to do everything twice-twice), and her two closest girlfriends.
With their encouragement and a good homeopathic dose of ancient mythology, Ruth embarks on an odyssey to retrieve her spirit. She’s confronted with her biggest challenge ever, though, when one of these friends sends her spiralling back into a dark place.
The decision she must make can either bring her out or launch the mother of all wars in her world.
Chick Lit
Fiction
My thoughts:
I absolutely loved it! This is book 1 in a series of 3 - and it's also a first for me... starting a series at the beginning!
The story is told in the first person by Ruth Roth, a young, Jewish, Australian girl, who shares with us her trials and tribulations of growing up, marriage, parenthood and beyond. I love that she has sarky expressive pet names for people she dislikes, and that two of her cousins do not even merit a capital letter when their names are written - which speaks volumes about their value in Ruth's eyes. The story and characters feel very real - perhaps autobiographical - and brought back some lovely (and some not so lovely) memories of my own family interactions - who among us doesn't have a shamelessly flatulent relative or strained and complex relationships with other family members?
Houseman's witty, innuendo-laden, satirical writing style appeals to my sense of humour, and it wasn't long before I was crying with laughter. I laughed so hard at some parts that I could no longer read through the stream of tears, and my lungs burned through overexertion - is that a good or a bad thing? Fitbit says 'Yes'!
I will definitely be reading more from Houseman. I regret not signing up for the blog tour for her other books in this series which starts on 28th September but which sadly didn't fit my schedule. However, I look forward to reading the reviews.
...And if anyone is looking for ideas for a Christmas present for me... Cupid F*cks Up (Ruth Roth Series) and My T(r)oyboy is a Twat (Ruth Roth Series Book 3)
| Author Bio – Paula Houseman |
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 She found she was a natural with the double entendres (God knows she’d been in enough trouble as a child for dirty wordplay). As a published writer of earthy chick lit and romantic comedy, Paula gets to bend, twist, stretch and juice up universal experiences to shape reality the way she wants it, even if it is only in books. But at the same time, she can make it more real, so that her readers feel part of the sisterhood. Or brotherhood (realness has nothing to do with gender). Through her books, Paula also wants to help the reader escape into life and love’s comic relief. And who doesn’t need to sometimes? Her style is a tad Monty Pythonesque because she adores satire. It helps defuse all those gaffes and thoughts that no one is too proud of. Paula lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. No other creatures. The kids have flown the nest and the dogs are long gone. |
| Social Media Links – | |
| Goodreads | Paula Houseman |
| Facebook Author Page | Paula Houseman |
| Paula Houseman | |
| X | @paulahouseman |
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