The Unlikely Life of Maisie Meadows

Youngest of four siblings and the only one that everyone in her family speaks with, Maisie has a need to clean and organize everything, has a Russian-Olympic level trick performing hamster named Nigel, and has just quit her marketing job at a local brewery after finding her boyfriend and boss with his tongue down another woman’s throat. Devastated from the loss, and not sure about her next step, she finds a job opening at a local auction house, Gildersleeves, which is populated with quirky and unique characters. Mistaking one of the owners of the business for a thief, she’s faced with her undeniable attraction but it’s all in vain: wrongly assuming that he’s involved with his rather OTT partner in the business, she doesn’t suffer the tongue-tied gaps, or the worries – he’s only friend material. But a box arrives with a tea set (or part of one) that she remembers from her childhood, the neighbor who was a source of sense and solace when her parents split is part of a lot going on auction: and she’s determined to buy the set, locate the other pieces and bring it together, much as she hopes to gather her family together to celebrate Christmas – trying to duplicate the last (and happiest) Christmas she remembered from just before the divorce. With the tea set purchased, as well as an unexpected “bonus” of four boxes of naked and deviant garden gnomes, she’s starting her journey to better understand her former neighbor, and bring the set to completion. Such a fun tale: Maisie is a wonderfully sympathetic character with clearly defined issues, a heart of gold, and a rather obsessive need to have control over her environment, except in her “spare” room – where paint flies and colors splatter as she burns off emotional tension with Pollack-like paintings. With each of her siblings, her dramatically emotional mother, philandering father and some lovely characters at the auction house, including Arthur and Ella, the story is light, fresh and humorous – with a surprising emotional depth as the extent of Maisie’s emotional stunting and fears come into focus. With plenty of laugh out loud moments (many from Nigel the gymnastically-inclined hamster), Maisie’s determination to have everything in a place and a place for everything – as well as some truly clever moments that bring the family of her former neighbor together, this was a wonderful escape read with plenty of laughter, light and love to make readers turn that last page with a smile, and a favorite read of the summer! I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Jenni Keer is found treasure. This cleverly written and highly amusing book had more sparkles than a glitter bomb and was an utter delight to read. I adored every quirky character and savored each brilliantly chosen word. I fell right into this craftily paced and witty tale, which caused frequent eruptions of giggle-snorts and kept a well-earned smirk on my face throughout perusal. I was also quite resentful of any interruption to my reading and may have actually hissed at the ringing phone. Ms. Keer’s writing was deliciously clever, emotive, crisp, and extraordinarily engaging. She definitely has a gift for effortless levity and absorbing storytelling and I deeply suspect ownership of a magical pen or bewitched software, as she is an absolute powerhouse of a wordsmith. And in addition to being totally besotted with Ms. Keer, I scored three new additions to my Brit Word List with claggy – which is Brit informal for thick and sticky; banjaxed – which is slang for destroyed or ruined; and G Plan – which is an iconic British brand of furniture.

A super read! One I've enjoyed so much that I'm going to make sure that I add The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker to my list. Maisie Meadows thinks it's about time something went right in her life; she needs a new job, has a strong desire to gather her widespread family close once more and perhaps New Year's day is the perfect time to begin to plan for the future. Who knows what the coming year will bring? What a novel! Beautifully written in an easy, flowing style which pulls the reader in from page one and keeps them in a firm grip until the very final one. A gorgeous story about life, work, relationships, new friends and, last but not least, family. The differing storylines are easily intertwined, and it makes for a smooth and immensely enjoyable read. Funny, delightful, and truly entertaining - this one really struck a chord with me and I could not find fault even if I wanted to. I will certainly look out for this author's future novels, I loved this one so much and the fabulous cover really drew me in to begin with. It has 'winner' stamped all over it, and is a solid five star read!