14. The Not So Secret Emails of Coco Pinchard by Robert Bryndza
Topic/Prompt: book by an author from a country you've never visited (United Kingdom)
Synopsis:
Coco Pinchard always dreamed of being a successful writer, but then life got in the way. She married young, had a son, and put her dreams on hold. But now she's 40, and her first novel is about to be published! Her husband Daniel has greyed nicely into a silver fox, and her son Rosencrantz is all grown up. Shouldn't it be time to enjoy life?
That is, until the annual family Christmas when her hideous in-laws come to stay, and Coco opens her gift from Daniel. It's not the jewelry she chose, but an iPhone. This marks the start of Daniel's mid-life crisis and Coco catches him in bed with a younger woman.
The iPhone becomes a confessional, and as Coco's life unravels, she documents her seemingly endless (and often entertaining) run of bad luck through emails to loyal friends Christopher, an ageing trustafarian, and Marika, a slightly alcoholic schoolteacher.
Then Coco meets the hunky Adam and she's back in the world of dating as a single 40-something. Listen to the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good romantic comedy.
My Review:
This story was told in a one sided email format. It does work once you get used to the style. It's also easier once you get to know the characters - because of the format, the characters aren't really introduced like normal as they are the recipients of the emails. It does take a little while to figure them out, but once you know who's who, it's much easier to follow along. There's one other thing that threw me for a loop and that would be the British humor. I am in no way knocking British humor; it is just that I am not accustomed to it.
That is, until the annual family Christmas when her hideous in-laws come to stay, and Coco opens her gift from Daniel. It's not the jewelry she chose, but an iPhone. This marks the start of Daniel's mid-life crisis and Coco catches him in bed with a younger woman.
The iPhone becomes a confessional, and as Coco's life unravels, she documents her seemingly endless (and often entertaining) run of bad luck through emails to loyal friends Christopher, an ageing trustafarian, and Marika, a slightly alcoholic schoolteacher.
Then Coco meets the hunky Adam and she's back in the world of dating as a single 40-something. Listen to the heart warming and often hilarious tale of Coco picking up the pieces, in this fun, feel-good romantic comedy.
My Review:
This story was told in a one sided email format. It does work once you get used to the style. It's also easier once you get to know the characters - because of the format, the characters aren't really introduced like normal as they are the recipients of the emails. It does take a little while to figure them out, but once you know who's who, it's much easier to follow along. There's one other thing that threw me for a loop and that would be the British humor. I am in no way knocking British humor; it is just that I am not accustomed to it.
Coco tells all of her bad luck through a collection of emails to her friends and son. It's her way of venting about those times when life doesn't always go the way we want it to. No matter how her luck may be, she powers through with humor and the support of her friends. It may come off as whiny at first, but who doesn't complain like that when bad things happen to us. However, Coco becomes a prime example of how to handle whatever comes her way by complaining about it for a bit, but then moves on from it and fights her way through it.
While I did like the email format, as I usually don't read this style, the story lacked the zest that I look for in a book. It was good, but not great. The best thing that I can say about this book is that it is like a romantic comedy without the predictable outcome.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
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