I'm getting right back into the swing of things and have a great book to review for you all. Since I've read Kathleen Kole's first two novels (Breaking Even reviewed here and Dollars to Donuts reviewed here) I eagerly signed up for the Chick Lit Plus organized blog tour for Kole's latest - Favorable Conditions. I enjoyed her other books but I LOVED this one and I think you will too!
Here's what the novel is all about, courtesy of Goodreads:
Can you imagine being forty-five, your last child has moved on to college and the time is ripe for you to blaze a new trail into your future? Pat Keegan can. Well, except for the tiny detail that all her preconceived notions about how that future was going to shape up are completely out the window.
Join Pat as she jumps feet first back into the world outside her door, takes on a new business venture, is pursued by a much younger man and has to muddle her way through more emotions that she knew she had - all to finally attain her goal of rediscovering who she is and what she wants from the next phase of her life.
I was actually a little surprised that I ended up loving this novel of Kole's instead of her others. That may sound a little strange but bear with me as I try to explain... Since I'm a twenty-something year old I tend to relate more to characters who are not yet married and don't have kids. That's not to say that I don't like reading about women who are married with older children, because I do, it's just that it's rare for me to love those books and characters. Can you follow that? My point is that I loved reading about Pat even though she's at a totally different stage in her life than I am.
We meet Pat at a pretty low point in her life. She's newly divorced, her beloved dog passed away not long after the separation, and she now has a very empty nest. We get just enough of a taste of the depressing nature of Pat's situation before Kole smartly and quickly starts to turn things around. A chance encounter with a real estate board results in a new business venture (side note: this is the second book I've in recent months that has a main character who owns a bookstore...is the universe trying to tell me something or do I just want to think that it's telling me something...? :) hehe) and things start to go well from there. Kole even seemed to know precisely the right moment to introduce Ian, the love interest. Their meeting and first few encounters are sweet, funny, and darn near perfect. I loved reading about their romance and learning more about their relationship, bumps and all.
To those of you who have read Kole's other novels - did you catch the fact that some of the characters from those books made cameos? I absolutely loved that. It wasn't too obvious and it adds a little bit of fun for those people who have read Breaking Even and Dollars to Donuts.
This book had me laughing out loud at numerous parts. One memorable scene involved Pat's college freshman daughter coming home unannounced and finding Pat and Ian in a...well...compromising position. I burst out laughing as I read this part and could not stop. After the giggles subsided I started feeling so bad for all parties - can you imagine that happening to you? Eek. Still, it made for one hilarious scene.
Pat has an amazing support system of friends who are there for her every step of the way. They are not only great friends to her but they are excellent supporting characters for the novel. Gerry and Travis provide tons of comic relief and Pat's best friend Melanie is just amazing. She's the best friend every girl wants - fiercely loyal, lots of fun, and willing to do almost anything to make sure her friend is happy (including buying the world's most adorable kitten). I would love to be part of their group...except for the small issue that I'm about 20 years younger than most of them... :)
Overall, I loved Favorable Conditions. So much so, that I need to look into purchasing a hard copy (I read this on on my Kobo) for my mom because I think she'll love it too. For you readers out there who are like me and in your 20s and think you might not enjoy this one because you won't relate to the main character - give this book a shot. Trust me. You will not be disappointed.
Happy reading :)
We meet Pat at a pretty low point in her life. She's newly divorced, her beloved dog passed away not long after the separation, and she now has a very empty nest. We get just enough of a taste of the depressing nature of Pat's situation before Kole smartly and quickly starts to turn things around. A chance encounter with a real estate board results in a new business venture (side note: this is the second book I've in recent months that has a main character who owns a bookstore...is the universe trying to tell me something or do I just want to think that it's telling me something...? :) hehe) and things start to go well from there. Kole even seemed to know precisely the right moment to introduce Ian, the love interest. Their meeting and first few encounters are sweet, funny, and darn near perfect. I loved reading about their romance and learning more about their relationship, bumps and all.
To those of you who have read Kole's other novels - did you catch the fact that some of the characters from those books made cameos? I absolutely loved that. It wasn't too obvious and it adds a little bit of fun for those people who have read Breaking Even and Dollars to Donuts.
This book had me laughing out loud at numerous parts. One memorable scene involved Pat's college freshman daughter coming home unannounced and finding Pat and Ian in a...well...compromising position. I burst out laughing as I read this part and could not stop. After the giggles subsided I started feeling so bad for all parties - can you imagine that happening to you? Eek. Still, it made for one hilarious scene.
Pat has an amazing support system of friends who are there for her every step of the way. They are not only great friends to her but they are excellent supporting characters for the novel. Gerry and Travis provide tons of comic relief and Pat's best friend Melanie is just amazing. She's the best friend every girl wants - fiercely loyal, lots of fun, and willing to do almost anything to make sure her friend is happy (including buying the world's most adorable kitten). I would love to be part of their group...except for the small issue that I'm about 20 years younger than most of them... :)
Overall, I loved Favorable Conditions. So much so, that I need to look into purchasing a hard copy (I read this on on my Kobo) for my mom because I think she'll love it too. For you readers out there who are like me and in your 20s and think you might not enjoy this one because you won't relate to the main character - give this book a shot. Trust me. You will not be disappointed.
Happy reading :)
Great review!
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