I loved this book about a successful and wealthy woman who moves back to PA with her family to run for the Senate. It was timely and inspiring. The insider's view of a campaign with all its twists and turns was so fun. I hope there's a part 2 because I am dying to know what happens next!

Winning? Is it something we all love, at least at one time or another? What messages do we receive about having it all and winning at life? Are we told that we can’t have it all?

There is much to admire about Charlotte Walsh. She is a go-getter who wants and believes she can absolutely have it all, including a political position, a loving marriage, three young daughters, and total happiness.

Charlotte is running for office in a most important Senate race, one that will determine which party controls Congress. She is determined to win and inspired to make change happen, so she leaves her high-powered job and returns to her hometown in Pennsylvania to run for office.

Charlotte is quickly shocked by the treatment she receives from her political opponent, the press, and even her peers. Her personal life also becomes overbearing because she is so focused on work, she does not see her husband’s growing resentment.

Next comes a scandal that puts Charlotte in the crosshairs threatening to not only lose her campaign, but her marriage and family, too.

The suspense builds as Charlotte is on the trail to victory, and important issues including political ambition, specifically related to women, as well as the differentiated treatment of women and men in politics, and the sacrifices a wife and mother has to make to truly have it all.

Overall, I found Charlotte’s story to be consuming, timely, and provocative. While it is a fictionalized account, I left this book with a deeper understanding of what it potentially requires for a woman to take on the challenge of running for office.

Thank you to Simon Schuster for the complimentary copy to review. All opinions are my own.

CHARLOTTE WALSH LIKES TO WIN BY JO PIAZZA BOOK REVIEW
I am a huge fan of The Knockoff & Fitness Junkie which are both co-authored by Jo Piazza. When I heard she had a stand-alone book coming out this summer, I rushed at the chance to read it. I will say this is a book anyone can enjoy, regardless of your own political ideology.

A TIMELY POLITICAL NOVEL THAT RESONATES WITH ALL WOMEN
The timeline for Charlotte Walsh is right now. Jo Piazza accurately captures our political climate at this very moment. There’s the writer from Teen Vogue asking insightful & meaningful questions, Twitter trolls, Instagram experts, a run in with a guy who has a Swastika tattoo on his neck & pundits criticizing Charlotte’s choice of shoes.

As Charlotte returns to her roots in Pennsylvania, it’s a bit reminiscent of Hillbilly Elegy. Jo writes about the opioid crisis, failing schools, the high cost of healthcare & the lost factory jobs in the Rust Belt. Readers learn more about Charlotte. She comes from humble beginnings yet fought her way to an Ivy League education. We also meet her brother Paul & the juxtaposition between Paul & Charlotte couldn’t be more clear.

RUN LIKE A MOTHER
Charlotte Walsh is a powerful female; no doubt about it. Charlotte Walsh is also a woman with secrets. Let’s be honest; our country is not set up for mothers who work outside of the home. If you so wish, feel free to argue with me directly on this statement. Jo Piazza delves into how challenging this political race is for Charlotte. There are missed dinners at home, long drives in the minivan, uprooting her children & judgment for running in this race. Charlotte’s spouse changes his job & schedule to accomodate her run. Instead of being met with praise & understanding, the media ridicules him.

I connected with Charlotte. Our ideals closely match & l like that Charlotte is flawed. Aren’t we all? There are some pretty heavy & salacious secrets that come out during the campaign. Readers see Charlotte’s marriage struggle to survive, old friendships breakdown & yet, Charlotte persists.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book! Charlotte is someone I can & will root for in every sense of the word. This book left me feeling inspired, strong & proud to continue to fight for what I believe in. I want to vote for Charlotte & I can’t wait to get a chance to vote for my state, county, city, country’s version of her!

Special thanks to Jo Piazza, Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Opening lines:Tell people one true thing before you tell them a lie. Then it will be easier for them to believe the lie.

It wasn't the best advice Marty Walsh ever gave to his daughter Charlotte, but it had stuck with her for almost forty years.
Reason I picked up the book: It sounded like the type of book I typically enjoy.
And what's this book about?
From Jo Piazza, the bestselling author of The Knock Off, How to Be Married, and Fitness Junkie, comes an exciting, insightful novel about what happens when a woman wants it all—political power, a happy marriage, and happiness—but isn’t sure just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Charlotte Walsh is running for Senate in the most important race in the country during a midterm election that will decide the balance of power in Congress. Still reeling from a presidential election that shocked and divided the country and inspired by the chance to make a difference, she’s left behind her high-powered job in Silicon Valley and returned, with her husband Max and their three young daughters, to her downtrodden Pennsylvania hometown to run in the Rust Belt state. Once the campaign gets underway, Charlotte is blindsided by just how dirty her opponent is willing to fight, how harshly she is judged by the press and her peers, and how exhausting it becomes to navigate a marriage with an increasingly ambivalent and often resentful husband. When the opposition uncovers a secret that could threaten not just her campaign but everything Charlotte holds dear, she has to decide just how badly she wants to win and at what cost. A searing, suspenseful story of political ambition, marriage, class, sexual politics, and infidelity, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win is an insightful portrait of what it takes for a woman to run for national office in America today. In a dramatic political moment like no other with more women running for office than ever before, Jo Piazza’s novel is timely, engrossing, and perfect for readers on both sides of the aisle.
Recommended for: Anyone who enjoys books about politics, women, or both.
Favorite paragraph: Meeting someone in real life after they've been your nemesis for more than a year was like meeting a character from a book that you didn't particularly like.
Something to know: I'd love this to be a movie some day! My ideal casting would be James Marsden as Max and Jennifer Garner as Charlotte.
What I would have changed: The ending ... it's more vague than I wanted it to be.
Overall rating: 4.5 stars out of 5.
Where can I find this book? Click here to pre-order on Amazon - the book will be released on July 24.

I loved this book!! Charlotte Walsh is painted as so multidimensional and it's impossible to not root for her throughout the story. This was such an interesting inside look at the world of politics and felt topical as more women are beginning to run for government. I enjoyed the political aspects as well as the various relationship dynamics at play. Overall, this book is an excellent pick for anyone. It was the perfect weight for a summer read: light enough to be a good beach read but heavy enough to make a lasting impression.

Thank you to Netgalley + Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this book.

This is my third Jo Piazza book; I loved How to be Married and Marriage Vacation and must go back to read her other ones. This book is very timely given the political climate the US is currently in and it was very enjoyable.
Charlotte, a high powered Silicon Valley exec decides to move back to her home state of Pennsylvnia to run for Senate. Fired up from the 2016 election she thinks she can make real change but at what cost. I loved how this book explored relationship themes within a marriage, a family, a mentorship and how it pulled you in because you want to know if she pulls it off and wins!

I definitely recommend this book, especially if you are interested in strong female leads and relationship drama.

I loved this book! It had me at every page! It was a wonderful choice for my break. I loved getting back to the book and seeing human emotions unravel. The author has done a spectacular job of showing human emotion and dynamics without compromising human flaw (and without overdoing it). I loved how the book ends and I love how it's all done! I'm all praises for the book. GO GET IT.

This book was just superb. It may end up being one of my favorites of the year. I don’t think Piazza could have nailed any better what it is like to be a female political candidate in this era: it almost read like a memoir at some points. The political consultant, the chief of staff, the husband and kids, the opposing candidate, the Silicon Valley types....just couldn’t have done any better at making them just shy enough of caricature to know they’re realistic in this over-the-top age. Living in the DC area with political friends who have worked on campaigns, I’ve heard the stories, and it just felt so incredibly real. In fact, if I were a political candidate, Charlotte Walsh would be my role model. The ending was brilliant, and maybe we’ll get a sequel? I sure hope so, as I wasn’t ready for Charlotte’s campaign to be over.

I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win by Jo Piazza. Women candidates for office are under much more scrutiny than men. Seems unfair though. Charlotte had a very good self image most of the time in the story. The press invents stories.

Charlotte Walsh moves from her lovely house in Silicon Valley to her childhood home Northeastern Pennsylvania to run for Senate against a vile, misogynistic, anti-abortion incumbent. This novel is very conscious to frame itself in our current political moment—references to She Should Run, Emily’s List, Teen Vogue, and a recently elected male president (not mentioned by name in the book, but his wealth, rhetoric, and lack of qualifications are obviously recognizable) are peppered throughout. When I began reading, I worried that this novel might be a bit difficult to enjoy given how closely it parallels the real world. But this is, thankfully, just distinct enough from reality in it’s almost-gossipy, insider-intel tone to be a fun, hopeful read. We learn early on that Charlotte’s marriage isn’t exactly as happy as she’d like her potential constituents to believe. As Election Day nears, Charlotte’s secrets start to seep out. This was a fun read, and it should have a lot of appeal for progressive women in particular.

Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win was an interesting novel about being a woman, mother and wife in politics in current America and what it takes to have it all. The book started off pretty slowly for me, it had too much scene setting and background before getting to the actual story, but once there it was a fascinating read. Not too heavy and not too light, this was a great rainy day summer read. This book took me 4 hours to read. 3.5 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advance readers copy.

I feel like I need to have a disclaimer before I write this review... I don't like politics and they make me feel extremely uncomfortable. So, with that being said... this book was pretty uncomfortable for me. I love Jo Piazza's writing and I've read and enjoyed all of her books, but this topic just wasn't my favorite. I also happen to know that some people love the drama that comes with politics and they would eat up a book about it, so to all of you people, this one is for you.

Now that we got that part out of the way, lets talk about the parts I enjoyed in this novel. As always, Piazza's ability to create amazing characters comes through once again with the character of Charlotte Walsh. I loved her ambition, her spunk, and her ability to be a good mom and a power house of a business woman. She is the type of hard working woman that so many women aspire to be. Another notable character for me was Roz. She had a take-no-shit attitude and I loved it!

All in all, this novel was entertaining, and it was filled to the brim with secrets, lies, and betrayal. This wasn't my favorite novel by Jo Piazza because my issue with reading about politics, but I really think it is going to be a popular title this summer. If you love dramatic reads full of politics and secrets, this novel is for you! Thank you Simon and Shuster and Netgalley for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Rating 3/5

There are quite a few books that take a reader behind the scenes of Hollywood, but I think there are less that take a reader behind the scenes of politics. I know there are some out there, but I think there are less. This book really felt like a real peek behind the curtain and I loved it.

Charlotte Walsh is heading not only back to her home state but small hometown and is going to run for state Senate in Pennsylvania. In this book and in real life there had been no females elected into the Senate for Pennsylvania and I did an extensive google search homing to prove the book wrong and sadly it was true until this last election. So back to the book, Charlotte is running and she is heading back to her small hometown to center her campaign there. She left a small town in Pennsylvania and not in the best circumstances and has become a COO of a Silicon Valley corporation and published a book, she made me think of Cheryl Sandberg. I loved following her through the ups and downs of returning home and then the crazy battle of politics.

My favorite moment is when there was a shoe fiasco and she point blank calls out the media on the gender bias and asks them to ask her male counterpoint to ask him what shoes he is wearing and if he is wearing heels! It was most interesting that there was media both female and male involved in shoe gate and it really made me think about how we evaluate candidates.

I won't spoil a thing, but OH THE ENDING! If there is no sequel after this, I at least want a novella or something to wrap up some of the loose ends!

I really hope Jo Piazza writes more like this. I loved how she really examined a "woman's place" and would love to see more from her.

Given today’s political climate, this book was very interesting to read. Loved Charlotte’s values but was saddened by the way she had to adjust them at times to appeal to the group she was talking to. I think it was a very real glimpse of the toll politics takes on a family and a marriage. Many thanks to Jo Piazza, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this engrossing read published today.

This was almost painful to read - not because it was poorly written (it wasn't) but because it was so real. Being a campaign is infuriating, exhausting and soul destroying. Sometimes the good and big moments seem to make up for the bad parts but definitely not always. This book goes behind the scenes of just such a campaign - a woman running for the Senate in Pennsylvania against a hypocritical misogynist. Plus, of course, she's got all sorts of family secrets she's protecting and life as an executive, wife and mother to juggle at the same time. I think this was a very realistic portrayal of such an election but it was still so hard to read because of its realistic portray. Definitely my favorite thing I've read from Jo Piazza so far!

Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win comes out TODAY on July 24, 2018, and you can purchase HERE.

"I need to show you something." Josh opened his laptop to reveal four quadrants of Excel spreadsheets filled with percentages. "You're ahead in the latest polls. You're doing great with both college-educated women and non-college-educated women. White men are still a problem"

"That should be on a T-shirt or, better yet, a hat," Leila interjected. " 'White Men Are Still a Problem.' "

I don’t normally read politically-focused novels, not because I don’t care but hearing about it on the news is enough for me. But the summary of this book just intrigued me and it was a ‘read now’ on NetGalley so I decided to give it a try.

And, goodness, did it deliver the goods.

Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win tackles the costs of being a woman in the limelight, specifically one running for office. At the heart of this novel is Charlotte Walsh, a big shot Silicon Valley exec who decides to return to her home state of Pennsylvania to be its first-ever female senatorial candidate. She starts on her campaign not fully realizing just how much of herself would be exposed to a public who is all too glad to pick apart her every word and action. Assisted by her savvy campaign manager Josh Pratt, her fiercely loyal executive assistant Leila Kelly, and her team, Charlotte weathers on, but as election day nears a secret she’s been keeping threatens to ruin her bid for office and her marriage.

From the plot to its pace to the writing and down to its characters, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win is a solid book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I loved the writing. Jo Piazza’s humorous and witty spin on otherwise serious matters such as class, gender, healthcare and skills re-training made this page-turner all the more engaging and relatable. I think people will find themselves agreeing with the points she opened up in this story.

That said, what I loved the most about this book are its characters. They are flawed, nuanced but still likable. Every character in this book is fleshed out and I’m sure readers will feel like they know the whole cast well after they finished reading.

Of course, Charlotte was the one who resonated to me the most. She is ambitious, idealistic, resourceful, smart, and confident and insecure at the time. The stuff she had to put up to – double standards that you’d think no longer exist in this day age – disgusted and angered me in equal measures. There was this couple of lines in the first chapter that, I think, perfectly capture this. These lines are from Josh during his and Charlie’s interview just before the start of the campaign.

As a woman, you bear the burden of having to appear to be charismatic, smart, well-groomed, nice, but not too nice. If you’re married, you need to look happily married. If you have kids, you should be the mother of the year.

The expectations foisted upon her were unrealistically high, something that, sadly, a lot of women the world over still deal with. Both the press and the people she wants to serve dissect her every move so much that even her choice became an issue.

But that’s just one part of Charlotte’s story.

As important as the political side of her story is, the part that interested me the most was Charlotte’s and Max’s relationship. There was just something raw and real in their exchanges, a sort of power struggle in their dynamic. I was invested in them, wanted them to survive both the campaign and election, and Charlie’s big secret. I think this is why several days after finishing I’m still not sure how and what to think about the way this book ended.

That aside, Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win is a timely, funny and honest read. Sneak this in on your beach read list. You’d definitely won’t regret it.

This book is rooted in so many real-life issues, making it incredibly timely, but it also is a really great story about the ups and downs of entering the world of politics- especially as a woman. Charlotte Walsh is passionate, imperfect, smart. This book really doesn't glamorize politics- it's got the mean, the dirty, the exhaustion, the toll on families, etc. But Charlotte is a character that you root for. Charlotte Walsh likes to win, but as a reader I really WANTED her to win as well. I actually teared up a couple of times while reading, feeling so inspired by and impassioned about this fictional candidate. This was a book I didn't know I needed, and now I can't wait to spread the word.

Charlotte Walsh likes to win...but does she? This is something you wouldn’t know if you read this book. What I assumed this book to be and what it is are two very different things. One would assume if a woman is running for office that she would be a strong woman, yet Charlotte lets her campaign manager Josh and her brother Paul walk all over her. She has internal monologue of what she’d say to them, I guess if she had the nerve, but instead she just grins and bows down like a coward.

At one point, the book moved so slow that I skipped 30% of it and didn’t miss anything! I picked up and kept reading and there was enough in the writing to fill in the blanks, which tells me there is a lot of repetition.

I’ve enjoyed others by this author, but this one missed the mark for me.

Charlotte Walsh Likes to Win by Jo Piazza follows the title character as she uproots her shaky marriage and her three young children and relocates to her home state of Pennsylvania to run for Senate.

This book was really the best of both worlds for me. It was light and fun enough that it would make an excellent beach read, but it also tackled important topics and was timely and insightful in all the right ways. There was even a bit of a suspense facet to this read as you frantically flip pages to find out what would become of the marriage of the main characters. 
I loathe politics and avoid discussing it whenever possible. So I didn't exactly go into this read excited about the premise. Although the plot was certainly politically focused, there was SO much more to it. There were several points where I found myself nodding emphatically as I was reading and thinking "hell yes!". Topics like toxic masculinity, gender politics, marriage, female ambition, and the changing political climate were addressed without the book turning into a giant bummer. Which is no easy feat!

That being said, I was a little emotionally devastated by the ending. It was totally (purposefully) open-ended and I was really looking for a little more closure. 

One small thing that probably didn't bother most readers...the main characters father is named Marty Walsh. Marty Walsh is the current mayor of Boston. Maybe I only know this because I lived in/near Boston for many years but it drove me batty every time she mentioned her father. 

I give it a solid 4 stars and my undying gratitude to Jo Piazza for bringing a much-needed perspective to the market. We need it now more than ever. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Will be available tomorrow, July 24th!

I just finished Krysten Ritter's BONFIRE the other day and remarked how much I love a "main character returns to the small town they grew up in" story and this one definitely delivered. After deciding to run for Senate, Charlotte Walsh leaves her high-powered Silicon Valley job and returns to her small town Pennsylvania home with her husband, 3 young children and her campaign team. Unaware of how difficult the campaign would be, Charlotte must learn to juggle her marriage, children, and the need to win at whatever the cost.

This book is a great, easy, breezy end of summer read. The story isn't too complicated, there's a few nice surprise moments and the story definitely hammers home the idea of what do women have to sacrifice in order to "have it all" ("This is what having it all looks like. it's not easy. It's messy and flawed and imperfect"). I thought Charlotte was a deeply flawed character but Piazza did a great job expressing her struggles and imperfections and making her a character you were still able to root for.

The book definitely isn't perfect: I thought the male characters were written extremely unlikable (even the husband character, who Charlotte believes is cheating on her most of the book). Additionally, while I was frustrated that the politics seemed to get brushed over and take a backseat to the rest of the story, I ended up appreciating the focus on real, well-written adult characters dealing with real, relatable adult issues.