Another great book from JD. I read it in one sitting as I could not put it aside. A great book to recommend to be read.

It is 11.34pm on Wednesday the fifteenth of August and Olivia Law is drunk. She is a very successful newsreader who works hard to maintain her perfect exterior but she has just turned forty five and her husband has, it seems, left her. She does something totally out of character that will change her life, and a lot of other people’s lives, forever.
JD Barrett has done it again. An entertaining book that is very difficult to put down. I loved the humour, sauciness and the guest appearance of a character from her previous novel. Underneath the light exterior though there is a serious comment on the way the media treats women.

I was not sure what to expect before choosing to read this book except it had pretty good reviews wherever I looked. I was surprisingly disappointed with this book though.

A 45 year old news reader is axed from her job after a love message to her separated husband goes viral, leaving her to pick up the pieces of her life after she loses everything when her husband requests a divorce, the final blow for Olivia. Her story moving forward is admirable overall however I found the storyline quite disjointed and boring at times despite it being an easy read and lighthearted story.

A solid 3 stars for me.

I was very eager to read the latest novel from JD Barrett as I loved her "Song of Us" so much.

I started reading it and immediately was taken aback and had to check if I was reading the right book. I was.

Olivia Law is 45 and the quintessential blonde TV news reader. She lives in Sydney, in a modern, sterile house with her businessman husband, David. They live parallel lives and haven’t been intimate for over two years. In an attempt to win him back, Olivia makes a drunk video, in the nude, and talks about their sex life and her sexual fantasies. The video becomes public and immediately Olivia loses her job and gets sued by the Network. While she’s down, her husband announces he’s divorcing her.

Olivia escapes to Byron Bay, to her best friend’s place. There she meets some interesting characters, the owner of a sex shop chain, who’s worldly and very charming; a good looking vet etc. She’s trying to figure out who she truly is.

There were many things that I liked about this novel. It addresses the discrimination and double standards that women face in the media and not only. It also talks a lot about sex and women’s sexual fantasies, regardless of age. I know, who knew that middle-aged and older women had sexual fantasies?

The novel is very light and breezy. Besides women’s sexual fantasies, The Upside of Over has lots of mouth-watering food porn. Realistically, while Olivia had her life turned upside down, being in her privileged position is enviable: still looking good, no kids, moving to Byron Bay, staying in some fancy properties, having a tough lawyer to look after your interests, good friends and a rich man who’s very keen on you. To top it all off, she even has the two gay best friends, who are amazing cooks and very supportive. Where can I find me one or two of those?

While I enjoyed this novel, I felt that some parts were rushed and under-developed.

Nevertheless, The Upside of Over was a fun, cheeky beach read.