This probably more of a 3.5, if I'm allowed half points. The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms was a cute read and I enjoyed her bookish relationship with Daniel in particular. I felt the pain of needing to get away from children as a mother myself, and how it would be hard to let go of an ex-husband even if he super deserved it.
My main issues were a general lack of conflict I felt throughout most of it. The whole time she was just taking a vacation in New York and getting free things and dating hot guys and refusing to date Daniel for invented reasons and obsessing over how happy her kids were to be spending time with their dad. It all just felt like cooked up drama. The real tension did come at the end when she finally talked things out with her ex-husband and realized what she wanted, but I just felt like I needed more of that tension throughout.
Regardless, I finished it no problem and I would say I overall enjoyed myself because it was cute and sweet and I appreciated the message about moms still letting themselves have their own lives.

While I liked the basic premise of this novel, I was ultimately disappointed. There are too many things taking place that made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief. For example, if Talia is her best friend, why does she treat Amy so shabbily by forcing her to make changes to her body and clothing by “shaming” her? Why does Amy so willingly go along with the makeover when she seems so unhappy with what’s being done to her? Why does she eagerly remain in NY for the entire summer while continuously wailing about what a poor mother she is? Then there is the sudden plot twist near the end that manages to bring together the many diverse characters while so neatly wrapping up all sorts of loose ends. The resolution is too facile and too predictable.

There are many humorous moments, Latin jokes, and incongruous situations that make this fun to read. But, I didn’t find enough substance to warrant more than three stars.

I received this as a free digital ARC from Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Amy Byler,a exhausted single mom, who wants to escape her s daily life of adult responsibilities and given the chance for "the big break.
Her husband,an attorney for a food product company ,pops into town in PA,after having abondoning them three years ago to Hong Kong on a business trip. She never filed for the divorce,so legally, he is still her husband .
His guilt suddenly wants to suddenly reunite and spend a week with their daughter Cori, 15 and son Joe, 11 to make up for lost time.
Amy,feeling guilty to say no..lets him and she can go to NYC for her library conference.
She is a school librarian and needs these credit hours to get ahead in her job.
Plus the chance to see what it feels like being single without having family commitments.
Her longtime college freind, Talia lives there and lets her stay in her apt. She owns a magazine "Purely Beautiful" and creates a single mom(Amy) into a Tweeter sensation, #momspringa. She gives her an absolute amazing makeover.
Amy's college friend Lena lives by Amy. She goes abck and forth to check up on the kids and letting AMy know how they are doing.
The two college freinds from long ago, spur up and encourage Amy to live it up in NYC & enjoy the moment of inspiring other women to enjoy themselves first ;families second...and to date . After all,she isnt really married to John still. So what if Amy put off filing for divorce after John left is how they feel.
They rely on texting, to continue this freindship in NYC. Talia has to leave out of town & allows Amy to stay in her apt, furnishes her with a new look, clothes, blind dates..for this #momspringa world, and magazine high ratings.
Her daughter Cori has been writing a journal that her mom initiates..She has an empathetic and cute teenage sense of humor writing in the journal. We get to know the teen's personality through her feelings about books, and life , to her mom, and protesting reading the scheduled weekly books her mom puts on the reading list to her.
You get the sense that Amy really wants her daughter to find her inner self by writing into this journal and emailing them to her mom.
Joe, the 11 yr old is alittle unsure of himself,especially when their father asks Amy if he can spend the whole summer there instead with the kids,and is going to send Cori to diving summer camp,and Joe to space camp for a week. The kids do want this opportunity, after all,they are making sure they can get as much as they can out of their dad,for lost time.
He even gives Amy an American Express credit card for "essentials and emergencies" while in the Big Apple.
When asked if he can be there the whole summer with the kids,she looks at it as an expanded adventure of her new found single life.
To me, I could see why their marriage grew distant...and children can make a mom place first(of course), but the husband second...some men may see it as an opportunity to explore an open door to their new adventure and not realizing,they may lose their own wife from experimenting too.
In this story, single moms can relate of being the sacrificer and main parent(s) to their children and all the challenges of being a single parent cause.
Even a mom with another parent in the house, needs alone time now and then too.
Moms dont need to lose their identity nor spirit and shouldnt feel guilty seeking out to regain themselves again.
I liked how Kelley Harms put family relationships close to heart, and a crisis brings them all together without putting blame on each other.
I predicted what Amy Byler would choose to do and applauded her for it.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me this book to review.

This was a quicki lght read that I really enjoyed. It was fun and engaging. It also mentions my favorite reading app, Litsy, which I loved! I think this would be a great book if you want a light read.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

Oh hell yes - This was a great fluffy read! I have booked my #momspringa to Miami with my two besties for July and I owe it all to Amy Byler.. Thank you for the inspiration for me to get off my behind to make it happen.

As for the book - its a quick enjoyable read with enough snarky comments to make me smile. Amy is a great character with heart, a quick wit, and she makes me want to become a librarian in my second life. I would love love love a second book about Lena and life as a ex-nun - PLEASE!!!!!

I'm grateful to netgalley for providing me with a copy of the Overdue Life of Amy Byler in exchange for an honest review.

This book is pure and lovely. Amy is a librarian, recently divorced, and a mom of two. She is in the trenches of single motherhood and she has begun to lose herself in the monotony of her life. Over the Summer her ex-husband offers to take the kids to spend time with them. Amy uses this as her opportunity to explore New York City and the person she has become.

While she is usually tightly wound and on top of everything, she uses this as an opportunity to let herself relax into a more carefree life. The opportunity presents itself as a "momspringa", a loose interpretation of the Amish tradition of "Rumspringa". Just when she's beginning to find herself again a crisis emerges that leaves her vulnerable to losing everything that she's worked so hard to build.

I think this is a great Summer read or a light pool/beach read!

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler released on 5/1

My Book Review: Amy is a mother of two and school librarian. For the past three years, she has been all on her own as her husband gave up his family. Amy is given the opportunity to visit New York City for part of the summer and the adventures that she embarks on left me laughing and wincing right along with her. Part of Amy's story is focused around a magazine story known as a "momspringa" and what that means for her and other mothers. Throughout the story, we also are introduced to her daughter a bit more as her summer reading journal is shared with us which offers elements to the story, backdrop of the family's lives and glimpses of the mother-daughter relationship with humor and wit added in. Also introduced in this story is the idea of perceptions and how yours of someone may not be entirely true. By the end of her journey, Amy has a few new friends and a few decisions to make about if she will return to her family or stay in her new life? Either choice she makes I am rooting for Amy!

Recommending for anyone who wants to laugh out loud, have a break from real life, is a parent or someone who just wants a fun read!

I received this book "The Overdue Life of Amy Byler" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. I thought that this was a fun book. I think that the letters from Cori were awesome! This bumped up my stars to 5. I found myself looking forward to reading this book each day. Quick read, interesting characters and the story will make you laugh.

Really loved this author's voice. Grabbed me from the first page and I simply couldn't put this one down. Very enjoyable story and a well-developed set of characters. I was afraid it would be a cliche, but it really was a great new take on a trope. Loved it.

I wanted to like this book so much - and I do BUT I don't care about stories about Moms. It's a personal thing for me.

Amy is a single mom - taking care of two teenagers. Her ex waked out on her 3 years ago and she's being struggling to provide for the family ever since. He makes a sudden return - requested to take the kids of the summer and Amy finds herself free for the first time in a long time.

This is a story about self reflection, growth and forgiveness. I'm sure people will love it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Easy, light, humorous book. Ideal for the evenings when we just want to chill out and enjoy something easy to make us sleep better.

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler was smart, fun, and incredibly heartwarming. Ever since her kids were born, Amy has been a Mom before everything else--including wife, friend, and librarian. I enjoyed reading her story to becoming more than a mom and finding herself during Momspringa. I will admit that Amy was not my favourite main character, but the supporting characters were great. Daniel was a perfect love interest (nerdy, attractive, passionate, and very upfront about his feelings/intentions), Lena and Talia were amazing friends (funny and honest), and Matt was a fun addition to Amy's group. I also always appreciate diverse characters. Although we didn't get much from Amy's kids, Cori and Joe, I really enjoyed Cori's journal entries. They summarized what was going on in Pennsylvania while Amy was away, but also provided another perspective to Amy's situation. The story was pretty predictable, but the characters really made the book shine.

While the title didn’t resonate with me for this one—the second I saw the cover I was interested in reading it.

I’m not sure why, but the title just didn’t stand out to me , I mean it totally should have because it was a fun little library play on words, but for some reason it just didn’t.

Thank god for interesting cover art! This cover totally caught my eye and made me excited about reading it even if the title didn’t. I picked this book up on a random sunny day and instantly fell in love with Amy Byler.

Summary

Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.

Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.

But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart (summary from Goodreads).

Review

I can’t sing the praises of this book enough. Amy is 100% relatable and interesting and even if she martyred herself more than I ever would, I could completely understand why she did. I am NOT a single mom, but I think like many mom’s that thought is always in the back of my mind. Not that I’m worried that my husband of 15 years will run off to Hong Kong never to return, but more like I worry that he will randomly get hit by a bus or something.

However crazy it sounds, I do worry about those types of things and with a young child at home and myself being a stay at home mom, I constantly worry about what could happen if our apple cart became upset. That’s why Amy’s story completely hit home. I also worked in education for a number of years and I loved reading the curriculum aspect (which I totally want to put into action should I return to the work force someday) in conjunction with Amy’s story. I thought it was observant and made me pause to consider some of the issues facing educators (especially librarians).

But Amy completely stole the show. I was so envious of her ‘momspringa’. I think this should literally be a thing for all moms. I would love a week off to eat cold pizza in bed at a hotel and read all day long……but I would also love a complete mommy makeover too. My ‘mom-iform’ is yoga pants and a t-shirt (not even a cute women’s one…..like a boxy men’s one), pony tail with hair that was maybe washed that morning, but most likely full of 3 days worth of dry shampoo) and no makeup. So I desperately need some changes to my wardrobe and appearance. Reading about Amy made me have hope that maybe I too could have my own little momspringa and makeover but also to redefine who I was as a person, not just a mom.

It’s so easy to slip into that role—mom—never to return to who you were before kids. I think that’s why Amy’s story was so inspiring, relatable, and real. I think this book will ring true for just about any mom. If I didn’t have a kid, I don’t know that this book would have left such an impact on me. So readers without kids may not enjoy it to the degree that reading moms do.

This book is incredibly real and full of interesting characters with realistic lives and motives. I absolutely adored this book and have been recommending it to everyone I know…..easily 5 stars!

Even those of us who don’t need an actual #momspringa (because we’re not actual moms) can relate to Amy Byler’s need to take a vacation from her own life to see what’s working, what’s not, what might have been and what might be.

Not that Amy WANTS that vacation from the real, but she certainly does need it. Watching her embrace it makes for a fun and fascinating book, a story about friendship and sisterhood and learning that while having it all may be a myth, having all you really need is definitely possible.

And that “all” is different for each of us – as it is for Amy and her two best friends, Lena and Talia.

Our story begins when Amy spots her “ex” husband at her local small-town pharmacy. John left 3 years ago for a business trip to Hong Kong – and never came back. Leaving her with their two school-age kids, their historic fixer-upper of a house, a library degree that she hadn’t dusted off in ten years and not much else.

She ranted, she raged, she cried but most of all, she coped. Now he’s back and she’s sure that he’s going to disrupt her fragile but workable apple-cart. An apple-cart that has meant that she has turned over her entire life to being the “best” mother possible to make up for the dad who ran away to find himself with a younger woman.

Now he’s back in an attempt to “fix” his relationship with his children. And Amy knows she has to let him try – even though she rightfully doesn’t trust him at all. The kids will be better off with him in their lives – if he sticks this time. He doesn’t need to stick in Bucks County, but he does need to stick to his relationship with them.

He has one chance. She’s letting him have the kids for one week. The kids, who are not fooled by any of this, decide to take him for all he’s worth while he’s around. Not in a bad or entitled way, but making his responsibilities crystal clear – especially since he hasn’t paid a dime in child support while he’s been living it up in Hong Kong.

But that week leaves Amy with a giant-sized hole in her life. For the past three years she hasn’t done anything for herself. She doesn’t know what to do with herself without being constantly needed by her kids, who are now in their teens.

In desperation, she decides to go to New York City, the city she loved when she was single in her 20s, a lifetime ago. She finds a library conference to use as an excuse, and plans to spend a week with a friend she hasn’t seen in years.

When the week turns into an entire summer, and when her friend’s dying magazine uses Amy’s vacation for one last hurrah before they go all digital or fold, a new hashtag is born – #momspringa.

Amy’s #momspringa is both the breaking and the making of her – all at the same time. It makes her question her life and her purpose. Because if she’s not a mother 100% of the time, then who is she? And if she doesn’t take some fulfillment for herself, is she anyone at all?

Escape Rating B+: In the end, I loved this book, but I’ll confess that it had a hard start. And a slightly sticky bit near the end. At the beginning, Amy is extremely invested, understandably so, in being both a mother and more than a bit of a martyr about it.

While the situation makes total sense under the circumstances, I had a difficult time identifying with her until she starts breaking out of the concrete-lined rut she is stuck in – even though that rut is far from being all her own making.

In other words, I had a hard time relating to her intense investment in being a mother and sacrificing herself to that, because it’s not merely not my experience but not an experience I ever wanted.

Her problems with and resentments of the douchebag ex I was completely on board with. Even those of us who have met the “handsome prince” have kissed (and sometimes married) more than a few frogs along the way. And there’s no question this guy was a frog of a husband. Whether he’s also a frog of a father is a big part of the story.

But after the first third of the story, it’s all about Amy’s empowerment, Amy’s steadfast female friendships, and Amy’s journey to find a way to have a fulfilling life that is not 150% wrapped around her kids. Not that those kids aren’t supremely important, but Amy having some life just for Amy is important for them too.

There are also a lot of fun conversations between Amy and her daughter, and between Amy and the colleagues she meets at the conference, about the joys of reading, and about the love of books in general and some books in particular. There’s also some lovely feels about just how marvelous it is to match the right book with the right reader that I really identified with – after all, that is part of the reason that I started this blog and have kept up with it for so many years.

In the end, or rather in the middle, this was a book where I absolutely had to skip to the end to find out whether, after everything, Amy went back to the douchebag ex. Because if she did I was going to die.

I lived. And so does Amy Byler.

This book explores the highs and lows of motherhood in a unique way. I literally could not put the book down. I was captivated from start to finish. I found myself laughing aloud throughout the book as Amy travels to New York City and new experiences. I also teared up while relating to Amy's worry and mom-guilt. This book was wonderful and will hit home with all moms.

4.5 ⭐️ !!

I loved this quirky story so much!! It was a very fun & quick read. I could have easily devoured this in one sitting! Bonus points for #booksaboutbooks - the main character is a librarian!! This was my first book by this author but certainly won’t be my last! Very good job on this book!

I really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend!!

THANK YOU to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley & Lake Union Publishing for the early readers copy! This book came out May 1, 2019.

Three years ago, Amy’s husband walked out on her and their two kids. But now he’s back and asking to take the kids for the summer to reconnect. Amy hesitantly agrees, and takes off to visit a friend New York. She’s suddenly faced with a lot of free time and is questioning her role now that she doesn’t have to be “mom” full time anymore. Who is she and what does she do with herself now?

I really connected with Amy and her need to put her kids first. As moms, it’s so hard to put ourselves first and it’s so easy to lose our identity as an individual person. I thought Amy and her friends, Lena & Talia were hilarious! I also loved that Amy was a librarian and all the causal bookish mentions throughout the book. I think author Kelly Harms deserves more hype than she’s getting, her characters are real, and flawed, and relatable.

I do wish this was a little more “realistic” in the sense that Amy just let her husband come back into their lives and take the kids for a month. I would never. But it had to happen for her to be able to go to New York. I also felt the pacing was a little disjointed at times, with Amy going back and forth from PA to NY to back again.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, a pleasant surprise. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

TW: miscarriage, a diving injury, and cheating.

While predictable, this book was entertaining, light, and funny. A middle aged woman takes a trip to to see her old gal pal in NYC for the summer while her ex has the kids, and a #momspringa ensues. This is not the sort of book I would typically read but I was just coming off some heavier material and this looked like a great in between read, and it surely was! I finished off the last half of the book in one day.

"And yes , it makes me crazy to think that my kids can go days— or maybe weeks—without me. If I’m not needed, if I’m not busy, if I’m not an overstretched, overwhelmed, underslept, underpaid single mother… What exactly am I?"


📖The Overdue Life of Amy Byler📖
🖋Kelly Harms
Much thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Kelly Harms for this complimentary copy. This review is voluntary and opinions are fully my own.


📚 Series: No
📚 Genre: General Fiction / Romance
📚 POV: First person.
📚 Cliffhanger: No.


⚠ Content Warnings: Cheating. Divorce. Accident/Surgery on a minor character.
⚠ Read if: you feel like you are underappreciated and need a break. Or, if you are looking for a light fun read.

Amy Byler is an overworked and underpaid single mom of two children (Cori, 15 and Joe, 12) whose (common law ex-)husband went to Hong Kong and disappeared for three years.

Out of nowhere, John (the ex husband) returns and wants to make amends with her and the kids. He offers to take care of them for the summer, and suddenly Amy is handed a whole lot of time in her hands.. and for the first time, nothing to do and no kids to think about.

School librarian Amy suddenly decided to go to New York for a library conference. Reuniting with her college friend also led her to be part a "momspringa". At the prospect of being alone, Amy now has time to think her life over and make decisions on her marriage. If life suddenly gives her the opportunity for a whole lot of change in mindset and new love prospect, then, hey, let her take it.

"Can forgiving him and enjoying time with him now actually make you feel better than holding a grudge against him for the rest of your lives? In other words, is punishing him what’s truly best for you?”


Amy Byler is so likeable and relatable and made me appreciate my mom even more. I was rooting for her all the while and felt very happy with how life turned out for her.

Her support system were lovable. We're here for girls supporting girls! The whole "momspringa" journey was so fun, it definitely felt like I was watching a movie!

Her love interest is swoonworthy and perfectly written for her. I was nervous at first but now extremely happy with what happend in the end.

I loved all the bits of literary references, too. The nerd in me was swimming in happiness!

This book, in its entirety, is very charming and so funny you might laugh out loud, but also a very thought provoking and heart warming read.

☁ THE CRITERIA ☁
🌻 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Hero:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Heroine:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Support Characters:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Writing Style:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Character Development:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Romance:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Pacing:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Ending:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Page Turner:⭐⭐⭐⭐
🌻 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

☁FINAL VERDICT: 4.63/5 ☁