I read this book as an Advance Copy from NetGalley.com. Surprisingly- as I am not the target audience for this memoir- I really enjoyed it. Dorothy Rice is in her early 60s - has earned an MFA after a corporate career and is at a crossroads. She has decided to spend a year to write a book with a writing group. This memoir is her story - perhaps the product of her year. She reflects on her life - her husband - her eating and sugar addiction issues - her relationship with her husband- her family - and a past abusive sexual relationship. She talks about being a woman and dealing with all these issues. She writes very well and her story is engaging. Nothing is black and white and I found myself identifying with her vulnerability and humanity warts and all. Nothing is resolved in the end - but much is learned. A true vivid memoir that will touch your humanity.

It's an entertaining and interesting book, the kind of book that makes you smile and give food for thought as you think that some situations are similar to yours.
A good read especially if you're over 40.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

A book women of a certain age will relate to.Following the author as she makes changes in her life tries to improve her life quite the entertaining journey.#netgalley #smithpublicity

I had high hopes for this book when I saw it compared to Nora Ephron. But, alas, I found it depressing rather than humorous and self deprecating.
I do admire Rice's honesty and grit, but i wanted to be uplifted not downtrodden.
I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Otis Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not so much a memoir as a stream of consciousness that meanders through the period of a year, during which the author makes an effort to come to grips with her past and look to her future. Some of this is successful, e.g. unpacking past events and thought patterns that led to extreme self-doubt and shame, and some is less successful, e.g. her unhappiness with her weight. Certainly the latter is greatly influenced by the former, but I did find myself wanting to shake her violently at times, when she persisted in gorging herself and then bemoaning the consequences.

Overall though, I did enjoy reading and seeing her develop as a person over the course of the year/book, particularly because she is almost brutally honest. The editing - and spelling - could have used some help though.

I was unsure about this book at first, but as I got into it, I really loved it. As we get older, life just goes forward...ready or not. This was perfect book to read at my stage in life.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

As a woman of a certain age who let her hair fade the year her father died, I looked to this memoir for the wit and charm of Ephron’s I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK. But it had none. In fact, after the first chapter, especially when the author described sitting on her toilet, holding her girth, cataloging her scars, looking at her nonexistent pubes, I wanted to commit hari-kari. Life at this age is hard enough. I did not wish to wallow further in the author’s angst and abandoned the book.

It was the title that initially drew me. I nearly skipped the ebony cover with the too small font. At first, I thought it was a twist on the gray and black vibe. Then I looked at the publisher’s website and saw that all recent titles are done in this funereal style. I find them not at all hip; in fact they look cheaply done.

The creative process is hard and the author has narrative ability, one that could benefit from different editorial pruning in the future. For that reason, I will only post my 2-star review here. I pray she has another more positive chance at bat.

I wish I could be more supportive of this title, and thank the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are clearly mine.