THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER AND LOUISE follows the two titular characters. Tanner is a twenty-one year old who had a bright future in sports which was derailed by an accident that ruined all her hopes. She’s bitter and struggling without the ability to get back into school without her athletic scholarship. When her mother tells her it is time to leave the family home she must find a new path.

Louise is an older woman in need of some support getting to appointments and other basics. She and her children can’t afford an actual live in nurse, but Tanner’s need for a place to live and possession of a driver’s license gives them a solution. The pair are an odd pair who don’t immediately hit it off, but there is more to Louise’s past than anyone knows and there’s a road trip needed to shake things up.

This book took me a little bit to get into initially. Neither character immediately made me love them, but I wound up really enjoying the book. Both characters have a great arc that really made me enjoy their stories. There are a lot of secrets that come out as the pair hit the road with no one else the wiser and the police must get involved.

I have really enjoyed all of Colleen Oakley’s books in the past so my expectations were high and I am so glad that this book lived up to my hopes for it! The audiobook for this one was really well done as well! THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER AND LOUISE is out today!

First off this book needs a prequel and a sequel! I’m always a big fan of inter generational friendships and this is no exception. When twenty something Tanner takes a job as a driver/errand runner for eighty-something Louise they both get more than they bargained for. Soon they are on the lam, a journey that turns into one of self discovery for Tanner and self reflection for Louise. As Oakley did in The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, she examines important social issues within the context of an unputdownable, laugh out loud, sitting on the edge of your seat story. This time she tackles domestic violence and living as a woman in today’s society. Some great lines, one of my favorites, while speaking about the way women are raised to protect themselves Louise ponders, “ Sometimes it just feels like we still spend so much time trying to teach the house not to catch on fire, instead of teaching the arsonist not to light it.”

Highly recommend

This was so much fun! I loved this story and the unlikely pairing of a sassy octogenarian and a 21-year-old suffering a bit of a quarter life crisis. Sometimes I think books that feature an extremely odd "friendship" have the potential to be too cheesy, but The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise stayed firmly in the fun and witty category.

I'll be honest and admit that I bumped this up a full star just because I loved Louise so much. She is sassy and crotchety and made me miss my Nana. Louise was really the star of the show and I adore seeing an 80 year old woman do her thing and live her life. She was a total badass and this story was a blast to read.

Sometimes a light and breezy read is just what the doctor ordered. Highly recommend going into this blind and just sitting back and enjoying the ride.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for allowing me to be an early reader.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley

Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.

One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon. Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.

The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m. insisting that they leave town immediately?

Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.

A fun story centering around young Tanner, and old Louise. I adore books like this one- fresh and witty and heartwarming.

Out on March 28

Pub date: 3/28/23
Genre: fiction (road trip, protagonists of different ages)
Quick summary: Two very different accidents lead to college-age Tanner becoming a caretaker for senior Louise. But things get a lot more interesting when Louise insists they leave town in her classic car - immediately.

I love books about unlikely friendships, and Louise and Tanner were such a good pair! Louise was hilarious and wise-cracking, while Tanner did a great job playing the voice of reason. I loved Tanner's amateur sleuthing, trying to figure out Louise's secrets - her escapades kept me entertained. I also enjoyed how Louise helped Tanner figure out how to grow up despite her life not meeting her expectations - everyone could benefit from some Louise tough love! The ending of the story worked really well, and this was just a pleasure to read from start to finish.

I read about 50:50 text/audio, and both formats worked well, with a slight edge for the audio because Hillary Huber captured both characters' snark really well. If you enjoy stories about quirky/unusual friendships, definitely pick this one up!

Thank you to Berkley and @thoughtsfromapage podcast for providing an e-ARC and @PRHAudio for providing a complimentary audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Started out to be a fun read with a grumpy old woman and angry 21 year old thrown together out of need. When Louise finds out an old gangster is getting out of prison, she has Tanner drive her California. These two on the lam with FBI trailing them will have readers wondering what will happen next. The story tended to be drawn out with lots of details that were not important. Just an okay story.

This book was so cute! This author is sort of hit of miss for me, but this one was a hit. I loved the relationship between "Louise" and Tanner and the whole Thelma and Louise vibe but with old/young. It worked for me. I would love a sequel of some sort.

I had featured this book as one of my most anticipated reads. It gave off a serious Thelma & Louise vibe, and I am always down for an unlikely friendship. Tanner & Louise blew my expectations out of the water. What a fun and fantastic road trip I had with these two!

Louise was a pistol, and she had such an incredible history. And, wow, secrets! I am going to tell you right now, you think you know, but you don’t. I could not have anticipated the things that were revealed. Oakley really threw some surprises into the mix, and they were fantastic. I simply cannot stop gushing about Louise and her backstory. She was such a well drawn character who was multifaceted and fascinating. I would love to have her as my friend.

Tanner was going through a low point. An injury derailed her plans to become a professional soccer player, and she was also unable to afford college without her athletic scholarship. This job as Louise’s caretaker was an ultimatum from her parents, and the kick in the butt she needed to comes to terms with these big life changes. I did feel for her, and I was grateful that she had Louise to help her see things from a different perspective.

There’s quite a bit of social commentary in this book. Sometimes that wears me down, but it never seemed like soapboxing. In fact, it felt organic and fit the story. Louise’s thoughts on aging, society’s view of the elderly, and that of women were thought provoking. So much great stuff.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise had it all – great characters, mystery, shenanigans, female friendship, humor, and heart. This was a buddy caper which grabbed me from page one and never let go. I absolutely adored this book!

Louise has also been independent, that is until she broke her hip and her daughter, Jules, insisted she get a live-in caretaker. Tanner had a plan for her life as a professional soccer player, that is until she has a career-ending knee injury that lands her back at home. Left with no options, Tanner becomes caretaker to Louise and neither are happy about it. Everything changes the night Louise wakes Tanner up and insists they leave immediately- could this have anything to do with the news report Tanner saw that seemed to show Louise might be a jewel thief from the 1970s? This book was delightful! Louise is a fascinating character- she's elderly but still has the spunk and zest for life that helped her survive the past. I love how neither of them understand each other in the beginning but you see it change and grow through their forced proximity. This is a love story- a friendship that grows in the most unlikely of places. Highly recommend!

I just finished this book and gave it a secret hug. This cross-generational relationship seemed to be going in a fairly predictable direction as the author doled out details about Tanner and Louise. I came to care a good deal about them. The surprises that came in the second half of the book made the story memorable. A lesser author may have stumbled in taking the reader to the end of this enjoyable novel. I think Tanner and Louise will stick with me for a while.

My thanks to Net Galley, Penguin Random House and Cindy Burnett at Thoughts From A Page podcast or a copy of this e-book. *Pub Day March 28, 2023*

Twenty-one year old Tanner who had to drop out of college after an accident that cost her a soccer scholarship, now living at home in her parents basement playing video games. But her mom has had enough and tells she is moving out!

Eighty year old Louise took a fall and now her daughter insists she have someone live with her. The lucky girl will be Tanner. Neither are very happy about this arrangement. They settle into a routine of Tanner driving Louise to her appointments. Bored and curious, Tanner starts to look into just who this woman is. Before she has time to find out, she is awakened in the middle of the night by Louise telling her to get up, pack her bags and drive her to CA! Thus begins the wonderful, fun, curious story of Tanner & Louise. These two women are funny, the story is intriguing and delightful! Highly recommend!

This was the book I never knew I needed. It was such a fun read!! I loved the premise and the characters. I also appreciated the comedic elements. Definitely recommend this one!!

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise is the quirky story that you didn’t know you needed in your life until right now…and I promise it’s one hell of a ride. I just read it in about 5 hours straight? And I literally could not put it down. I laughed SO. MUCH. Not to be confused with Thelma & Louise, this is a road trip book but our lead characters are 21 and 84 years old respectively, and I can already envision BookTok having a field day with some of Louise-isms 😅❤️ It seriously is full of heart and full of humor, and it’s just classically Colleen Oakley; she does this sooo sooo well in her books; and if you haven’t read her before (The Invisible Husband of Frick Island should 100% be on your TBR pile in the mean time but…) this will be a great way to introduce yourself to her work when it hits shelves March 28th from Berkley.

Honestly, don’t even read much else about it, go into it blind and I think you’ll have a total blast but I believe Jodi Picoult said it best in her blurb that this is a “part coming-of-age story, part contending with age” story and it just made me smile from ear to ear.

Thanks so much to Colleen and Berkley for the digital ARC.

The "Thelma and Louise" tie-ins are just a starting point of this fun book. While the two main characters may seem extremely different (elderly mother, daily drinker, secretive v. college athlete, recently injured, extremely cautious), the dynamic between them becomes so readable that I almost wanted more pages after I finished this one. Great ending that kept me guessing, and lots of twists and turns along the way.

I loved this book! Oakley created intriguing, multi-faceted characters who made me laugh and cry. It also kept me guessing and I didn’t expect the reveal at the end of the book. I was a fan of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island and loved this one as well.

A lighthearted, charming story of two very different people who do not like each other and believe they have nothing in common only to find out how alike they are.

Louise is an 84-year-old widow recovering from a broken hip. Her children want her to have some live in help, which she resists for as long as possible. Tanner is a 21-year-old college soccer star who has lost her scholarship after a leg injury and needs to get out of her house. Reluctantly, the two agree to live together, each on their own terms. Suddenly, things take a turn and the next thing you know, the two are on a road trip, they may be on the run from the police and Louise may be a jewel thief. Louise and Tanner must learn to work together and as they do learn about and from each other.

Excellent character development, good pacing and a storyline that keeps you engaged. This is a fast, fun and enjoyable read.

Octogenarians in fiction are trending and I'm here for it! 

Tanner, 21 is the driver for Louise, 84, who is on the run in THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER AND LOUISE (PUB 03.28). (

This cross-country adventure was fun and fabulous. So fun. Watching the relationship bloom from this unlikely pair was a trip. The story is full of charm and wit with a hefty dose of the unexpected. The underlying mystery unfolds with satisfying surprises that kept me turning the pages with gusto. Take all of that and add superb writing with outstanding character development and you have a standout read. 
I also appreciated the undertones of women-supporting-women that was evident throughout. It felt authentic and

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
Delightful characters and their chase across the country. Light read on the surface. But complex relationships beneath the surface. Joy abounds.

this was a very cute story and I enjoyed the eccentricity of the characters, would read future books of hers

Thank you Berkley for The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise. What a fun read that captured for me the love for a good road trip self exploration life is messy vibe that I wanted just based on the cover alone. The standout is the author's understanding that indeed a struggling young person and an aging person can have a lot in common, can learn from each other, and can have one big adventure. I love that this book allowed each character to be vibrant, complex, and maybe a little fun.

I love that the writing and the plot was about Louise being lively, thriving, and with a whole set of stories waiting to be uncovered. I appreciated the story for for capturing a young adult who probably has life more figured out than she knows (adulthood is about faking it a lot after all). Together this is why I love teaching about aging to college students... young people need to learn that aging isn't scary and is still a time of so much life to live and they also need to learn that adults don't have it all figured out...

If you watched Thelma and Louise in your formative years (heck yes) and have yearned for that kind of story once more.. here it is. Thank you to Colleen Oakley for writing it.