This was a DNF for me. I couldn’t get into it. While the cover is stunning, the writing and plot line were too slow to remain interested in

I found myself emotionally swept away by the turbulent tale of Josie Nickels and her family. From the very start, my heart ached as I witnessed Josie's life unravel in the wake of a devastating revelation on live television.

Josie's struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of her public meltdown and the reality of her son's addiction tore at my heartstrings. Reinhardt's portrayal of Josie's pain, guilt, and desperation was so vivid and raw that I couldn't help but feel every pang alongside her. The weight of her decisions, the sacrifices she made for her son, and the relentless battle against addiction resonated with me on a deeply emotional level. As I have a brother that constantly struggles with addiction off and on.

As Josie embarked on her journey of redemption in the picturesque mountains of Asheville, North Carolina, I felt a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness. The beauty of the setting served as a poignant backdrop for Josie's inner turmoil and the difficult choices she faced in her quest to save her son.

What truly moved me about "The Beautiful Misfits" was its ability to find moments of lightness and humor amid the darkness. Despite the heavy subject matter, Reinhardt infused the narrative with warmth and humanity, reminding me that even in the darkest of times, there is still room for laughter and joy.

In the end, "The Beautiful Misfits" is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the unbreakable bonds of family. Through Josie's journey, Reinhardt delivers a powerful message of hope and redemption, leaving me both moved and inspired. This heart-wrenching yet uplifting novel is a must-read for anyone seeking a story that will touch their soul and remind them of the power of love in the face of adversity. This book left me up wondering if Josie's son will get the help he needs. My heart was broken.

This book was given to me by Netgalley in return for an honest review any opinions formed are my own. Thank you again netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

While not a story many may initially think is for them, The Beautiful Misfits tells the story of a mothers love against the backdrop of addiction and professional duress. I struggled to relate and engage with the characters with the breakneck pace of the nov but overall found a lot to love in these pages!

Thank you for the chance to read and review but after further consideration, I don’t think this is the right book for me.

2.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟(rounded up)

**"A woman is an indomitably unbreakable creature who can endure mountains of burdens until losing her balance at the top."

Firstly I would like to thank NetGalley for this EARC. Secondly .. this book was a hot mess rollercoaster.

The writing was scattered. The story was horribly depressing (rightfully so) and then took a complete 180 with an unbelievable happily ever after.

The relationship between Josie and Pog was weird. Also the whole Ruby being some sort of Guardian angel? 🙄

If you want a book with a shit ton of horrible characters, pick this one up.

It had so much potential, but for me it was just okay.

In this beautifully written novel, the power of a mother's love shines through the challenges of addiction and recovery. The story is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, filled with hope and joy. It's a book that resonates long after you've turned the last page.

A wonderfully written book about a mother's love and humanizing those who struggle with addiction. While this book covers some heavy topics, there are a lot of funny and heartwarming moments throughout the book.

WOW JUST WOW!!!!! The Beautiful Misfits written by Susan Reinhardt was such a powerful book. This book left me sobbing so late into the night, it destroyed me in all the right ways possible. The Beautiful Misfits pulled on all my heart strings, it made me so emotional and it made me so angry that people weren't doing enough to help people with addictions. I was a bit hesitant with continuing this book because it started off so slow, but i'm glad I chose to continue because watching the story unravel was so heartbreaking. If you or you know anyone who has struggled with an addiction, you're so strong and i'm praying for you. This book deals with heavy topics that may be triggering to some readers, so please read at your own caution. I had to stop reading numerous times because I couldn't see through the tears, it was like being sucker punched in the heart. The only complaint I had with this book was there was too much information about one of the main characters job at a cosmetics counter, I feel like at times with the cosmetics counter dialogue the story dragged on a little bit. I don't think I have any tears left after reading this gut wrenching book. Please check the TW's before reading this book.

TW'S: drug overdose, alcoholism, and addiction (mentions of the OD, but it wasn't detailed at all).

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND REGAL HOUSE PUBLISHING FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

Eighty-four seconds can change your life, or destroy it. Josie Nickels is an Emmy winning news anchor in Atlanta, Georgia. Josie is poised to rise through the ranks of television journalism. On a bitter March evening on live TV, Josie is drunk and has smeared lipstick, Josie is covering a segment on drug overdoses and addiction, but Josie loses her cool and spills all her families secrets. The aftermath of Josie's spewing costs her much more than her career, it robs her of her beloved son, a preppy, educated millennial trapped in the deadly world of addiction. After her on air meltdown, Josie is desperate for a new start and a way to save her son. Josie packs up her bags, her young daughter, and accepts a new job slinging cosmetics at a department store make up counter with other disgraced celebrities. In the gorgeous mountains of Asheville, North Carolina known for hippies, Subarus, Josie is faced with a choice: take a chance on a bold, out of the ordinary treatment plan for her son, or lose him forever. Josie was raised with a mother who just up and left when things got hard, but her father stayed behind and raised her. Let me just say, Dottie, Josie's daughter has down syndrome, but she was the brightest light of sunshine throughout this whole book.

My heart absolutely broke for Josie watching her son struggle with addiction, feeling like she couldn't do anything right. Josie's son would always text her asking for money to buy drugs, but Josie would send care packages trying to help him understand that he has a whole life ahead of him. Despite this book being so gut wrenching, it had it's laugh out loud moments as well. The Beautiful Misfits is an educated book to inspire and gives those struggling with drug addictions love and hope. I can't even thing straight writing this review, it's just breaking my heart all over again. I'm sorry if my thoughts are all jumbled together, I don't think I can write a proper review while having tears streaming down my face. I have never read a book by Susan Reinhardt before, but I don't think this will be my last. The ending definitely gave me hope and made my heart so happy. I don't recommend reading this book right before you go to sleep, it will have you tossing and turning all night long hoping Josie's son gets the help he needs and comes clean with his addiction. My hearts goes out to everyone who has struggled with an addiction, it's not easy, but y'all are so strong. I don't think I can continue with this review, please give those around you a big hug.

This story of a mother’s love, addiction, recovery, forgiveness, found family, and so much more is beautifully written. I laughed, I cried, and I cheered the characters on as they navigated their experiences and went on the journey to living a joyful life. It's such a hopeful story with a hard-earned happy ending. It's a book that's going to linger in my mind and heart for a long time.

A good story of a woman dealing with a son with addictions, an ex, a new life in a new career and how it all eventually comes together without her giving up. Very empathetic and informative re dealing with an addict, and coping with their troubles.

The writing was beautiful and filled with so much emotion. Dealing with bullies at work while in constant worry about her sons addiction, Josie was a strong MC. I loved the friendships she made and how everything was explained towards the end. The rehab that Pog described sounded like a realistic option for recovering addicts. I wish we got to see a little more within the rehab, but with this being a mother of an addict’s story, I understand why it didn’t cover more within the actual recovery. Shows the power of love, hope and great insight into the struggles of an addict while being an enjoyable read.

Thank you @susangambrellreinhardt and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

Wow…just wow!!

This book hit me right in the feels. Such an emotional story with so many different parts to it. When I was reading “The Beautiful Misfits”, it played out like a movie in my head. Which is think is one of the greatest things that a novel can do. It just flowed and sucked me in, that it was truly hard to put down.

Josie Nickels, at one time a top news reporter, now turned department store cosmetics pusher, has struggled with her own demons. She has now taken on many other people in her families issues, which is tearing her apart. The character growth doesn’t start for Josie until much towards the end of the novel. Her stress about a mothers love, what is right and wrong for someone that you love so much and if you’re making the right choice, develops but not after numerous chapters of Josie droning on and on. But towards the end reality comes and smacks her in the face and she knows her choice is clear!

I absolutely give this novel a 5 star rating and would highly recommend it to others who are ok with the topics of addiction. Great work!!

Thank you to Net Galley and Regal House Publishing for the chance to read this book as an ARC.

Atlanta news anchor Josie loses her job when her live bulletin about a drug death gets out of hand. It was an incident close to home because her son Finley knew the girl who died and is caught up in the spiral of drug addiction himself.
Josie heads for the mountains of North Carolina and gets a job on the cosmetics counter of a department store, alongside other fallen ‘celebs’. Her days are spent caring for her young daughter Dottie, trying to keep track of her bitter and out-of-control son, and facing the wrath of her supervisor, Pauline.
Partly inspired by the author’s own life experiences, this was a moving and heart-wrenching story of a mother dreading “the call” about her son and offered hope of a better way to treat those caught up in the grips of the opioid crisis. The antics from the cast of characters around the makeup counter provided some welcome relief.

The main character changes professions and moves to get away for what she hopes is a fresh start. A story about family dysfunction, loss in its many forms, addiction/recovery, and loving again, the author writes a sincere story of rebuilding ones life after it seems to come crashing down around you.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to review.

this book immediately sucked me in as it tackled a very sensitive topic. I really felt for the main character Josie. would recommend completely!

I enjoyed this book, however I did find certain parts very unbelievable, It also seemed that it was wrapped up a little too well considering the subject matter.

Honest and authentic.

I was worried that I might have a hard time with a book dealing with such raw topics as addiction and drug use in the perspective of a mom, but I was in good hands from beginning to end with Susan Reinhardt. Her depiction of Josie Nickels' struggle with her son was powerful and honest and always dealt with with a touch of heartbreaking humor. I really appreciated the note of hopefulness Reinhardt weaves through the narrative.

Any parent who has refused to give up on a child will be impacted by this story.

A decent but kind of cloying read. Hit a little hard for me after losing someone to accidental fentanyl intake. I think this book was just longer than it needed to be, the readers didn’t need so much filler about the cosmetics counter.

Josie was once a well-respected tv news anchor. After an on-air meltdown, she and her daughter relocate from Atlanta to Asheville. In order to try to make a clean break, she had to leave behind her "artist" (with an unused DDS) ex-husband and her addict son. Now she is working at a cosmetics counter at a department store and wrestles with how to help her son from a distance.

I don't think the description of the book does it justice. This was heart-wrenching and so well written. I felt so awful for Josie. You could see how badly her childhood trauma affected her adult relationships. Since didn't want anyone, especially her kids to feel abandoned the way she had felt. She wanted to makes sure she as there for everyone, but it became too much and then she ended up self-destructing. To be fair, I thought that her on-air meltdown was pretty great, and would have expected it to have led to more opportunities for her career, but considering she seemed to shut-down from the world immediately after, that probably meant she probably missed hearing about some of those opportunities.

As a mother, it hurt to read the verbal abuse being spewed at Josie from her son. I also wanted to smack Pauline the whole time. A couple of things that I expected to be revealed and may (or may not) actually come to fruition (trying to keep this as spoiler-free as possible): 1. Vintage Crazy is a cult, 2. Pauline is actually a lesbian in a relationship with Josie's mom, 3. Philly is part of Pog's cult and that's why she always seems to be around when he shows up

I had a lot of trouble putting this one down. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I'd give this 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 out of 5.

I do not have any trigger warnings I am sensitive to when reading, this book has addiction and alcoholism as its main components, and I knew that going in. I am still heartbroken by this book. I come from a family of addicts and alcoholics. So, this book really hit home for me. I think it is so interesting how this book was written and how connected I felt to it. The words and the prose of this novel brought me to tears. Growing up with addicts is very difficult, and not falling into the same pattern is also difficult, and this book showed all angles of addiction, the denial, the hardships, the dread of what if something happens to me or a loved one, it was all portrayed beautifully. I honestly enjoyed reading this book, and I am now looking forward to reading more books dealing with addiction, and I hope they are written as good as this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.