Cover Image: I Used to be Fun

I Used to be Fun

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Member Reviews

This was cute. Nothing super special but and easy lightheaded read. Overall it was okay and i had a good enough time.

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What can I say? This is the first book I read written by Melanie Summers and now I really have to have a look and read some of her other books.

I was brought to this book by his plot, I was looking through Netgalley most realeased titles, when I read it I just had to make the request and I can say I was very happy I got picked up to read it.
Jess is a 46 years old mum of two teenagers and she feels miserable with her life even if she has almost everything checked in her list: a loving husband, two children, a nice house, a part-time job, two dear friends, a not so brilliant, but neither nefarious bank account and an adorable dog.
Still she's missing something and gets more and more restless and unhappy, she's feeling she's lost her dreams and passion along the way and has to try everything to find herself again.

If I should write one of those disclaimers you read on the cover of a book I would write something like: Allison Pearson meets Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding.
This book is not a journal, even if we get some of Jess secret fantasies, but even if it's written in third person we get to follow Jess through her journey of self discovery.
The first few chapters had me mostly laugh out loud every few sentences, but it's not an easy book, it's funny, but not simpleminded, I found it witty, deep and touching, something that might really happen in real life.
The quotes at the beginning of every chapter were a really nice touch: they were on topic, but also nice by themself and got me thinking.
It's not a book I would recommend to everyone, as I believe that it could not be truly understood at every age: it is deeply centered about middle life, family issues (with children, husband, etc) and self discovery after years dedicated to others.
I'm not in love with the cover, even if it pops with the color and big title I don't feel it very true to the book.

Thank you Netgalley and Xpresso Book Tour to let me read this book in exchange of an honest review.

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Thanks to NetGalley for the preview. This story hit home a little too closely, but I imagine so very many of us women who got our MRS degree before we got our Bachelors or Masters, might be feeling much the same way Jess felt in "I Used to be Fun". The story felt realistically portrayed, funny in some parts, heartbreaking in others. The teenagers are mostly horrible and unfortunately, they too are accurately written. Honestly, it gave me a little PTSD from my time in the teenager trenches. I initially liked how Jess' husband was written, but then, when he turned out to be sneakily unsupportive, I was kind of hoping he'd drop off the face of the earth. There was a smidge of sexual tension between Jess and her boss that initially had me wondering if she'd have an affair, and that too, was a relatable scenario. The only part I truly didn't enjoy was the very end when things wrapped up a little too gloriously in my opinion. Four out of five stars.

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Jess (or Jessica) feels like she has given up her life to be a wife and a mom. While in her late 40s, she wants to make a change and make something more of her life. Will her family be supportive? Will she figure out who she really is?
This was a funny and serious adventure that she had taken me on. I fully enjoyed following along.
In some ways, I'm a lot like her. I'm in my 40s, a wife, and a mom and I feel like I should be doing more in my life. I sometimes feel like I want more out of life. I don't relate on how her family initially responds to her changes though, so I feel lucky in that regard.
One little thing that I found slightly annoying though is that the author kept switching between Jess and Jessica.
Thank you NetGalley for this opportunity!

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As a mom, this book had me in all the feels! Jess felt like such a relatable character, and I was rooting for her the entire book. From feeling like you can't say no to anything to the idea of everything you do being unseen, these felt like feel problems and feelings that moms everywhere have. I didn't love the different interruptions in the novel though. The quotes at the beginnings of the chapters, text messages, e-mails, journal entries, there was a bit too much going on and it would have read better without all of them. I found myself just skimming through her escape plans because I didn't think they held much merit. I was having a tough time getting past the awful stuff that Mike said about her scores and intelligence and wasn't necessarily rooting for them to work through their problems after that. I also wish the book would have ended without the two year later real update. I found that the one part of the book that was really unbelievable. I was happy for Jess just that she took her LSAT and found something to do that she really loved. I will definitely be recommending this to mom friends.

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