Whisterpoop

Karen lives alone with her cat Mr. Hobbs, she works as a librarian in her small town's library and has just turned 50. Karen isn't dealing with her 50th birthday very well. She cooks a full turkey birthday dinner which she shares with Mr. Hobbs, all the while thinking of the past and all the mistakes she has made.
After having turkey for days she decides to venture to the grocery store. She orders a sandwich in the deli and as she is sitting at a table waiting for it she sees an interesting man sitting alone. Gathering her courage she begins to approach him only to end up a table away after tripping and landing in a chair. Just at that moment she hears a familiar voice and turns, it is an ex-boyfriend. Karen doesn't know why he is back, but makes plans to see him later in the week. After returning home she gets a knock at her door and opens it to her not so dead husband. Karen is baffled at these unexpected encounters all at once. She has told everyone her hubby was dead, when he is alive and married to her twin sister. Karen has a huge problem with being quick to jump to conclusions and to see only what she wants to see, without paying much attention to details of what is going on around her. Now Karen is going to get a crash course in how to be more observant of others and pay attention to what is really happening not what she quickly assumes.
This book is a funny fresh look at what it is like to turn 50 and to what we miss and what misunderstandings arise when we are quick to jump to conclusions and assume things we shouldn't.
A very quick, witty story with input from a finicky feline to cap it off. I loved it, this was just what I needed to read right now. And I have to say when at the end I found out that the author R.J. Corgan was a man not a woman, I was about knocked over! Bravo, R. J. Corgan, you did a wonderful job writing Karen's story with great insight into the emotions and trials of a middle-aged woman! I am super-impressed.
I recommend to anyone wanting a quick, light, funny story with a cat included as a bonus! 5 stars, more if possible, very entertaining, with a bunch of action happening.
Thank you to Net Galley and R.J. Corgan for the free ARC of this novel, I am leaving my honest review in return.

I want to fist say thank you to the author and NetGalley for giving me the eARC. the book is very short it can be read very quickly. many things happened in this book, the protagonist karen works as a librarian and lives with her cat Mr Hobbes and karen has just turned 50 years old. In that, the book is different from all the books that I have read before, I had never read a book based on the life of a 50-year-old woman and I really liked it. I really found it refreshing and new, something that I had never read before. I really liked the ending and all the characters. karen has told everyone that her ex-husband is dead when it’s a lie and her ex-husband is married to her twin sister beth. I really like the relationship between Karen and her best friend Claire it was a nice touch to the book they are funny together. Overall the book is refreshing, funny, and interesting.

I really enjoyed this book it made me smile in places. There are few themes that are running through the book loneliness, getting old , relationships and few more. Whisterpoop is really easy read and dead relaxed. My favourite bit is where the cat Mr Hobbs calls Karen woman servant which is so true. Karen is turing 50 and suddenly ex boyfriend’s come back and event happens where she has to sort her life out. I read this book in three days . It was easy to get into and I really liked Mr Hobbs the cat and Karen.

Enigmatic Heroine, Fractious Feline….
Karen Whittington. Just turned fifty and living in the charming village of Little Ivory has plans for starting afresh. When these plans are threatened by a serious of former partners - who suddenly make an appearance each holding, it seems, a secret - our enigmatic heroine determines to save the day armed only with her fractious feline and trusty novels. Witty and entertaining romcom with a colourful and delightful protagonist. A short but enjoyable and quirky read.

I had just celebrated my 53rd birthday when I started this book, & I found myself identifying a little more than usual with a book character. This is a funny, endearing story that I really enjoyed reading. It takes place in 1999, before everyone had social media, email, & smartphones. When people from the past pop back into Karen’s life, she doesn’t have advance warning. She hasn’t a clue what’s been going on in their lives since she saw them last.
Karen might not always get it right, but she keeps on trying. She’s really struggling with loneliness & aging. Although the story involves her coming to terms with both, it’s also about self-discovery. It’s about being knocked down, but getting back up. It’s about being angry, being sad, & deciding to forgive. It’s about finding peace & happiness, even when it seems out of reach. Sometimes we all need a whisterpoop. Or several.
By the way, I’ll forever think of being Servant-Woman every time I feed our cat.
I received an advance copy of this book through Netgalley, & this is my honest review.

This book addresses many themes associated with ageing, including loss, loneliness, & reconciliation…& yet, the author somehow manages to seamlessly combine comedy & romance into the mix, making this an incredibly gripping and fun loving social commentary! The characters definitely made the book. Despite the VERY apparent age gap between the MC & I -which, in all honestly, I thought was going to be a deal-breaker (spoiler-alert, it was not)- it was strangely easy to relate to her. The dialogue was witty & fun loving, yet equally very daunting and solemn, but both mixed together fairly well. Introducing the POV through the cat was interesting, and seeing how the author incorporated that into the story without making it appear childish even more so…overall, it was a clever way to grip the readers attention. There were some parts of the novel that dragged a tad bit, but despite that, I admit, I did enjoy this book more than I had intended!

This book had some really interesting aspects about it.

I really liked how the story was told with the addition of some excerpt from the novels that she's reading and some POV from tha cat!
Our main chatacter is a fifteen years old woman that has to deal with time passing and an unsatisfying life. I quite liked how her storyline developed during the novel, especially for the fact that she was really self-centered in the first part of the book.
I loved Mr. Hobbes and some of the people from the little town even though we didn't get much from them.
Overall a fun little story, with some deeper meaning that I liked even if it wasn't development evenly over the course of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy of WHISTERPOOP to review. I enjoyed it because I found Karen to be relatable as a woman approaching fifty and all the issues that come from it. Her ex-husband turns up on her doorstep, possibly for a reconciliation, she's dealing with her nemesis at work, she wants to date, but can't find the right guy … there's a lot in this book.

The first half of the book was a bit confusing because bits of a romance novel were entwined with Karen's story. I wasn't sure where that was leading. The second half of the book was more organized and heavier. Karen has to forgive and seek forgiveness with a family member and change in order to be open to new things (and people!).

The story makes you think about grief, as well as what it means to approach middle-age - I'm talking past the age of 40. It is overwhelming if you really consider it, so the author did a good job of helping Karen see that even though she is aging - nothing is ever too late.

I rate WHISTERPOOP three out of four stars.

Many thanks to author R.J. Corgan and to NetGalley for the ARC of this title.
This is my honest review.

How could I pass up the chance to read a book called "Whisterpoop"?
I could not! Happily so.

Karen is celebrating her 50th birthday by cooking a turkey dinner for herself. Her not-really-dead ex-husband shows up all of a sudden, sending her not-really-stable emotions into overdrive.

This is a humorous and light presentation of something that as the story progresses, we understand is a little more serious than it seemed at first...
The story is sometimes lightened by observations from Karen's cat Mr. Hobbs who delightfully refers to Karen as "Servant Woman" and by excerpts from the tacky romance novels Karen is immersed in.

This book was especially fun for me, being a librarian myself. There were moments I could definitely relate to.

Cute book. I loved having an older main character and she was fun! I even laughed out loud a couple of times. I enjoyed the little twist toward the end as well.

Thank you to RJ Corgan and Netgalley for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I laughed out loud almost right at the start of this story! Karen is your amusing “down on herself” individual who just had her 50th birthday and is a little lost. In some ways, she is very much like a teenager trying to figure herself out. Love, where her life is going, struggling with other people. A midlife rethink at its funniest.

I really enjoyed the parts with her cat. That is what I imagine some cats think and the scene with the fish tank was amusing (I guarantee it’s not what you think lol.)

A cute and enjoyable romance and finding your path story, give it a try and decide for yourself!!

This is a funny book but there is a dark underbelly which will cause the reader to reflect on such themes as loneliness, honesty and change. The characters are brilliant - especially the cat - and it it refreshing to have a protagonist who is at the middle stage of their life.

This was a good read. I liked the overly dramatic MC Karen. By far the best character was Mr Hobbs, her cat. Mr Hobbs had the best perspective and was hilarious. I would definitely read a novella written about him. I also loved how immersed Karen would become in books and how they blended into her life. I enjoyed the way the story came together at the end. Overall, it was a witty, interesting read that I would recommend to others.

CW: death, cheating spouse

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

This is the story of Karen, a middle age woman who is obsessed with trashy romance novels and lives alone with her cat. It seemed a little depressing in the beginning because Karen is a little depressed. I may have given up on it due to that if not for the frequent ridiculous actions of Karen and her humor despite being in a dark place.

As the story goes along there are revelations I wasn't expecting that came much later and it does start pick up pace as it goes along until near the end I had to stay up reading late to finish.

It was perhaps not as light hearted as I would have thought or hoped for based on the title but it definitely had moments of whimsy and it had more heart that I would have expected throughout the first half of the book. It even made me tear up near the end.

On a side note there are a few portions that are narrated by her cat. I enjoyed those portions much more than I should have and I kind of hoped for more from the cat despite this story not being about the cat or the cat's story. Perhaps a spin off entirely narrated by the cat could be hoped for? ;-)

Four stars.

Whisterpoop - definition: (v) a small smack upside the head.

So begins the short novel by R. J. Corgan about a small town librarian named Karen who is basically hiding from life. The story opens on Karen's 50th birthday, a big day for most. Karen celebrates with a lonely turkey dinner, romance novels and box wine. Her twin boys are far away and her husband is "dead".

Monday morning doesn't look any more promising until she runs into an ex-boyfriend and invites him to dinner or Friday. Karen decides to get out of her comfort zone and throw a dance party at the library. She hopes to begin her own romance worthy of a novel. Unfortunately her "dead" husband shows up at her door and brings with him a lot of baggage. Karen has to sort through the issues of her life and find a way to make peace with her past before she can begin to enjoy life. She has been hiding from things for too long.

Less of a rom-com and more of a middle age pulling up your big girl panties and doing the things you don't want to face novel, Whisterpoop was a fun read. I am getting ready to turn 50 and over the past year of Covid had plenty of time to reflect on my character flaws. I think middle age is a time when you can see yourself for who you are and can make peace with it. Karen is ready to enjoy life and be thankful for each day. She finally finds the boy from her past and is ready to grab that golden ring or red thread of fate, whatever you want to call it.
A sweet and poignant story with no overly sweet BS, this story it for adults who want to cut through the angsty drama!

This book was hilarious and I would definitely read it again! I laughed so hard in parts and it was really a great read.