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SPOTLIGHT REVIEW
From the publisher:
The author of Nine Women, One Dress delivers a charming, unforgettable novel about four women, one little lie, and the big repercussions that unite them all.
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. When Eliza Hunt created The Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival parenting forum threatens the site’s existence, she doesn’t think twice before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit.
It doesn’t take long before that spark becomes a flame.
Across town, new mom and site devotee Olivia York is thrown into a tailspin by what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is making cyber friends with a woman who isn’t quite who she says she is. And Amanda Cole, Eliza’s childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing why Eliza can’t step out of her front door.
In all this chaos, one thing is for sure…Hudson Valley will never be the same.
Funny, romantic, raw, and hopeful, this is a story about being a woman and of the healing power of sisterhood.
Nine Women, One Dress was one of my favorite books back in 2016, so I’ve been waiting a long time for a new one. I am happy to say it was worth the wait.
This story is told via the four women, and I admit I had a bit of trouble remembering who was who for a while. But eventually it all clicked and the rest of the book just flew by.
I really liked the characters. Two of the women are older, with almost grown children, and two of them are young, with new babies. They all become friends when Eliza starts a rumor on her bulletin board about what she sees next door, plus a healthy dash of imagination. Eliza is afraid her bulletin board isn’t relevant anymore when she learns about a newer, hipper bulletin board targeting pretty much the same audience, the women of this NY suburb. When the rumor goes viral, she is satisfied until she learns about the havoc she’s created.
There are cases of mistaken identity which add to the fun (and occasional confusion!) but the story moves fast as things progress. Eliza suffers from agoraphobia (and let me tell you, I can relate right now!) and has been hiding it from her family with the help of her best friend, Mandy. They grew up together but Mandy has been living in California with her famous producer husband until he becomes part of the #metoo movement. She takes the kids and moves back east, just in time to rekindle the dormant relationship between the friends.
I couldn’t help but root for all the characters, and there was even a touch of romance which I very much enjoyed. Rosen really knows how to write a charming story, but still manages to touch on some important topics. This is another terrific read from an author I wish would write faster!
6/2020 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch
ELIZA STARTS A RUMOR by Jane L. Rosen. Berkley (June 23, 2020). ISBN 978-0593102084.
320 pages.
