Last year, Tanner was a star soccer player, a college student, and on the path she’d always dreamed of. But now, here she is in a hotel lobby, fixing a breakfast plate at the complimentary buffet for her elderly charge. She had been tasked with driving the older woman to appointments and looking after her for a week or two, but here they sit, hundreds of miles from home, on an impromptu, middle of the night road trip. When the local news catches her eye on the lobby television, Tanner startles – it’s her face on the screen, labeled missing! The last few days have been a roller coaster for Tanner and Louise, but neither has any idea how insane the end of their lives will become.
Colleen Oakley’s The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is a perfect tale of forgiving yourself for your past mistakes and their consequences. With strong female relationships, romance, and a desire to show that women of all ages have certain basic needs, this book captured my attention from page one. Oakley’s writing is filled with humor and honesty that keeps readers laughing at the witty banter, yet emotionally invested in the characters’ futures.
I give The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise 5 out of 5 stars. I found myself having to stifle giggles while reading this book in bed next to a snoozing spouse! While neither Tanner nor Louise are in my age range, I found myself connected to their stories – the loss, the physical limitations, and the loneliness. At times this book did seem predictable, which can be a detractor for me usually, but it was here only in the best of ways. I also found it interesting to read a book set in the area where I grew up around Atlanta! I recognized several of the locations and groups named in the book!
If you are looking for a great book club read or just for something lighter with plenty of humor, this is a great solution! If you live around Atlanta and are familiar with the local news coverage of the jewel thief grandma, you might also draw similar parallels to the coverage and the person herself. Given the scenes of sexual intercourse and some light discussions of death, this book would be best suited for more mature audiences over 16.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is the pick for the Girlfriend Book Club June discussion. This was my first book by the author and I’ve already ordered a few of her others. The humor and light nature of the dialogue has made her writing some of my favorite read so far this summer!
The live book club discussion will be Tuesday, July 18th at 7:30PM Eastern with Colleen Oakley on the club’s Facebook page – I hope to see you there!
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What I’m Reading
- Current print book: Bright Lights, Big Christmas, Mary Kay Andrews
- Current audio book: Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Book I’m most looking forward to: The Radium Girls, Kate Moore
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