Mom's Perfect Boyfriend ~ Crystal Hemmingway (7/16/19)

What a breath of fresh air it was to settle in and read MOM'S PERFECT BOYFRIEND, the debut by Crystal Hemmingway, especially since I have been a bit burned out by thrillers and darker literary fiction, lately. Thank you to the publisher for sending me a very nice early print copy!

An epistolary tale written entirely in Instant Messages, Text Message, Emails and Journal entries, this book was a lot of fun!

When Crystal loses her boyfriend, her job, and her apartment, she has no choice but to move back in with her mother, Margot, and try to finish her novel (a re-telling of Rapunzel). Finding that her mother's constant hovering is getting in the way of her writing, Crystal signs up for a "Smart Companion" to keep her Mom company from Boople, the organization where her sister, Lisa, works - a thinly disguised Google, natch. What could go wrong, right?

Writing a novel in this format can be challenging, but the author has managed to create very distinct characters, keep the "narrative" pace flowing nicely, and make you want to find out what happens next. There are also some laugh out loud moments that will linger!  I enjoyed this debut, and will look forward to what the author comes up with next.

Happy Reading!