Free Gift With Purchase by Jackie Pilossoph – 249 pages
ARC courtesy of the author
Book Blurb:
Emma and Laura are about as different as two sisters can be. Emma’s always been the party girl, Laura, the hardworking doctor. But now, the two have something in common. Both are newly single and trying out the dating scene after marriage. Emma’s a widow and a single mother with a guilty secret she can’t let go. Laura’s husband just dumped her for one of four women he’s been sleeping with. A dispute over the house forces Laura to move in with her sister and that’s when the fun begins. Go on some dates with these 42 and 44 year-old adorable sisters who are both looking for love and your jaw will surely drop! Laura’s mixed bag includes Dan, a selfish womanizer, Ari, a stalker, and Tim, a compulsive liar. For Emma there’s gorgeous, sexy Preston, a self-proclaiming “fun guy,” beautiful Alice, who’s a lesbian, and a string of Matts who go from bad to worse. Then there’s separated, charismatic, wealthy Luke Sullivan. Luke’s carrying some baggage, but he makes Emma’s heart stop every time he appears. Free Gift With Purchase is a book about two sisters who have always seen things from an entirely different perspective, but who as women in need of each other learn to consider that instead of judging, looking through each other’s eyes might make their lives a lot richer. In other words, when you buy into opening your heart and believing in yourself, you might just end up with a Free Gift With Purchase.
My Review: No rating*
This book is a light, easy vacation read and was an absolute 180 from what I usually read. I received it as an ARC from the author and as with any local author, I always do my best to read and review. This book read like a series of comedic sitcoms in my head. There were some laugh out loud moments and made me think of my friends that re-enter the dating scene in their forties. Pilossoph seemed to get almost every type of dating scenario into this short book. For me, it was a few too many to fully flesh out.
The generational connection and circumstances between the sisters and their mother made for a good storyline. The young daughter felt older than her age, but still added balance as to what’s really important in life. I think the main character’s therapeutic salsa making was a good addition to the story and I thank the author for sharing the recipes. Selling the salsa business so quickly, coupled with the large monetary windfall was somewhat farfetched, but isn’t that exactly why we read fiction?
From reading this book, I learned that although it’s extremely tough out there, it is possible for single women and men to find real, true love again. Good inspirational message to spread.
I’d recommend this book to those looking for effortless and amusing chick lit or women’s fiction. Bring it to the beach!
Quotes I liked:
Survivor’s guilt. It was truly exhausting sometimes.”
– “Things happen. How we deal with them is how we find out what we’re made of.”
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