Book Review: Mona at Sea, by Elizabeth Gonzalez James

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Two weeks after the party, I’m back at Job Seekers and for some reason, one corner of the church annex is taken over with Christmas decorations: paper candy canes, a spindly fake tree with sagging strings of white lights, an enormous banner that commands, ‘Keep CHRIST in Christmas!’

This is my last day at Job Seekers, and it does feel a little like Christmas, the end of one thing and maybe the beginning of something better. I’ve come to say goodbye and wish everyone well and I’m surprised that I’m feeling nostalgic. I might actually miss Paulette’s relentless enthusiasm, Randy’s folksy cheer, even Chasen’s tongue ring, which I can hear rapping the back of his teeth as I take the seat next to him. Maybe not the tongue ring. But I’ll miss the camaraderie of shared experience, everyone down in the dirt, our little company knit together by the insanity of performing the same action over and over, each time praying for a different outcome.

Mona may not have started out on her best foot, but after doing everything she was supposed to, she doesn’t understand why nothing is going her way.

Official synopsis:

Mona Mireles is a quintessential overachiever: a former spelling bee champion and valedictorian of her college class, she has a sterling résumé and a wall of plaques and medals in her bedroom that stretches floor to ceiling.

 

She's also broke, unemployed, back at home with her parents, and completely adrift in life and love.

 

Mona is seven months out of college and desperately trying to reassemble the pieces of her life after the Wall Street job she had waiting for her post-graduation dissolves in the wake of the Great Recession. When her reaction to losing her job goes viral and she is publicly branded the "Sad Millennial," Mona begins a downward spiral into self-pity, bitterness, and late-night drunken binges on cat videos. Mona's the sort who says exactly the right thing at absolutely the wrong moments, seeing the world through a cynic's eyes.

 

Set in suburban Tucson amid the financial and social malaise of the early 2000s, 23-year-old Mona must not only find a job, but quickly learn to navigate the complexities of adult relationships within the black hole of her parents' shattering marriage.

 

At her mother's urging, Mona grudgingly joins a support group for job seekers, and slowly begins to see that all is not lost, and that perhaps losing the job on Wall Street was a blessing in disguise. She might even learn what it is she finds meaningful in life. The question is:

 

Will she be brave enough to go after it? 

First of all it has to be said: the book was enjoyable, but should have had a cutting warning. The main character’s self-harm was a major feature of the book, but no notices were seen before reading.

With that said, Mona grew more likable as the story went on. As a lifelong overachiever, Mona was not surprised by her invitation to go to Wall Street and join a prestigious firm right out of college. When this opportunity collapsed after she arrived in New York, however, the resulting video gave Mona instant social media recognition, but not in a good way. She was now the "sad millennial."

After excelling through public school and college, she doesn’t expect to have to compromise. She earned her spot as a golden child, right? But eventually life kicks her around enough to point out that she may need to do whatever it takes to have a life that keeps moving forward. 

While the story was pretty down in the beginning, by the end it had earned four out of five stars. The book was a front seat journey to Mona learning some important lessons and coming of age as an adult with a financial degree in a struggling economy. It would be enjoyed by those who like coming of age stories, especially with a fun, millennial twist.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link - currently FREE for Kindle Unlimited!}

Becki Bayley tries to do the right thing. She is a wife and mother to two amazing kids. In her spare time, she enjoys working overtime for extra income, reading, and building LEGO. Check out details on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY: Who Am I to Judge, by Emily Hanlon {ends 3/28}

Guest review by: Becki Bayley

Martha sat behind her desk in the St. Vincent De Paul office, waiting for Fr. Seamus. Marya has asked Martha to arrange this meeting, commenting that she would have asked Fr. Seamus herself, but people often did not listen to what she was saying. Martha smiled. Marya has repeated her request twice because Martha had not been paying attention the first time. Martha surprised herself by agreeing to the request with no hesitation. She supposed she was just curious about what Marya had in mind about the murder. Was it possible the dotty old lady was on to something? Could Fr. Jim be innocent?

Martha is one to mind her own business, as her life in Pequot Bays is much different than her childhood there. She and her dog Quincy are content to oversee the church fundraiser, drive Uber to make ends meet, and usually avoid "the purple pest," Marya.

Official synopsis:

When a priest confesses to the murder of a parishioner, everyone in the wealthy waterfront town of Pequot Bays is convinced of his guilt-everyone, that is, except Marya Cook, a Bible-quoting, lavender-clad octogenarian known to locals as the Purple Pest.

Unable to prove his innocence on her own, she draws in Martha Collins, a much younger, efficient, ever-busy church lady, to assist in her investigations. Although Martha is unwilling to associate herself with the odd old woman as she accuses wealthy and influential suspects of murder, Marya's peculiar logic persuades her that this ditzy old woman may not be so ditzy after all.

A victim with plenty of enemies, a corrupt ambitious cop, a conflicting confession by a fellow priest, and the death of a prime suspect make the path to truth a crooked one. The rich and powerful suspects scoff at poor, dithering Marya. Can she, in the end, unveil their many secrets and prove there is more to a person than meets the eye?

While Martha and Marya don’t start out on the same page regarding the murder at Martha’s family-vacation-home-turned-Airbnb, Marya has very subtle ways of leading Martha to consider different possibilities. The woman dressed in glaring purple is always talking, and eventually the important ideas come through.

Most of the book was set on solving the murder in spite of a false confession, but a great concurrent event was reading of Martha denying a "friendship" has evolved with Marya, out of habit. Their relationship was definitely not something Martha initially wanted - will she eventually have the integrity to admit to herself, and defend to others, that Marya is not just "the purple pest?"

This book was initially a category choice for a "blind date with a book," and it was a delightful surprise. The story and endearing old church-lady characters earned 3 out of 5 stars, and will doubtlessly lead into other charming mysteries in the series. Any reader who appreciates cozy mysteries and doesn’t mind a few wildly appropriate scriptural quotes thrown in will enjoy the books in "A Martha and Marya Mystery" series.

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a wife and mother who enjoys reading and hanging out with her adult-sized kids. See what they’re up to on Instagram, where she posts as SweetlyBSquared.

GIVEAWAY:

One of my lucky readers will win a copy of Who Am I to Judge, mailed to you by the author!

Enter via the widget below. The giveaway will end on Saturday, March 28th, at 11:59pm EST, and the winner will be emailed the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, otherwise an alternate winner will be chosen.

U.S. residents only, please.

Good luck!

Who Am I to Judge, by Emily Hanlon

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