Category: Contemporary

Posted in Contemporary, Young Adult

Dumplin’

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2026/01/15/book-review-dumplin/

Title: Dumplin’


Author: Julie Murphy


Genre: Young adult, Teen, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction


Number of Pages: 371


My Rating: 💋💋💋💋


Book Summary:

WITH STARRY TEXAS NIGHTS, RED CANDY SUCKERS, AND DOLLY PARTON SONGS, DUMPLIN’ IS GUARANTEED TO STEAL YOUR HEART.

Self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson (dubbed “Dumplin'” by her former beauty queen mom) has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked…until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant – along with several other unlikely candidates – to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City – and maybe herself most of all

My Thoughts:

This review is LONG overdue, but I am going to write it anyway.

I really enjoyed the movie for this novel, it is one of my favourites when I want a feel good yet emotional movie. Plus Jennifer Aniston is a gem in this movie along with Danielle MacDonald who plays the main character Willowdean. Just incredible acting on both parts, not to mention the rest of the cast is pretty talented as well. If you haven’t watched it, please give it a chance. I watched it on Netflix in Canada.

Since I adored the movie so much and found out it was based on a novel, well I had to read it! And honestly, completely worth the read. I loved the book because it gave more detail and background on characters that were a bit passed over in the movie, so it was a bit of a puzzle as to what was going on in their lives. And obviously there are some differences between characters in the book and the movie, meaning physical attributes, etc. But honestly, didn’t bother me in the slightest because that tends to happen when a novel gets created into a movie.

It was a great read, Willowdean is as outspoken, charming and conflicted as the movie, you really can’t help but love her and relate to her. It reminded me of a lot of feelings and experiences I had as a teenage. Between friendships, relationships, relationships with your parents and loss, it’s a roller coaster of emotions however I found it an easy read and pretty realistic on how life might be.

The novel was a quick and easy read once I actually was able to sit down and get into it. It was a really lovable and heartfelt novel and the author wrote it beautifully. I do highly recommend it if you want to read some young adult literature and something quick. Then definitely add it to your TBR list.

I know this was short and sweet, but I really don’t want to spoil anything. I do know the author has a second book that is based on some of the characters in this one, but not sure I’ll get to reading that at the moment. I’ve got a few novels on the works at the moment, crazy I know, but there are reasons. I’ll make a quick post about that after this.

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review which will be the novel We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer.

Ciao!

Posted in Contemporary

The Last Laugh

Posted on by Mama

Original post from my Mom blog here – https://mamaonthemove1.wordpress.com/2025/08/25/book-review-the-last-laugh/

Title: The Last Laugh


Author: Lynn Freed


Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Humor


Number of Pages: 188


My Rating: 💋💋


Book Summary:

To escape their grown children, ex-husbands, ex-lovers, and an abundance of grandchildren, three self-proclaimed “old bags” head for a quiet Greek island to find some peace. There they will spend a lovely year on the Aegean, they think – watching the sunset, feasting on grilled fish and fresh olives, sipping ouzo. Peace at last.

Except that it isn’t. For one thing, Bess, a fading heiress, falls swiftly into an affair with a poetry-writing taxi driver – who has, of course, a formidable wife. Dania, a therapist, keeps receiving menacing phone calls from a psychotic patient. And Ruth’s ex-lover shows up unexpectedly, just as she’s taken up with Bess’s ex-lover. When the children and grandchildren start showing up, the serene year devolves quickly into something much more uproarious.


My Thoughts:

When I initially purchased this book and read the “blurb” or description of the novel, it sounded intriguing. Three older women running off to Greece for a year to essentially escape their every day. Something I dream of doing in my elderly years, though I will be taking my husband with me in my dreams.

However, it was…..bitter with very few speckles of actual humor sprinkled in. It was definitely a dryer, darker humor, which I tend to enjoy. But really there is no saving grace for how unpleasant and self-centered these women are.

Bess, Ruthi and Dania all disliked their children in one way or another, they all discussed failed relationships or ex-lovers and just ultimately seemed miserable. Their children were no better to be honest – rude, blunt, spoiled and bratty. That’s the best way to describe them, but children learn from example. In fiction and in reality, just sayin’!

Also the response to the “climactic” event was extremely lack-luster and non-nonchalant from all of them. And the outcome was not realistic in my humble opinion.

I didn’t particularly enjoy the writing style either. I felt like you were always kind of caught in the middle of the next conversation. It was annoying in a way.

What I thought would be a sweet story about older women enjoying a year in Greece with incredible food, romance and fun adventures – really wasn’t that at all. I breezed through the book and finished it- surprisingly, but I wouldn’t recommend. Which is sad because I really had high hopes for this.

Onto the next!

Now I know I had mentioned A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, but I am going to put that on hold for a brief moment. Only because it’s spooky season and I’m more inclined to read horror and seasonal romances during this time.

For my first novel I’ve chosen The Haunting by Natasha Preston. I’ve read The Island by Natasha and I enjoyed it, so I’m looking forward to this one. Not going to lie, I’ve already started it and liking it. Think cheesy teen slasher.

Hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for the next review.

Ciao!