Publishers Weekly
05/09/2016
Scottoline, a prolific and bestselling thriller author, is joined again by her daughter, Serritella (the two write a column for the Philadelphia Inquirer called “Chick Wit”), for this warm and engaging seventh volume in their series. The duo discuss everything: their many pets, Scottoline’s embracing of the empty nest, and Serritella’s Manhattan doorman, who grades her boyfriends. Scottoline, nearing 60, has learned the joys of having time to get together with her best friend and do girls’ nights with her horse club, and of perfecting the art of saying no: “It took me fifty years to figure out what I was doing wrong and how to fix it.” She is liberated now that her life no longer looks like a to-do list. But not all is light-hearted fun, as when Serritella writes about being mugged and assaulted near her home in the summer of 2015. She’s shaken by trauma but also experiences kindness from strangers who come to her aid and locate her glasses, and from the police who stay with her all night and accompany her afterward when she walks her dog. Family is a perennially popular subject, and Scottoline and Serritella bring wisdom and laughs to make sure it never gets boring. Agent: Molly Friedrich, Friedrich Agency. (July)
From the Publisher
Praise for This Series
“We get to be flies on the wall as the mother-daughter team fights, makes up, and hurls barbs just like you and your mom.” –O, The Oprah Magazine (PerfectSummer Must Read)
"Guaranteed laughs: short, sharp musings on life from [this] perennially hilarious mom-daughter duo." -Good Housekeeping
“The perfect present for moms, grandmas, and aunts.” —Cosmopolitan
“Mother and daughter give an entertaining, down–to-earth narration as they reflect on various aspects of their lives.” –AudioFile(Best Book of the Year)
“Readers can count on an ab-toning laugh session, a silly giggle, a sympathetic sigh, and a lump in the throat as life’s moments are rehashed through the keen eyes and wits of this lovable mother-daughter duo.” –Booklist
“More light, bright essays to delight fans of this mother-daughter writing team. This collection offers a gateway to their humorous, breezy style, featuring rapid-fire paragraphs and plenty of sarcasm.” –Kirkus Reviews
“Warm and engaging…Scottoline and Serritella bring wisdom and laughs.” –PublishersWeekly
“Hilarious and heartwarming tales about family, food, life,love, and the beach certain to delight readers of all ages.” –National Examiner
“Relatable…will have you laughing and crying.” –The Parkersburg News and Sentinel (Best Booksof 2016)
Kirkus Reviews
2016-04-19
More light, bright essays to delight fans of this mother-daughter writing team.For those unfamiliar with Scottoline and Serritella's previous books (Does this Beach Make Me Look Fat?, 2015, etc.), this collection offers a gateway to their humorous, breezy style, featuring rapid-fire paragraphs and plenty of sarcasm. Though the book's title and its July publication date point to this little book being seen on beaches across the country, Scottoline explains that though "you might be reading this book in the summertime…it chronicles a whole year in our lives, both the good and bad, beginning with the holidays, both the naughty and the nice." While Scottoline manages her menagerie of pets and her own life in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Serritella explores life in Manhattan. Scottoline explains the book is the seventh in a series, in which "Francesca and I have written about our lives alone and together, as mother and daughter. We're ordinary and normal, and the more you read about us, the more you'll see your own life and your own families reflected herein." The short, snappy entries—few longer than three to four pages, with most paragraphs featuring only one or two sentences—touch on subjects as varied as dating, aging, pets, Manhattan doormen, panic attacks, and the perils of book tours. Throughout, the authors shine a positive (some may say overly positive) light on life's bumps, surprises, and quandaries. Part of the charm of these essays is the way both women use humor to turn negative topics—e.g., receiving occasional hate mail, surviving a mugging and assault, contemplating the thought of dying—into moments of humorous and sensible reflection. A collection to dip into from time to time, sure to please fans. Harried book-club members will appreciate the brevity.
