One Stupid Thing by Stewart Lewis-a review

One Stupid Thing by Stewart Lewis-a review

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date March 16, 2021

One Stupid Thing follows four teens as they navigate the mystery surrounding a tragic, deadly accident that leaves them wondering: who is really to blame?

It was just one stupid thing that happened…

Summer on Nantucket island. Three high school friends drinking warm beer on a rooftop. Everything is cool, until a seemingly innocent game takes a sinister turn, and the course of their lives are changed forever.

For a year, they keep it a secret, until the following summer when they meet a mysterious girl with her own dark past who may have the answers they are looking for.

A story about friendship, mistakes, and the quest for redemption, One Stupid Thing follows Jamie, Sophia, Trevor and Violet as they contend with the consequences of their choices, navigate the drama in their individual lives and try to uncover what really happened on that fateful night.

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REVIEW:ONE STUPID THING by Stewart Lewis is a young adult story of suspense following three high school friends in the aftermath of an accident that killed a local man.

Told from four first person perspectives (Jamie, Trevor, Sophia and Violet) ONE STUPID THING focuses on the events leading up to and after the car accident of which Jamie, Trevor and Sophia blame upon themselves. A late night party, a little bit of drinking, and a teenaged prank leads our trio to believe they have caused the death of a local man but one year would pass, everyone would lose contact, and very little is reported or known about the accident, including the name of the crash victim. Upon his return to Nantucket, Trevor would be befriended by Violet, the step-daughter of a local businessman, and a young woman who reveals a little more about that night one year earlier. What ensues is the hunt for the truth, and the possibility that there was something more sinister behind the death of Brendan Daly.

ONE STUPID THING is a coming of age story about four young adults who face the loss of friendship, drifting apart with the reality of what happened and why. Hoping to uncover the truth with the help of Violet, Jamie, Trevor and Sophia begin to unravel the secrets of Nantucket Island, and the truth behind the death of an innocent man.

The premise is intriguing and interesting but there is more telling than showing, and in this there is limited emotional attachment. The details are narrow and bounded as the story line does not go into any depth of events, and the character’s actions are almost apathetic and impersonal. Sadly, I felt disconnected from the story line premise.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Happily Whatever After by Stewart Lewis-a review

Happily Whatever After by Stewart Lewis-a review

 

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au / B&N paper / Chapters Indigo paper /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 28, 2020

A dark comedy about putting yourself in unexpected places, reaching for your dreams, and believing in second chances.

Thirtysomething Page was content with her life in New York City—until it went to the dogs. Unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend of four years and fired from her art gallery job in the same week, she flees to Washington, DC, and moves in with her big brother. She hopes the new setting and familial comfort will help her finally find her bearings. What Page finds instead is an unlikely refuge: a park for the neighborhood’s poshest pooches, and a quirky pack of companionable dog-run regulars who become fast friends.

Both four-legged and two-, these new allies offer Page a world of possibilities. The woman who hit rock bottom now has dreams: of having her own business, getting her own place, and even wilder ones about the ruggedly handsome owner of a vineyard and two equally fetching Bernese mountain dogs.

Unleashed from all that once held her back, Page finds everything might be falling into place. But just when she thinks her life is headed in the right direction, the road takes a sharp turn to show her just how unpredictable second chances can be. Will Page get her happily ever after? Is there even such a thing?

Witty, smartly funny, and modernly romantic, Happily Whatever After shows us all that sometimes imperfect can still be good enough.

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REVIEW:HAPPILY WHATEVER AFTER by Stewart Lewis is a contemporary, adult story line following thirty-something Page, a former New York art gallery manager who finds herself in Washington DC, living with her successful, restaurateur brother Brady, whose own life is about to spiral out of control.

Told from first person perspective (Page) HAPPILY WHATEVER AFTER follows Page as she endeavours to move on with her life. Newly single and recently unemployed, Page moves to Washington DC , to live with her brother as she struggles to make sense of her life. Daily visits to the local dog park (sans dog) finds Page befriending an eclectic group of dog owners, many of whom will become part of our protagonists inner circle. From dog walker to gallery owner, Page watches from the sidelines believing life is passing her by but Page begins to focus on the what ifs, and sets out to reestablish herself in the world of art.

HAPPILY WHATEVER AFTER is a cute story with a little bit of humor, tragedy, heart break and love. Page’s eccentric friends would be better suited to the New York lifestyle but Stewart Lewis’ Washington DC is representative of the diverse and passionate world of friendships and relationships brought together by the four-legged animals everybody loves.

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy

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