This was a fun read ( )

Author: Judith Keim
Publisher: Lake Union publishing
Source: NetGalley

TL:DR Review: Suki's husband leaves her for the Pilates Instructor (and later regrets it). Dumped by all her "married couple" friends, she's invited to join a Friday lunch group of women who all have some problem holding them back from complete happiness. She eventually falls for her new neighbor (and his adorable daughter) and gets her life back on track.

Verdict: Definitely chick-lit: light, fluffy, perfectly innocuous.

Fat Fridays is a story with a long and winding road downward. It starts off pretty good: Suki walks in on her husband Ted screwing her Pilates instructor, Emmy Lou (really? Emmy Lou? I know we're in the South, but I don't know a single person named Emmy Lou and I live in Georgia. This story is based in Georgia.). I was impressed; that scene ended with Suki in the back of a police cruiser. I was rooting for her at that point.

Unfortunately, that was the last high I remember.

Since Emmy Lou took it upon herself to spread a "sanitized" version of events around town, all Suki's "married couple" friends disappear just when she needs friends most. Her neighbor Betsy invites her to join the women of Fat Fridays: Betsy the ringleader; Carol Ann, who desperately wants to be loved; Tiffany, who is married to a rich guy with overly controlling parents; and Lynn, who clearly has a deep dark secret she won't share. Over Friday lunches around town, they become a tight little clique. Meanwhile, Suki takes a part-time job at the local library, where she has the support of her boss and the hostility of one of the board members.

Just when Suki's ready to give up dating, love, and marriage forever, in walks Cameron Taylor, computer consultant, single-father, and ten years younger than Suki. I like that the book demonstrated the confusion endemic in modern dating, where a phrase or word meant to discourage nosy neighbors and friends from digging into your personal life too deeply can set the stage for total confusion. Suki and Cam has a lot of those moments, but eventually make it through. Suki's children are uncomfortable with their mom becoming a cougar (!), but they come around. After all, what's the difference in Dad doing it and Mom doing it?

This book has a sequel, Sassy Saturdays, which I've also read (click here for the review). Since there are five main characters, I expect at least two more sequels.

So, why didn't I rate this higher? Well, it's not a self-contained story. There are five characters and we cycle through all their minds at once. It's hard to care deeply about Suki when I'm also thinking about Carol Ann's problems and Tiffany's problems, ad nauseam. Second, we wrapped up Suki's problems with Ted wayyyy too neatly. Suki walked in on her husband with his mistress. She was arrested and ostracized. By the end, everything is tied up neatly with a bow. Really? Everyone else's problems stretched into the second book, but not Suki's? Third, I'd forgotten most of the details of Suki's story within an hour of finishing it. I was too busy being concerned for Tiffany and annoyed with Carol Ann.

Overall Opinion: Light, fluffy, perfect for when I need to pass time.

Would I read it again? If waiting in a doctor's office, sure.

Would I buy it for someone? Probably not.

[amazon_link asins='B01FF8HYYQ,1503940675' template='ProductGrid' store='bookaislewalk-20' marketplace='US' link_id='9b888bd2-d9d4-11e6-9db1-85fe4f12e5fb'] ( )

Fat Fridays by Judith Keim
Book #1: Fat Fridays Group Series
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 4/5 stars
My Review:

Fat Fridays sure are a good idea and Sukie Skidmore has never been more grateful for a group of women. Each Friday for one hour, the women gather for lunch, discuss their lives, solutions to their problems, and how best to support one another. Best of all, none of the consumed calories count! As this is a character-driven read, the easiest way to break down the book is by, well, the characters.

Sukie: Sukie is by far my favorite of the Fat Fridays women. When she meets the Fat Fridays ladies, Sukie is going through a terrible time in her personal life and desperately needs the happiness, sympathy, kindness, and support she finds among her friends. Thanks to her friends, Sukie is able to dig deep and find a wellspring of personal strength she never knew she had. Her life may be a mess, but Sukie has a lot to offer and with the help of her friends, she’s willing to do so.

Betsy: Betsy is the matriarch of the group and the one responsible for bringing everyone together. Everyone assumes the sadness always present in Betsy’s demeanor has to do with the death of her husband and her current life as a widow. The truth of the situation, which Betsy struggles with daily, is far from the assumption and something Betsy is sure will cost her everything and everyone she loves.

Tiffany: Behind Sukie, Tiffany is my favorite character in this read and proof that you certainly can’t ever judge a book by its cover. On the surface, Tiffany’s life is absolutely perfect. She has a beautiful home, a brand-new car, the best labels and brands on all her clothes, and a husband who is to-die-for dreamy. That’s what’s on the surface. Underneath the façade, Tiffany lives in misery. Her husband is controlling and abusive and her in-laws are concerned with nothing but their image and see nothing wrong with how their son keeps his wife in line. In fact, they encourage the abuse. Yeah, they’re a whole new level of awful.

Lynn: Lynn is the quiet member of the group, and as my granny always used to say, “It’s the quiet ones you need to worry about.” And worry about her, the group does. Little by little, Lynn opens up to the group and the story she has to share has the entire group frightened for her safety and for theirs. Lynn’s past is dangerous and in the past six years, she has lived her life on the run. Just when she is on the verge of running again, her Fat Fridays friends convince her to finally take a stand and take back the life she so desperately wants. Before all is said and done, all of the Fat Fridays women are going to face danger unlike anything they’ve ever experienced.

Carol Ann: By far, my least favorite character and the primary reason I don’t feel comfortable rating this book above four stars. Carol Ann is completely and utterly ridiculous. All she wants out of life is a man to take care of her, buy her pretty things, and be panty-dropping gorgeous. Despite what she knows about Tiffany’s situation, Carol Ann is still jealous and often lashes out at Tiffany about her “luck” and “good fortune.” Every time Carol Ann opens her mouth, ignorance just rolls on out and I found myself having absolutely no sympathy for her or her personal situation. Carol Ann comes off as petty, juvenile, stupid, and a detriment to the overall group and read.

The Bottom Line: With the exception of Carol Ann, Fat Fridays is a very good read that is all about the kindness, respect, support, and friendship that can be found among a group. Each of the five women brings something unique to the group which keeps the book from being tedious. Seriously, who wants to read about five women who are all exactly the same?  Each woman in the group has a particular situation that varies in its degree of awful and I am so glad the author didn’t try and tie up each situation all in this single read as it would have been a disservice to the individuality of each woman. With that being said, there is some resolution in this read and I think most readers will be as satisfied with the ending as I was. On to book two, Sassy Saturdays. ( )