The Year We Turned Forty

Happy Saturday!  It is Hug Your Cat Day!  I would be very careful hugging just any cat.  Make sure the cat you are going to hug likes to get them (or you will end up in the ER).  Cat scratch fever is very unpleasant (yes, I know from experience).  I went to pull up the review I wanted to use today and there was nothing there except one sentence.  The rest of the review is gone.  This is the second time this has happened this week.  It is very frustrating.  Luckily for me, I had another one written and it had not disappeared into thin air!  I had to run some errands today, so I did not have time for rewrites.

The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke is a novel about three women who get a chance to relieve the year they turned forty.  Claire, Jessica, and Gabriella are getting ready to turn fifty and have gone to Vegas to celebrate.  They meet the celebrity magician, Blair Wainright who gives them a wonderful opportunity.   He offers to let the three of them go back exactly ten years and relieve that year again.   The three of them have to agree on the choice (it is all for one and one for all).  At the end of the year they have to decide to stay there or go back to the future (I couldn’t resist).  There are some conditions (of course).  Can they make the right choices this time?  Join Claire, Jessica, and Gabriella on their journey.  Is it possible to change the past to improve your future?

The Year We Turned Forty started out pretty good, but then it started slowing down.  It got bogged down in should I or shouldn’t I thoughts and discussions (they went on for pages).  I found Gabriella to be the most annoying (though it was hard to like any of the characters).  The one thing I liked in the book was the Gilmore Girls reference (have found it in several books recently).  The Year We Turned Forty had an interesting concept. What would you do if you could change your life?  Would you really be able to change it?  Sometimes you can try too hard.  I give The Year We Turned Forty 3 out of 5 stars. It was an adequate book (it could have been more).  I was hoping for something unpredictable or different instead of cliché.  This books reminds me of the movie 13 Going on 30 (similar concept and characters).

You can find Liz Fenton and her books here on Amazon.  I received a complimentary copy of The Year We Turned Forty from NetGalley (and the publisher) in exchange for an honest evaluation of the novel.

I am off to finish up a few things before collapsing on my bed.  I am worn out (my back hurts so bad I cannot even stand to let someone touch it).  I hope everyone had an enjoyable (and fun or relaxing--depending on what you wanted) day!  I am currently reading A Shattering Crime by Jennifer McAndrews. Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader