My Year of Casual Acquaintances by Ruth F Stevens Blog Tour Book Review

WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING TOUR

 

OF

 

My Year of Casual Acquaintances

by Ruth F Stevens 

About the Book:

When Mar Meyer's husband divorces her for another woman, she reacts by abandoning everything in her past: her home, her friends, even her name. Though it's not easy to start over, Mar is young-looking, fit, and ready for new adventures - as long as she can keep things casual.

With each passing month, Mar goes from one acquaintance to the next. Among them: a fellow gym member down on her luck, a flirty hip-hop instructor, a bossy but comical consultant, a kindly older gentleman . . . and Charlie, a handsome best-selling novelist who wants more from Mar than she's able to give. She learns something new from each encounter. But can she change enough to open herself up to happiness and true connection?

Surrounded by an ensemble of quirky, endearing characters, Mar follows a tortuous and unpredictable path as she navigates the first year of her reinvented life. My Year of Casual Acquaintances is packed with laugh-out-loud moments mingled with scenes of loneliness and self-doubt that will put a lump in your throat.

Publisher: Black Rose Writing (September 26, 2024)

ISBN-10: 168513484X

ISBN-13: 978-1685134846

ASIN: B0D43GW5XZ

Print Length: 322 pages

Purchase a copy of My Year of Casual Acquaintances on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. Add to your GoodReads reading list.

My Review:

This is sort of a coming of age story for older women. It was interesting to see how Mar tries various ways to get a new hold on her life, from joining a fitness club to having a one night stand with a recently met man. She fumbles many times, thinking she has established a meaningful relationship when it ultimately goes wrong. Sometimes she does something crazy, yielding a humorous scene. The times Mar really advances in her maturity is when she helps someone in need or works to heal broken relationships.

I did find some of the dialogue in the novel a bit troubling. There is a great deal of swearing and using offensive language (the f word). There is way too much drinking alcohol for me. And there is a sex scene. While not overly graphic, it was still too descriptive for me. I know this novel is true to the way some live life but I was put off by the language and and drinking and sex outside of marriage.

The premise of the book is interesting, a middle aged woman finding her way in relationships after a divorce. Stevens' writing style is good. Just be prepared for potentially offensive language and a sex scene. The end is left open so there will be a sequel.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Ruth F. Stevens likes to create stories that will make readers laugh and cry. A former public relations executive in New York and Los Angeles, she is a produced playwright and author of a previous novel, Stage Seven, which was a featured selection of national online book club and Alzheimer’s awareness organizations. Ruth is a proud member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Dramatists Guild of America and serves as a volunteer and acquisitions editor for AlzAuthors.

Ruth lives in Torrance, California with her husband. In her spare time, she enjoys travel, hiking, hip-hop and fitness classes, yoga, Broadway musicals, wine tasting, leading a book club, and visiting her grandsons in NYC. Visit Ruth at https://ruthfstevens.com and consider signing up for her monthly newsletter to receive publishing updates, book reviews, and special offers.

Website: https://ruthfstevens.com/

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Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ruth-f-stevens

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through WOW Women on Writing. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by WOW Women on Writing.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)