Life post-graduation was supposed to see the launch of paisley-loving Jadyn’s art career, or at least an art gallery showing one of her watercolor paintings. Instead, this Pittsburgh native is locked into a low-paying, buttoned-up consultant position with an impossible boss. When another colleague is dismissed, Jadyn inherits extra workload, including the company’s biggest client. If she loses … him, she’s fired.
Jadyn people-pleases her way through life, resulting in extra work opportunities and a community classroom of art students. But when two guys appear on her doorstep, she just might not be able to people-please her way out of this love triangle. At the end of the day, she can’t please everyone.
Then, because of a small spending problem, Jadyn is evicted from her apartment, and she must move in with her know-it-all sister. Jadyn needs to decide between a job transfer that would place her near her love interest, or a full-time art career with all its risks.
Stretched like canvas between responsibility and dreams, she must choose. Will practicality always win?
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Gotta love some good Chick Lit! Quirky, relatable Jadyn gets a little in over her head trying to balance her life. Who can’t relate to that? it’s more fun reading about it than having to live it. But she perseveres and finds a way to follow her dreams in the end.
This is a fun story with a host of lovable characters that I hope we will meet again in later books. They all deserve their happily ever afters.
I must say this book has a lot going on and details and storylines start getting lost in all the mayhem. The ideas are great, just a lot for one book.
I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. This debut novel is a good start!
I really enjoyed the voice of this book. I felt like I was listening to Barbara TELL a story.
I could definitely see the story playing out in my head. I was walking the streets of Philly, going into the art galleries and working for the marketing company. The story was crafted very well.
You can tell this is the author’s debut in a few places, but it does not take away from her talent for writing a great story.
There were a few characters I was not a fan of at the beginning of the book, that by the end I really enjoyed them. Their characters grew and changed in subtle ways that made them so much more likable.
(I wouldn’t mind having a book about Lana…)
I enjoyed Ethan, though there were a few places he got a touch annoying. But overall he was a sweet and understanding guy.
However with this book, the good comes with some bad.
I really did NOT care for Jaydn. (a bit of a conundrum since she’s the one the story is about)
She seemed very immature and was super disorganized, she was super indecisive and I just really struggled with her.
MY personality is completely different, so I think that was my main problem.
The story seemed so real and realistic that I just wanted to reach into the story and shake her.
She got a bit better as the story neared the end and she got comfortable in her own skin, but it was touch and go there for a while.
I know there are people who will LOVE this book, it just wasn’t my personal favorite flavor of coffee creamer. But I did enjoy the writing style and the way Barbara painted a realistic story, I will stand behind whatever else she publishes!
I rated it a 3/5 stars.
*I received this book from the author**All opinions are my own*
Teal Paisley Tights is a sweet debut novel by Barbara Brutt that deserves to be read, it is a good story. The format could use a little polish, however, despite saying that, the author shows definite promise. I look forward to reading more from Barbara Brutt and watching her grow as an author.
As I consider the story, I wonder if what I perceive as an issue with format to actually be quite deliberate, an interesting way to reflect the it never stops lifestyle so many experience today.
Consider this, Jadyn, having graduated college was eager to prove herself, to make her mark on the art world. In her desire to do so, she quickly falls into a trap many of us, no matter the age, fall into…the inability to simply say no. As Jadyn struggles to move up in the consulting position, she has less and less time to devote time to that which brings her real joy, water-color painting.
Jadyn’s consultant position is exciting and she is good at what she does. Her abilities do not seem faze her very over-demanding supervisor and being her first position out of college, Jadyn silently suffers a good bit of mistreatment along with a continuous workload in order to not rock the boat or worse, get fired.
As she struggles to carry the weight of her consultant position, she soon finds relationships with family members becoming strained, credit cards maxed out, the threat of eviction and exhaustion. Something, somewhere has to give.
Young Jadyn is on a fast spinning merri-go-round, somehow the spin must stop, but what will happen when it does? Will Jadyn be able to pick up the pieces and move forward in a more healthy way? Or will she simply find another merri-go-round?
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Just Read Tours and am not required to provide a positive review. All thoughts and opinions therein are solely my own.
As Jayden struggles desperately in to fit in and to please those around her she is so dissatisfied! She is an artist, a creative soul, stuck in a world of rigid rules and expectations.
Anyone who has struggled with pleasing others and doing the things expected of them will be able to relate to her. Watching her as she gets caught in the spiral of saying what she thinks is expected and almost losing the man she cares about because she doesn’t know how to say no to her friend. . . I felt so bad for Jayden!
I loved how the author used the story of Enoch to help Jayden to begin to look at what it would be like to live in such a way to please God instead of just trying to please people.
As a debut novel, I was glad to see that the story was not predictable and it was well written. It was a good look into the heart of a woman trying to conform to the world around her and hide the things that made her unique. Like her love of wearing teal paisley tights.
Read with a Preview at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book for free. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.