Yikes! Walking in on my husband getting it on with his secretary was definitely not on my agenda for the day. I’m having the suckiest day – ever. First, my father, aka Mr. Grumpy Pants, calls to say his nurse just walked out on him. Likely story. I rush home to pack, only to walk in on my husband having sex with his secretary. Gross. I can’t get out of there quick enough. I’ve got a plane to … plane to catch and a dad’s problems to fix. Dad’s problems are an easy fix. NOT. Thank my lucky stars I’ve got Danny, the neighbor boy I’ve had a crush on since I was a dorky, braces-wearing, nose-buried-in-a-book teenager, and a brand-spanking new blog to keep my mind off things. Before I know it, I’m writing product reviews of vibrators and getting questioned by a store rent-a-cop after the world’s worst date. All while trying to figure out how to take things with Danny to the next level. Not to complicate things or anything, but my boss decides to give me an ultimatum—come back in four weeks or don’t come back at all.
Choices. Choices. Choices. A scary new career that may cause me to fall flat on my face or return to my established position? And where does Danny stand in all of this?
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Molly’s having a bad day. She gets a call from her father in Florida telling her his nurse just up and left. But that’s nothing compared to walking in her front door to find her husband buck naked and screwing his skanky secretary. I love that word, skanky.
“It’s not what it looks like,” hubby wails.
Yeah, likely story. * rolls eyes *
Great beginning to a romantic comedy.
Molly flies down to Florida to a spend only a few days with her father but things get complicated real quick. Her dad is a horrific patient, and Molly’s running out of options.
But things perk up when she sees her high school crush (next door neighbor) Danny. Molly and Danny reacquaint themselves and sparks fly. He challenges her to start writing and before she can say no, her girlfriend starts a blog (on her behalf). Things move quickly and Molly must decide if she can put on her big girl panties and take the leap (in both love and life) or will she be too scared?
This romantic comedy is hysterical from start to finish and there were so many times when I was rooting for Molly. Go for it! Take the plunge! Kiss him, already! To say that I became immersed in the story is an understatement.
I loved everything about Molly, from her insecurities to putting on her “big girl panties” to going on a lot of first dates to the ladies in her blog class. She’s the real deal and her inner dialogue made me laugh out loud.
Danny is a sweet, funny, down-to-earth guy for Molly and sparks fly between the two. I swooned, laughed, sighed happily and loved where he took her for their first date.
While this is a fun, flirty romantic comedy, D. E. Haggerty deals with some very real issues (infidelity, divorce, taking care of an elderly parent, career change, taking on your life-long dream, single parent, love, etc.). She balances the serious issues many of my generation faces with humor, wacky situations and grace.
Don’t hesitate: buy and read this book. Who knows, it may inspire you to chase after your dreams!
Favorite Character:
Molly. I loved her as a character because she is so much fun! She was a delight to read and was honest to a fault. She told it like it was and there was an immediate connection between myself and Molly. I could relate to her on so many levels and I wish she was one of my friends.
Favorite Quote:
“All I know is that every man in the universe, even a hot millionaire who happens to be a good guy as well, pales in comparison with Danny. Oh boy, I’m in trouble.” ~ Molly
My Rating: 5+ stars
Molly is on the fast track to success and if she has given up on her childhood dreams she has a nice home, a great job in New York City and solid marriage or so she thought until she came home in the middle of the day to find her husband and his secretary. Needing to fly home to Wisconsin to help her ill father, she finds that she needs to re-evaluate her life. She suddenly realizes that her dreams may not be something she has moved on from and if that isn’t enough. She finds out the boy next door that she spent her childhood crushing on is once again living next door and is still completely crushable.
I use the word fun a lot on this blog, but rarely does a book personify a term as completely as this one. Hilarious, Humorous, and Witty also leap to mind. Told in first person and as series of quirky Facebook updates and witty blog posts, this story had me laughing quite literally until I cried. In going back home, her goal is to get her dad situated with a home nurse and get back to her life as soon as possible and move on from her suddenly disastrous marriage. Her plan is complicated by the fact that her obnoxious dad has a reputation with home health care services and hiring a private nurse is not as easy as it would seem. It is complicated further by a pushy, but well meaning, best friend who has decided that the best thing for a broken heart is to get right back in the saddle, as she sets Molly on course that leads to several hilarious dating fiascoes. She also sets Molly up with a blog and a blogging class as she sees an opportunity to convince Molly that what she really wants is what she has always wanted, to be a writer. Muddying up the waters more, is the really hot guy next door and his adorable daughter, who seem to really want to be a part of her life. As Molly reels from one hilarious disaster to the next, she finds that her life may not be what she thought it was and that she has options she never dreamed of.
The characters and relationships in this story are incredible. From the ease at which Molly reconnects with the boy next door to dealing with the strained relationship with her mother, the characters jump off the page and become real to the reader. Everyone knows or should know an irascible group of ‘mature’ ladies like Molly’s blogging class. Everyone has or needs a best friend like Dianne, a polar opposite who still has your back after all the years years. Every girl wants the boy next door.
Molly’s story is a how to on how to meet life’s “little” challenges head on with laughter and introspection. Also if you want to start a blog this is a great place to get advice.
I’m a new fan to the Haggerty universe so I’m starting to gobble up her work. This book was interesting. I really liked Molly’s character as well as her neighbor Danny but I didn’t really respect either of them. I will explain that in a second. Before I get to the cons of the story and the reason I took off a star I will say that this was an adult themed romance book but not for “mature” readers. Well, there was one explicit scene in the entire book. If you can kinda get past that and some raunchy language then I think you’re type of book I’m fine with. It doesn’t matter to me, I just know that some readers will cry and complain if it isn’t totally vanilla for them . But hey, everyone has what they like right? I say that’s the fault of the reader for not doing your research before hand and then I see lots of bad 1 star reviews on superb books. Okay, with that out of the way let’s get into the cons, this is also a minor spoiler. She starts a blog and she’s dating men twice a week and Danny is okay with this… (stupid on his part) and then she gets mad and disappointed and starts doubting their relationship when he doesn’t claim her as his girlfriend…. HELLO? you’re dating other men at the rate of two per week! There’s no way in hell you are my girlfriend! We’re not committed! Think about that! I have a huge problem with that. There’s no way I could sit back and be okay with this. I’d have to be upfront and express myself. That’s me though. That being said besides the dad being a piece of trash that’s unredeemable I’m glad we didn’t see him much because if we did I would have probably dropped the book. That man was toxic and vile. Other than that I loved the book very much, Dianne was kinda pushy but had her friends best interest at heart but she went at things the wrong way. I am looking forward to her book. I know it seems I had a lot of negative things to say about this book but there’s so many good things about this book. The bonds and relationships built. Haggerty is really good at showing bonds. The older women in the blogging class, I loved them, Jenny was such a sweetheart. My heart ached for that little angel. Her mother was evil and I wanted to hug her. She was aching for attention and for a mom that I would just smile every time she would spend time with Molly and they would always have such a good time together. Haggerty has a funny sense of humor and the dates Molly went on I found myself laughing at her bad luck, I also found myself wondering what of Blake? Molly and Danny when they were focused on one another they had such chemistry that I was saying to myself the whole book just get together already you guys are made for each other! I couldn’t stop smiling! They had so many sweet and tender moments. Also for those that have read Haggerty’s other books Danny reminds me of Rhyker with his Babe comments lol. I guess the dad grunting is a mix of Rhyker as well . I don’t like sharing and I don’t like disrespect. Yes, she had “permission “ but she was also being unreasonable in her thoughts, coupled with my other issues is why I took the star off. This book though was very pleasurable to read and I’m glad that I did. This gives this book 4 stars .
You’ll love Jenny’s new best friend!
If you’re feeling low and want to read something that makes you laugh out loud and forget your troubles for the moment, try reading about poor Molly’s Misadventures. This is a hilarious yet sweet romantic comedy that you must read.
The Opening
Talk about an action-packed opening. Molly’s misadventures begin immediately in the first chapter, and her situation is quickly established. This is a very immersive story.
The Characters
I cannot believe how much I identified with Molly. Her thoughts about boarding an airplane in the opening chapter mirror my own exactly, and then she goes on to set up a blog, which is an experience I share.
She is quickly established as a sympathetic character because of what happened to her immediately prior to the beginning of this novel. Her interaction with Jenny shows her childish side (and competitive nature) which only serves to make her more likable.
Danny is the typical hot boy next door found in the trope. His football team coaching and relationship with his daughter both show how nice and also how cool he is. As a reader, I rooted for him more than I rooted for Molly. It seemed he had no doubts about what he wanted. Molly was the one with issues.
Jenny was my favorite character. I loved her interaction with Molly and the way Jenny was used as a plot device to draw the two main characters closer together.
The Plot
Somehow, this action-packed comedy romance manages to fit into three tropes at the same time. It’s a second-chance romance, a boy-next-door romance, and a single-parent romance all rolled into one.
The conflicts are mainly internal on Molly’s part. This was necessary since Molly has only just got out of her marriage and is still legally married to her ex throughout this story. Said conflicts are handled well and the final resolution is very satisfying.
The Setting
The setting was better described than in D.E. Haggerty’s other books. The two houses and their basements were both shown in great detail as the story progressed. The only place that could have done with a little more detail was the venue for the blog classes. Despite this, I was never confused about where we were or what was happening.
The Prose
D.E. Haggerty has an excellent author’s voice, and her first-person narration is always witty and engaging. She shows rather than telling her stories, so the reader is swiftly immersed in an excellent story.
I love the “Facebook status updates” at the beginning of each chapter. And I especially love that unicorns and rainbows were mentioned no less than three times in this novel. I do love unicorns!
However, this novel was not as well edited as her other stories, so she may have used a different editor. I found multiple typos. For example:
In retrospect, giving a 9-year a Bedazzler kit and telling her to have it wasn’t… – this may be my British English, but I would say, have at it.
It’ll just languish in my attack when I return to New York. – I think this was supposed to be the attic.
He moved the woman he’s having an affair with into your house while your home dealing with… – you’re
My Opinion
Molly’s Misadventures is an excellent sweet comedy romance. I enjoyed reading it immensely and would recommend it to anybody. I don’t hesitate to rate it 10 out of 10, which translates to 5 out of 5 on Goodreads and Amazon. I’m pleased that I chose to buy this book.
Because I have a serious one click problem on the Amazon I buy a lot of books because they are Authors I’ve been following for years or the blurb on Facebook sounded to good to pass up. This is one of those that the Facebook blurb was to good to pass up. So glad I picked this one up. Couldn’t put it down. Danny and Molly were neighbors growing up him the football guy and her the book nerd. Molly has an amazing job in NYC working for her best friend. She gets a call that she needs to go to Wisconsin to care for her sick father. Chaos and laughter are present in Molly’s life and blog posts for sure. A definite must read.
Favorite Quotes:
I used the word ‘run’, but really it’s more like a slow jog. Seriously, small children overtake me all the time.
‘Well, I’m Mildred,’ says the last of the ladies. ‘I want to start a book blog so I can write about the erotic romances I read without my grandchildren having a conniption fit… I’m old, not dead.’
‘Spammers – you do know what spammers are?’ He looks at the front row in question. They all nod in response. ‘Yes, those emails that ask me if I want a penis enlargement.’ Mildred shouts before turning to the other ladies. ‘I need to find a man who remembers what to do with his penis, not get an enlargement,’
‘I get emails telling me they’ve found several female dating matches for me in the area. Do they know something about me I don’t know? I mean, I’ve always been curious, but that’s as far as it’s gone,’ Ruth remarks and I nearly swallow my tongue trying not to laugh.
Be mine. Be mine until I’m old and gray. Be my lungs when I can no longer breathe. Be my eyes when I can no longer see. Be my ears when I can no longer hear. Be my heart. Always.
My Review:
I was delightfully entertained and maintained a near constant smirk while reading this book. Molly’s Misadventures was a fun, relevant, and humorous read that was well crafted, highly enjoyable, and exactly what I needed. Written from the point of view of a 30 something woman who turns to blogging while in the process of rediscovering herself – and her old high school crush – when she was forced to return to her childhood home to care for her curmudgeon of a father. As an added wrinkle, when rushing home to pack, she finds her husband entertaining his secretary – with his pants at his ankles. I could not put my kindle down. I adored the snarky humor, inner musings, and keenly observant revelations. Although, I wonder – being a cougarish and platinum tressed book blogger – should I be a bit piqued that she depicted the rest of her blogger class to be populated by “gray and white-headed” ladies? Hmm, I have decided to let that pass, as I am totally enamored by this talented author and plan to follow her career – even if I eventually need the assistance of a scooter or a handsome and strapping male nurse to do so. Smirk…
Back in the day, before there was such a thing as a Kindle and I discovered an entire new world of books and authors, Molly’s Misadventures was exactly the type of book I was drawn to…funny, sweet, light-hearted, a perfect blend of everything I loved in Chicklit. And now, with so many books filled with angst and drama, with crazy exes and horrible parents, with damaged heroes and flaky heroines, at times I find myself craving the levity that a really good romcom can bring to my world. And MM was just the book I needed as I lazed on the couch, recuperating from oral surgery.
Molly’s Misadventures is a delightfully entertaining read, with a thirtysomething heroine coming to terms with some big changes in her life, a dreamy boy-next-door all grown up, a grumpy-pants of a father, a distant mother, and too many (mis)adventures to name. I laughed and I cringed, I swooned and I sighed, I shook my head in frustration as Molly dealt with the craziness surrounding her. But I was cheering her on every step of the way!