It was the toothpaste smeared around the sink that broke my marriage. As I rubbed it away AGAIN, I was reminded of everything else I’ve put up with these twenty-five years. My husband’s obsession with his pension, his ability to charm me into every single one of his ideas, never being taken on a romantic date, let alone ravished on the patio (like the woman who lives next door)… small things, but … things, but the realisation was huge.
Just when Lucy Jones thinks her marriage is about to screech to a halt over toothpaste, her husband, Leo, announces he wants to move to tumbledown (clapped-out) Rose Cottage, and Lucy knows she’ll be the one managing the renovations.
Then along comes gorgeous builder Will, ten years younger and the only person actually listening to Lucy. His twinkly eyes and blowtorch smile are causing Lucy to break out in a hot sweat – but is it love, lust or simply dodgy hormones that are causing her heart to flutter?
Lucy loves her husband, but everyone knows that little things build up. And then they explode. Can Lucy keep it together, or will there be one last straw she might not be able to get over?
A laugh-out-loud romp with an ending that will make you gasp! Perfect for fans of Tracy Bloom, Sophie Kinsella and Dawn French.
What readers are saying about Lucy’s Last Straw:
‘My favourite book this year… had me literally LAUGHING OUT LOUD… This book had me laughing, crying and rooting for Lucy on all the way. I loved it and recommend it for everyone!’
‘Absolutely hilarious. It is so easy for any woman to relate to this book… sooooo good. I read this in just a few hours as I simply couldn’t put it down. Go and grab your copy now. It’s one everyone will be talking about this year.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow!… Honest, heartfelt and totally hilarious! Such an amazing read, I found myself either smiling or laughing constantly… Bl**dy brilliant!! I love it!… a must read for every woman this summer.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Made me smile, giggle and laugh out loud. I loved it and would recommend it to anyone.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Funny from the very beginning until the end, and there were some laugh out loud moments which I loved… I was reading this at 2am!… had me giggling away. I ended up reading this in one sitting, I just couldn’t put it down. Thanks for one hell of a laugh Debbie!’ The Bookend Reviews, 5 stars
‘Loved this book from the very first word… It is the sort of book that I would love to be reading whilst laying on a hot beach… with so many twists and turns it keeps you hooked.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘My first read of Debbie Viggiano, and I can’t wait to read more!… Entertaining from beginning to end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I laughed my way right through this charming and addictive read.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Funny from beginning to end… a real laugh-out-loud book, that not only had me giggling away, but quite often nodding in recognition of some of the situations.’ A Good Book and a Brew, 5 stars
‘OMGoodness – what a treat… a chuckly book, with good characters and a light heart.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
So much change; have Lucy and Leo come to a tipping point?
4-4.5 stars
Lucy and Leo’s story got better and more frenzied as their midlife crisis progressed. I found Lucy, a woman approaching 50 and having trouble accepting her body’s changes, a bit too whiny and passive aggressive at first but then she grew on me. As she bears the brunt of her husband’s plans for their empty nest future, she really gets bombarded with one hit after another from family and strangers. By the end, I was still concerned about the way people, particularly her husband and daughters,took advantage of her, but was encouraged by Lucy’s moves to express her feelings and stand up for herself.
With a good complement of secondary characters, of both the two- and four-leg variety, and a unpredictable exploration of a long-term marriage that has lost its sparkle, Lucy’s Last Straw gives a sometimes comical, exasperated take on the challenges of maintaining a relationship.
I read a complimentary advance copy of the book provided through NetGalley; this is my voluntary and honest review.
I’m always intrigued with author’s who write romantic comedy because I find it’s not really easy to do, so when I saw this book available to review I thought I’d give this “new-to-me” author a try. I was also interested in the content, as I don’t see a whole lot of romance that deals with a long-time marriage situation.
Lucy’s marriage has been a happy one for the most part, with the usual irritations like cleaning up his nasty toothpaste for the last number of years. When Leo starts bugging her to sell the house where they’ve lived and reared their children to move to a fixer-upper, she doesn’t understand why, until he comes home having been downsized in his job. Moving to the ramshackle cottage just turned from an option to a necessity.
With the new cottage home comes an aggressive female neighbor who just happens to have eyes for Leo, and there’s a younger contractor hired to fix up the cottage that sets Lucy’s blood afire, waking up long-thought-dead hormones. I found this to really be a story about trust and temptation and love, and what happens in a long-term relationship. I really enjoyed this part of the story and found it captured many of the emotions in a seasoned marriage.
Things really heat up when Leo goes to the US for new job orientation, leaving Lucy home with the contractor and Leo with just as much temptation. The situation is perfectly setup for Lucy and Leo to look away from the irritating toothpaste around the sink (metaphorically speaking) and be tempted to try something new and exciting — will they is the question? I don’t want to spoil anything, but I’ll just say the ending warmed my heart big-time.
Overall, I really liked this story. Told from Lucy’s point of view, her little conversations with herself are some times funny, sometimes cute, sometimes cute and funny although not every one hits the mark. I liked it more when the characters in my head had a British accent which was a completely different reading experience for me.
I would definitely try out other titles from this author in the future.