An Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestseller, and a Goodreads Choice Award finalist.
“A laugh-out-loud funny, pitch-perfect novel that will have readers rooting for this unlikely, relatable, and totally lovable heroine, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler is the ultimate escape—and will leave moms everywhere questioning whether it isn’t time for a #momspringa of their own.” —New York Journal of … their own.” —New York Journal of Books
Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.
Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.
But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart.
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This book was just fun. A wonderful story of a mother, still stung from the abandonment by her husband, and struggling to keep her young family together. When he returns to try and reconnect with his children, he gives Amy the time to attend a conference in NYC and spend time with her college roommate. That’s where she meets the “Sexy Librarian “.
Kelly Harms is a wonderful storyteller with likable characters and the humor and emotions of a page turner. A great beach read!
I really liked this book and thank Net Galley and Ballantine Books for the ARC in return for my honest review.
I can seriously relate to this woman at times in my own life (needing a break)! There are not many times that I actually laugh out loud while reading, but I definitely found myself doing this! I believe this would make an awesome movie!
Great book about a woman who needs to reinvent herself. Lovely characters that feel real. Thoughtful, emotional and touching. The author did great writing this book. My first book from this author and looking forward to reading more from her
This book is hysterically funny! Amy through no fault of her own, finds herself a single mom. Her husband walks on his family. He has a new younger girlfriend and moves to Hong Kong. 3 years later, he returns and wants to reconnect with his children who are now teenagers. Amy goes to New York for the summer. Amy’s entire life revolves around her children and for the summer it is all about Amy. As Amy rediscovers herself, the reader is taken along for the most hilarious ride. I loved this book and the characters. I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing. All opinions are my own.
This was a funny book! The author did a great job with the main character, Amy Byler, as well as the supporting characters – especially Amy’s quirky friends Lena (a former nun) and Talia (a single, childless, fashion magazine editor). The story focuses primarily on Amy, a determined mom who has been working nonstop after her husband left her and their two kids 3 years ago. Her estranged husband randomly reappears and decides he wants to be a part of his children’s lives by taking the kids for a week. So while the kids are with their father, Amy goes to NYC to attend a conference for librarians. What was supposed to be a quiet and uneventful week without her kids turns into a wild adventure that lasts the summer (#momspringa)! I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading others by this author.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.
“I must never again forget to care for myself.”
Definitely a fabulous, laugh out loud funny novel mixed with a whole lot of truth.
What Mom doesn’t forget herself as she is raising her kids?
What is a Mom’s life? Does it include time and enjoyment for oneself?
When Amy’s husband decides to come forth and get to know” his kids after a few years on hiatus, Amy decides with some reluctance and persuasion, to take a month for herself. Could she really relax, live and love?
This is a wakeup that is amazing for not only Amy, but for her twitter fans that are following her to see her escapades as #momspringa!
I loved all the characters in this book, but especially Cori, Lena and the hot librarian!
Read this in a day!
This book is hilarious. Amy rides a rollercoaster of emotions from living the life of a single mother the last 3 years because her husband couldn’t handle life and just took off leaving her with 2 young kids. When he decides to return she has to decide if she can enjoy a week in NYC at a conference while he cares for them. This starts the summer of having fun, trying to rid herself of self guilt and falling love. It’s a great book and I couldn’t put it down. Make sure you put it on your TBR list and grab it when it comes out.
This book was comical and realistic with a single mom finding her way as the children get older.
A bit too much loose sex for my taste.
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms is the story of Amy Byler, an overworked and underappreciated single mom who desperately needs a break. After three years, her guilt-ridden husband reappears and offers to take care of their kids for the summer. She reluctantly accepts his offer and escapes to New York City for a “momspringa.” The usually grounded, mild mannered and property Amy lets her hair down. With a little push from her friends, Amy discovers life filled with culture, sophistication and a few blind dates. One man in particular finds his way into her way and she risks losing herself in an unexpected escape. As the summer comes to a close, she realizes that she must make the impossible choice. Does she stay in the new exciting New York City? Or does she return to her life in rural Pennsylvania?
The New York Journal of Books called The Overdue Life of Amy Byler, a “laugh-out-loud funny, pitch-perfect novel that will have readers rooting for this unlikely, relatable, and totally lovable heroine… the ultimate escape—and will leave moms everywhere questioning whether it isn’t time for a #momspringa of their own.” However, I did not laugh once. In fact, I rolled my eyes at the moments that I was supposed to laugh and cheer Amy on. The story was boring, humorless and very cringey. A lot of pop culture references that seem to be there to help the readers understand and relate to Amy. At one point, Amy illustrates how tired she was, saying she often fell in bed too tired to fantasize about Outlander’s Jamie Fraser and reach for her vibrator. Seriously? Give me a break! I did not like or relate to Amy at all. I’m sure I am not the audience for this book. If you think this could be the book for you, try it out. But for me, I do not recommend The Overdue Life of Amy Byler.
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook.
This is one of those books I picked up on Kindle Deals because I was thinking, “why not?” It sounds okay and it really seems like something I can speed though. It’s not a story I can relate to given the single mother aspect but why not?
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler follows Amy Byler (duh!) whose husband suddenly left her three years ago. Since then, she’s grinded on every single day of their life to give her kids the life they think she needs and deserves. She’s good at it. Really good at it. But suddenly her husband contacts her out of nowhere and decided that he wants to reconnect with them, with the kids. Amy gives him a chance to see the kids, spend a week with them while she unwinds, go to this library conference over at New York while staying with her college friend.
I really like the family aspect as well as the single mom aspect of the novel. As a single mom who was suddenly forced to be one because her husband suddenly left her, Amy was pushed to do everything she can for her children. She didn’t give time for herself. It’s always about her children. Thus when the opportunity to unwind and have her husband finally fill in the parent shoes for her, Amy can’t fully put her mind into an actual vacation mode until after a couple of weeks. But even then, she constant worries about her children. Then there’s the part where she feels threatened that because her husband is rich and can give their children possibly a lot more than she can financially, they’ll want to be with him more. It kind of feels painful for her given that she’s been there with them for three years while her husband run off somewhere else.
This book is also such a fun read!! A few fun things about this: (1) It’s really got me really happy with all the bookish talks because Amy’s librarian background and the fact that she has this project on encouraging young adults to read. (2) there’s a “hot librarian!” and damn a romance involving two bookworms is just the most fun thing to see! Also, Daniel, the hot librarian, is such a sweet and nice man. There’s really more to him than just being bookish and good looking. (3) The “momspringa” is an enjoyable read! To be honest, I don’t know the refence (and I can’t remember it now. omg sorry) but the relaxation Amy got is such a fun thing. There are beautiful clothes, workout, dates, and relaxing times to read. What more can you ask for?, (4) Cori’s, Amy’s daughter, journal entries are enjoyable reads. Every chapter, we get to read Cori’s thoughts. It’s an update on what’s going on at home. How are they, what are the things her dad is doing for them, her thoughts on her mom’s vacation. We also get to know Cori and believe me, you’ll love her! Such a fun, sassy, smart child.
OVERALL, The Overdue Life of Amy Byler is a fun read about a single mom who, after three years, finally gets the much deserve break she needs and finds what she really loves at the end of it all. It’s got books, family, New York City!, finding oneself, and realizing that you don’t have to take the world alone. It made me feel happy, excited, and sad at really appropriate times. Really recommend this if you want a quick fun chicklit read.
This is the story of Amy Byler. Her husband left her and their two children 3 years ago – said he couldn’t take it anymore. Moved to Singapore – only sending the kids checks and money here and there. Amy had to get a job, manage a house that was too big and too expensive, and tried to hold it all together. Then one day – her ex-husband shows up back in town wanting to get re-acquainted with the kids. Amy decided to let him back into their lives and when her ex asks her if he can spend the summer with them, Amy lets go and heads to New York City with a friend to have some much overdue alone time.
What it becomes is a life changing trip for her. She starts to reinvent herself – become someone besides “someone’s mother” and starts to live.
This was a pretty good book. Kept me entertained. It was humorous enough. Her “momspringa” was overdetailed. I didn’t need to know about every food she ate and every man she dated in great detail. There were relatable parts – a woman who had settled into a comfortable clothing lifestyle – becoming someone who put her children’s needs before her own. But it did stretch a bit into a fairytale beyond was a normal “mom on holiday” might experience.
Fine read for passing the time, though. Light and didn’t take a lot of concentration to keep up with the story line, so great for long drives.
Love this! I definitely wanted a momspringa too after reading this one.
Amy Byler is a typical mom who dared to test the boundaries of her typical-mom-world. I enjoyed her adventures and the romance that was worked into the story. The characters were realistic but very likeable. This is the second book of Kelly Harms I read and I will definitely read more of her books.
delightful premise and such fun!!
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This is the first book I have read from this author. I love the illustrated cover, as it has great shelf appeal.
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: This was definitely the lighter read that I needed. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. In this book we follow Amy Byler who is a single mom raising her kids in Pennsylvania. She takes the offer from her ex husband to move to New York City. She goes on some blind dates and finds happiness. A traumatic event occurs blindsiding Amy’s life and forces her past and present together. This book was written in a way that made it a light and easy read, while still toying with my emotions. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a great romance novel with strong family ties in it.
One word: MOMSPRINGA! I loved this funny, heartwarming story of a mom whose life gets upended by the return of her ex-husband. But instead of wallowing, Amy uses the time to reinvent and rediscover herself (with the help of a certain “hot librarian,” which needs to be a hashtag in its own right). Fantastic characters and an insightful story that every reader can relate to, regardless of their stage in life. Also, #hotlibrarian.
I listen to audiobooks while I walk, and this book made the time fly! I even forgot to check out the beautiful yard I walk by every day with something new blooming.
Amy’s character is one many of us can relate to. Even though I haven’t been through a separation or divorce, I related big time to the idea of needing time off from kids. When my son was 4, I broke down in my doctor’s office and he didn’t hesitate to write a prescription to GET AWAY. It’s a real thing, so Amy’s journey of single motherhood and her #momspringa really hit home, and was deftly written.
The author does a fabulous job of diving into Amy’s inner thoughts about being away from her kids–some of which were selfish, BUT were very real and heartfelt, and nothing most of us haven’t felt at one time or another. Ms. Harms’ writing style is one I truly enjoy, with a mix of heartfelt emotions she intermingles with humor to lighten the mood. Matt, Talia, and Lena added a well-rounded cast of characters, and I absolutely LOVED Cori’s journal additions–what a hoot she is!
I enjoyed this book so much I’ll be checking out more of Ms. Harms’ novels.
This book surprised me. I went in to it thinking it would go a certain way, but the turn of events surprised me. I very much enjoyed the characters and can’t wait to read something else from Amy Byler.
This was a book I chose from Amazon’s First Reads for April 2019. I wasn’t certain I would like this book because I usually read suspense/mysteries. I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was refreshing to see a single mother take time for herself. Something I believe we all need to do and in the end will make us better mothers.