Meet Roxy. For fans of Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Bridget Jones’s Diary comes “just the kind of comic novel we need right now” (The Washington Post) about an Austin artist trying to figure out her life one letter to her ex-boyfriend at a time. Bridget Jones penned a diary; Roxy writes letters. Specifically: she writes letters to her hapless, rent-avoidant ex-boyfriend–and current … rent-avoidant ex-boyfriend–and current roommate–Everett. This charming and funny twenty-something is under-employed (and under-romanced), and she’s decidedly fed up with the indignities she endures as a deli maid at Whole Foods (the original), and the dismaying speed at which her beloved Austin is becoming corporatized. When a new Lululemon pops up at the intersection of Sixth and Lamar where the old Waterloo Video used to be, Roxy can stay silent no longer.
As her letters to Everett become less about overdue rent and more about the state of her life, Roxy realizes she’s ready to be the heroine of her own story. She decides to team up with her two best friends to save Austin–and rescue Roxy’s love life–in whatever way they can. But can this spunky, unforgettable millennial keep Austin weird, avoid arrest, and find romance–and even creative inspiration–in the process?
With timely themes and hilarious, laugh-out-loud moments, Roxy Letters is a smart and clever story that is “bursting with originality, quirky wit, and delightful charm” (Hannah Orenstein, author of Playing with Matches).
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The breezy, charming, laugh-out-loud-funny voice of this book belies the strong bones of plot, character development, place and theme that lie beneath. Part love goddess, part urban warrior, part best-friend-you-wish-you-had, Roxy takes Austin by storm. You will fall in love with her.
Oh my Goddess! ()
I can’t tell you how much I really loved this book! This is what I consider a #quarantinedbook because its definitely a mood booster for what’s going on, this made me laugh and smile alot
I love how independent and feminist Roxy has shown herself. Her character development from being in the funk to being up on her feet! If I wanted to hangout with friend from a book, it would be her! I’ll admit there were quite abit of cringey moments but that’s what’s funny about it. There were some steaminess but more sexual content
I love the other characters as well in the book, at first I was like hmm let’s see where this goes with how the relationship either grows or goes down the drain I can understand why some people don’t love it but I do and I wish it I could reread this for the very first time
I will mention two trigger warnings; mental health and drug abuse (alcoholism). Need a book to brighten up your spirit, I’d definitely pick this up 100%
Did you ever feel you were a complete failure at everything and floundering through life? I remember those days and Roxy is exactly the same as a lot of us. Her love life sucks, her job is a dead end, she’s an artist who lost her mojo and has no idea what do do. Her ex boyfriend, her tweaker neighbors, her coworkers, her world just isn’t as it should be. She does have great friends! Has she not talked enough to her Goddess Venus, has she messed up not drinking her beloved Kombucha? Follow her life, highs and lows, nuttiness, escapades, quirks and all set in Austin, Texas. It’s fun and a great escape! #booktrib
I love romance books. I love quirky female leads. I love people standing up for what they believe in.
I did not love The Roxy Letters. First off, it is so strange the way Roxy writes out her most intimate moments, secret thoughts, and ramblings to her ex boyfriend turned roommate and leaves them on the kitchen table for him to read when he gets home. I wouldn’t have even read them if my roommate left me multiple page notes once a week. She is quirky, but not in the likeable way. She is annoying, wishy-washy, and forgettable. If I were Everett, I would have moved out right after that first letter that told him all about every single minute of her day. Boring!
I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise was unique and exciting. Unfortunately it fell flat. It was unbearable at times. I did not want to pick it up to keep reading. It’s a 1 star book for me.
This is the story of Roxy and all those in her world. It is a world filled with pseudo adults. All of those in her sphere are immature, irresponsible, sometimes annoying and offbeat, but not in the fun endearing way. The book is told in letters from Roxy to her ex-boyfriend/current roommate. There is some humor, but some of the crazy things they’d all do were too far fetched and silly for me to believe or care that much about. I had a tough time finishing this book. I didn’t really connect or care about any of the people. I was ready for it to be over.
I’m not sure what possessed me to request this on NetGalley but I strongly suspect it was due to seeing it was an epistolary novel. Roxy is a late-bloomer in-so-far as she is a nearly starving artist – not that can bring herself to actually paint anything – that works in a deli at Whole Foods that occasionally mooches money from her parents. The Roxy Letters are firmly Women’s Fiction / Chick Lit with funny, cringe-worthy moments and a very flawed main character.
Roxy is a hot mess and if I’m being honest I didn’t care for her as a character. This isn’t necessarily the author’s fault. In fact, it shows just how talented she was at creating Roxy as an authentic, obnoxious hippie. She reminded me of the absolute worst characteristics of the “keep weird” movement when it came to my hometown. So painful. So snobby. If I wasn’t so curious as to what she would mess up next, I may have set it to the side. After all, its not every book I read that includes a sex cult.
There is an element of “coming-of-age” as Roxy’s self-awareness grows and she starts to take an active role in her life. The pacing was comfortable and appropriate for Roxy’s antics but, if you aren’t paying attention to the dates of the letters it is easy to lose track of the passage of time.
While this wasn’t my favorite, Lowry did manage to make me laugh with Roxy’s ill-advised escapades. Be prepared for a lot of hippie, vegan talk, and elitism. If that isn’t for you then this might be one to skip. The Roxy Letters proved to be equal parts fascinating (train wreck character) and exceedingly awkward making this book quite an experience.
Side note: I had no idea that Austin, TX boasted a strange bubble of hippie, hipster, slacker community and I’m not sure what to do with that information. I almost want to see it for myself but then again…
**I voluntarily read and reviewed a review copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
first was drawn to this book by the description and the cover. I was needing a more light book and I thought this book would do it for me. I definitely got light and funny, but the overall feel of the book just didn’t do it for me.
Roxy is a down on her luck artist that is stuck at a job she doesn’t want to be at, simply so she can “adult and pay her bills”. She still has feelings for a past boyfriend, she is living with an ex that she writes letters to (but doesn’t give them to him), she has a dog that keeps causing her problems, a neighbor that may be a crackhead, her best friend just got promoted at their work and she makes friends with another woman that initially was rude to her. Can you see where I’m going here? Her life is a dramedy and I was curious where the heck this story was going to go and when all the craziness would end for Roxy.
I liked the letters that Roxy was writing at first, but then they pulled me away from the actual story. I almost thought Everett (the ex/roommate she was writing to) may have been a figment of her imagination because I never really felt as if he was a part of any of the situations (don’t worry; this did change a little). I was just being told all these scenarios based on letters from Roxy. She was funny and all the things that were happening to her were just beyond, but I couldn’t connect to anyone but her. All because of the letters. It was just her words, in her head and it really pulled me away from connecting with any of the major supporting characters.
Otherwise, the story was enjoyable and we got to see a woman that grows and picks herself up from the ashes to succeed in a way she may not have thought possible. But it’s all based around this romcom type of book. You should want to laugh along with her, but I was sighing and thinking “not again”, “really?”, “come on”.
This wasn’t the book for me, but it did have an alright feel to it. Just wish the letters could’ve been combined with other ways of telling the story. I think it would have made it easier to connect with the characters and Roxy’s journey.
Roxy and Mary Pauline Lowry are keeping Austin weird and wacky in The Roxy Letters. If you’ve ever shaken your fist at gentrification, been in a creative rut, had a wild best friend, or wondered where the hell your Prince Charming is, this peppy, confident, rollicking ride is for you!
Naughty, effervescent fun. A novel abounding in dauschunds, tweakers, real fulfillment centers, aisles of strange beer, and shrines to Venus (they work!). Roxy rocks Austin. And rights the world.
Bawdy, frank and laugh-out-loud funny, The Roxy Letters brings to antic life all the hilarity and peppy horrors of being rootless and questing in your twenties.
Tom Robbins meets Bridget Jones’ Diary, eccentric, fun, delicious, for the thinking woman who loves her vagina.
Roxy’s life, from its wildly risqué escapades to its numerous crises du jour, is a total blast. Lowry’s debut is the racy, funny page-turner we could use in these times.
The enormously talented Mary Pauline Lowry has given us a wonderful and compelling contradiction, a novel at once wicked and extravagant and vulnerable and pure. For comedy, for sheer joyous energy and deadly charm, you cannot do better than The Roxy Letters.
Mary Pauline Lowry’s THE ROXY LETTERS is too smart and clever to be called a romp, but whatever, it’s a total romp. I fell in love with Roxy, our hilarious, flawed, screwball narrator, and her quest to find herself in the muck of her twenties. Fun as heck.
THE ROXY LETTERS is bursting with originality, quirky wit, and delightful charm. This rollercoaster of a story is snappy, heartwarming, raunchy, and absurdly enjoyable. Roxy is an unforgettable narrator, and seeing Austin through her eyes is a real treat.
This is an eclectic collection of characters. Roxy is living a strange life. The author uses her letters to her ex-boyfriend/roommate to tell the story of her day to day life. It is filled with mishaps at work, at home, in her personal life and her attempts at dating. She goes on a crusade to not only change her life but that of Everett’s.
Readers seeking a light-hearted, farcical foray into twenty-something directionless misadventure will find much to enjoy in Mary Pauline Lowry’s epistolary novel, The Roxy Letters. The book consists of a series of one-way notes and letters between the eponymous main character and her ex-boyfriend, Everett. As the book opens, Roxy is reluctantly housing her ex as a temporary tenant to subsidize her meager income as a deli worker at Whole Foods. What begins as an effort to communicate some basic house rules morphs into more of a personal diary that delineates Roxy’s various escapades. An aspiring artist stuck in her own slacker mentality, Roxy’s insecurity and lack of motivation about her identity and future shines through in her writing. When she decides to embark on a crusade to protest the gentrification of Austin (epitomized by the opening of a Lululemon store in her neighborhood), she meets an interesting new friend who inspires her to take more risks in life and love. The Roxy Letters wants to be a more risqué and Americanized version of Bridget Jones’ Diary, and it somewhat succeeds in eliciting the same frantic, cringy tone. The form of the novel becomes a bit cumbersome and forced as the book goes on, however, and it becomes awkward and too expositional. The reader is expected to be tolerant of some extremely far-fetched and contrived scenarios and the repetitious discussion of sexual topics become excessive and tiresome. Lowry does a good job poking fun of young adulthood and the entitlement of progressive liberalism in the 2010s, and The Roxy Letters is certainly a fun read. The conclusion brings all the characters together in a chorus with a well-wrapped happy ending that is a refreshing change from the typical angst seen in some contemporary novels that take themselves too seriously. This book would appeal to fans of romantic and slapstick comedies who don’t mind some explicit sexual content and are prepared to endure some harmlessly unbelievable plotlines.
Thanks to the author, Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss Plus for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.
The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry was a very fun and very refreshing read that I think would make an excellent palate cleanser in between heavier reads.
I listened to almost all of The Roxy Letters on audio and I absolutely loved the narrator, Jayme Mattler. She made the perfect Roxy and I enjoyed the book even more because of that! There’s a little bit of romance, but this book is mostly about being a woman and kicking ass while trying to find your place in life and love. I really enjoyed the letter format although I did think it was a little weird at first since Everett doesn’t actually see most of them. But I quickly got over that and really liked the format overall. I think it makes the book more concise which was fine with me although I almost wished it would just never end.
The Roxy Letters made me laugh countless times and I loved Roxy as our leading lady. There are times that will make you cringe, and other times that will make you remember girl power does exist. It’s also not completely fluff which I appreciated. The Roxy Letters does touch on mental illness and addiction which gave it some depth and I liked how it was handled.
Song/s the book brought to mind: One Girl Revolution by Superchick
Final Thought: You just want to be Roxy’s friend and that’s something else I loved about The Roxy Letters. There are a lot of great characters, but Roxy was my favorite. This book is witty and just a nice, lighter read. There’s a tiny bit of steam but nothing too crazy which was right in my wheelhouse. If you want a light read that’s awesome on audio I highly recommend picking up a copy (or audiobook!) of The Roxy Letters. I will certainly be looking forward to reading all of Mary Pauline Lowry’s books as they come out and I’m very happy I got the opportunity to read/listen to this book!
Thank you to Libro.fm and the publisher for both my advance listening copy and advance review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Thanks, NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Roxy Letters.
I have mixed feelings regarding this book; at first, I found it boring and difficult to read. However, I gave it a chance and read on. Roxy, college graduate, sometimes vegan, was underemployed at the beginning of this story, working as a deli maid in Whole Foods store in Austin, Texas not making enough to support herself and her two rescues, a sassy cat name, Charlize Theron and a Weiner dog, named Roscoe who likes to chew on her panties. Since Roscoe’s unfortunate eating disorder (panties) left her in debt with the veterinarian, her credit card maxed out; she needed a way to help pay her mortgage, that is when the idea of having a roommate entered her thought. She ran into her ex-boyfriend Everett, and that is when the letter-writing or entries into her notebook started. Roxy has trust issues regarding the men in her life and still reflects on the one who got away, Brant Bitterbrush and his now-wife, Connie Caldwell. Although knowing she and Everett make more sense as just friends then lovers she notes that he is never around, wants to know what he is doing with his time, why he never pays his rent on time, and thanks him for cuddling and movie binging. Everett comes to her aide with her animals and her bail money.
There is her meth-head neighbor, Captin Tweaker who’s name is Franklin. The girl, Artemis Starla, who plowed her down at the sample table, who’s real name is Zoe Panagopoulos who is bipolar and alcoholic. Artemis teaches her to live her life for herself, and to have fun. Her co-worker and best friend, Annie, who is now working on the 5th floor with the CEO of Whole Foods, Topher Doyle. There is Texas, who is a drummer in a band, Fail Better, but also the public defender who’s real name is Sam Johnson, a divorced father of two young children and a recovering alcoholic. There is a list of characters; Patrick, Sal, Rosa, Kate, Yolanda, Barclay, Nadia, Nelson, Jason, Dirty Steve, Derek, Jeff, and Joe Castro, plus her parents all to keep track of during her dear diary tells.
So many characters to try and keep straight and not confuse them or the situations into others is daunting. Someone compared this tale to Briget Jones’s diary, but I have to say, no way, while some of the unfortunate events were funny, it’s missing je ne sais quoi. I wanted to like this story more than I did.