Earliest Reviews Take the Lead

Lunch Tales: Suellen has its first book club!

The primary purpose of book reviews is to help other readers decide whether they should read the book themselves. It isn’t anything new, really. Ancient Greek and Roman authors and critics traced forms of book reviews back to discussions and analyses of art and literature. Initially, reviews were treated as news. Now it influences every purchase we make, books and otherwise.

As an author I know the importance of reviews for an author and book’s success. As a reader, I admit, I didn’t always take the time to post a review. Now, of course, I’m more diligent. For all of you who have read Lunch Tales: Suellen and posted a review, thank you for sharing your experience with others and offering recommendations about what type of person would like the book. But most of all, thank you for putting the wind behind my writer wings!

My first book club after the launching of Lunch Tales: Suellen was inspiring and eye-opening. I always learn so much from them. Readers are by far the most intuitive and enthusiastic people out there. Suellen’s story sparked a discussion that ran the gamut of opinions and emotions, evoking memories and stories, and each of them asking questions like, “what would I have done?” Or “would I have handled it differently?” And my favorite, “when is the sequel coming out?” Toward the end of our book club gathering, I leaned back in my chair and just listened to the women conversing and sharing, and I thought, “okay, the book did its job”.

A few reviews among my earliest . . .

I devoured this book over a rainy weekend and found myself completely invested in Suellen’s journey. This isn’t your typical romance - it’s so much more.

If you’re tired of predictable stories where everything resolves too neatly, this nuanced take on finding love while dealing with life’s complications will be a refreshing change.

What makes Lunch Tales: Suellen so special is how realistically it portrays Suellen’s self-sabotaging behaviors. As someone who’s struggled with letting good things into my life, I saw myself in her hesitation with Adam and her reaction to the medical diagnosis.

The storytelling is light but meaningful, with moments that make you laugh, nod in agreement, or even pause to reflect.

As a breast cancer survivor, I found that many of the thoughts and struggles expressed were similar to mine. Well done!

The path Suellen is on delivers her experience, perhaps more than one wants to experience in life, but she does her best to accept the cards she’s been dealt. A fun, but poignant tale.

The lunch group dynamic is brilliantly written - those women feel like people I know in my own life.

Blooms & Books was a great venue to do book signings for both my books: Elizabeth’s Mountain and Lunch Tales: Suellen. And what a great turnout!

In closing, I’m taking a line from Lunch Tales: Suellen:

You hand it all over to fate with its cruel sense of humor and equally astonishing grace.

Until next time…thank you for spending some time with me. I appreciate you all.