Put Carrie Jo Howe's fun novel on your to-be-read, beach book list. Root for Peg as her marriage unravels and she has to overcome her fears of bridges and make friends in a new town far away from home. Lots to like in this zany, mid-life comedy.

Liked it, but didn't love it.

Clark and Peg Savage *seem* to be the typical, mid-western, 40-something couple. They leave their familiar Chicago and put down roots in Key West. It's a new adventure, they say. But nothing goes the way it should. Clark is drawn out of town by an unexpected consulting job and Peg is left alone and catastrophe-prone on an island rife with newbie dangers.

The story is lighthearted and takes a couple cute turns, but I never really felt invested. I'm not sure I ever even liked Peg. She often came across as petulant and selfish. Neighbors Randolph and Lulu were the stars of the show for me. The ending is a bit rushed and felt incomplete.

Overall, it wasn't a waste of time because I got a few chuckles out of it, but I'm not sure I'd seek out this kind of story again.

Island life sentence is chick-lit at it's most typical. The humor is rather in your face, and sometimes the scenarios are quite humiliating, ala Bridget Jones. I had a hard time connecting to the heroine, I kept waiting for more layers to be revealed, and more growth experienced. The secondary characters are quirky and enchanting, I really appreciated their appearances in the story. It seems trite to say that Island Life Sentence would make a good beach read, but there you are. It's light, entertaining and an easy read.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Unbound Digital in exchange for an honest review

I want to start by saying I can see why some love it and some dislike it. I liked it, but it just didn't pull me in. There were moments I knew they were supposed to be funny but I just did not get that. Peg was whiny to and Clark, well lets just say I did not care for the character. I enjoyed the writing and this was my first book by this author and will read more by the author but just guess I wanted a little bit more. It did have some funny moments at times that were pulled off very well and then others, I just wasn't sure about. .

Nope. DNF at about 30%. Not gonna happen.

The characters aren't interesting, the plot is bland, and it just ain't funny. The protagonist is annoying, paranoid, and, frankly, rather unintelligent (also the quote "it's so hard being PC these days!!!!" had me roll my eyes so far back into my head I almost saw my brain), and her husband is a sleazeball who is probably cheating on her (and I'm not going to keep reading to find out, I don't care about either of these people). I could tell that the book was going in a certain "wacky hijinks in an ~exotic~ place!!!" direction, that I wasn't even slightly interested in.

Not going to waste any more of my time with it. I expected something a lot funnier.

If unfortunate events can be funny, they are in this book. The series of crazy experiences that Peg Savage has when she and husband, Clark, move to Key West are the funniest but not to her. Of course, her husband departs for a consulting job in Cuba almost as soon as they arrive in Key West leaving Peg to fend for herself and her dog. Peg has everything happen to her, compounding her lack of desire to even be there: stranded with over forty-two bridges to cross to get to the mainland. Not an awful distance to travel but interminable if, like Peg, you have an abject fear of bridges. Peg does meet some friendly people (and haints/ghosts) that help make life more bearable until Clark returns.

Island Life Sentence
Carrie Jo Howe
Available: Now
Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
While a cute little novella about a woman and her dog adjusting to life in the Florida Keys, its no love letter to the tourism board. Let’s see…based on the bugs, humidity, hurricanes, parking issues, rampant manatees, and assorted haints – its not a love letter to the region but it is a cute, quick read which qualifies it as Tropical Fluff!
What I loved: The haints were actually my favorite characters in the book. Their insights/Peg’s delirum were on point, honest, and hysterical. My favorite part (I actually laughed outloud) is when Shel Silverstein visits Peg’s home because he saw a light in the attic. C’mon people – Shel Silverstein. A Light in the Attic. Its funny.
What I didn’t love: I don’t care for how Clark takes advantage of Peg’s head for numbers/facts/contracts by getting her drunk and making her sign contracts that she feels morally obligated to uphold. At only 183 pages, I would have also loved to have seen more of Peg tutoring the high schoolers in Finance – maybe paving the way for her for a new career transition.
What I learned: Since I don’t like seafood, this may not be the place for me.
Overall Grade: B

www.FluffSmutandMurder.com

(3.5 Stars). This book wasn't bad, but the characters weren't the most likeable. Clark, the absent husband is a first-class jerk. Almost from the moment I met him I disliked him. You could see from a mile away where his character was going in this book.

Peg, having just been 'talked into' (i.e. drunkenly agreeing to) move to Key West with said douche-bag husband, finds herself unexpectedly on her own and getting into all kinds of embarrassing situations while meeting some of the locals.

Peg seriously reminded me of my mother-in-law, and I think that's the main reason why I dislike her so much. She's just a silly, frivolous woman who can't seem to get her sh*t together. She's someone you look at and wonder how in the hell they've managed to survive as long as they have in the world because they're just so stupid.

I actually really enjoyed all the background characters...Trudy (Peg's best friend from Chicago) made the most sense, while Randolph was a fun addition to Peg's life (until she screwed it up).

There were a few unanswered questions I had, though. The house Peg and Clark purchased...why was it for sale for so long? Was it haunted (Randolph mentioned it was a stop for the local Ghost Tour bus), and if so why? What happened there? Also, what exactly does Clark DO? Very little is mentioned about Peg and Clark's past (I just finished the book and I couldn't tell you how long they were married) and what they did for a living. I know they sold a business, and Peg was in finance, but no clue what Clark ever brought to the marriage besides getting his wife drunk whenever he wanted something. His reasons for being in Cuba were shady at best.

Overall, this is a quick little beach read about an older woman who finds her life completely turned upside down in every possible way, but who (with a little spiritual/ghostly help) turns herself around and learns to adapt. Not my favorite book, but it may appeal to some.

** I received this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This book sounded like a fun story and I was excited to dig in, but I found that it delved too far into the realm of unbelievable and ridiculous. After reluctantly moving to Key West from Chicago, at which point her husband suddenly has to go and work in Cuba for weeks on end, Peg finds herself alone on an unfamiliar island, and she manages to get herself into silly situation after silly situation. There wasn't much development throughout the story - whether character or plot - and two major subplots regarding Peg's best friend, Trudy, and her husband, Clark, went without resolution, making for an unsatisfactory end to the story.