Author: Tamara Lyon
Publisher: Tamara Lyon
Publication Date: May 2015
Genre: Chick-Lit / Romantic Comedy
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN
Description: Bristow Sparks, an interior designer in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, has just landed the contract of a lifetime, working for the Cherry Wyeland, volatile reality star and CEO of Wine-A-Lot. Designing for a crazy person is an around-the-clock commitment. It frays Bristow’s nerves and forces her to compromise in unimaginable ways, but, given that the finished product will be featured on The Decorating Network, she must succeed.
While her professional life is hot, her personal life is barely room temperature. After surviving the relentless media spotlight because of a personal tragedy and a traitorous ex-boyfriend, Bristow flies so far under the radar she cannot even be detected. A homebody to the core, she binges on episodes of the Showtime series, Dexter, lives in sweatpants, and is addicted to exercise and Oreos.
As for relationships? She has fallen hard and fast for witty and adventurous Jack Hoffmann. However, after their disastrous first date where Bristow collides with a park bench among other mortifying mishaps, they are unfortunately just friends. At least there is one male sharing her bed, even if it is only Vegas, her theatrical golden retriever.
For her twenty-ninth birthday, Bristow goes out of her comfort zone and gets a makeover at an elite spa. Post-Brazilian wax and in excruciating pain, Bristow realizes that she has been in a post-traumatic state for years. She vows to start taking risks again. When she finally goes after what and whom she wants, no matter the cost, tragedy strikes again . . .
My Thoughts: At the mere mention of a Brazilian wax, most women, myself included, will cringe in horror, and run as fast as our footsies will carry us. This story confirmed several things for me. The first is I will never put myself through the agony that the heroine of this story does. Even if my love life is as non-existent as Bristow’s and cobwebs are growing down there. Nope…not gonna happen. Even if my well-meaning friends buy me a multi-service gift certificate at a high-end spa because they know I would never treat myself (you got that right!!!), I will have to tell them to bugger off.
The second confirmation is relationships require communication and Bristow needed to grow a spine when it comes to the relationships in her life. She allows herself to be inconvenienced and embarrassed by her client from Hell, her ex-boyfriend, her idiot cousin, and her mother, just to name a few. When she and Jack finally speak to one another outside of the gym where she just visually stalks him, she manages to sabotage that too. Thank goodness Jack is a stand-up guy and does not let Bristow ruin it for them both. Girls need a Jack in their lives, so for Heaven’s sake, when you are blessed to find one, grab on tight and do not let go!
The third confirmation I received is when you catch your adorable dog shredding your checkbook that you had locked up, you do not take it from him and toss it on the counter. No, instead, you start questioning why said checkbook is no longer locked up! And when you further discover greasy fingerprints on your computer screen, then I would say it is a safe assumption to conclude that there has been a break-in and locking down the bank accounts, changing passwords and CALLING THE POLICE would be the logical course of action. Unfortunately, I cannot ignore Bristow’s lack of common sense in this area and this story went from a solid 4-star rating to a 3. Alarm bells were going off in my head immediately, but after discovering her home has been ransacked and there are several missed calls and voicemails from her financial advisor, Bristow just blows it off for several days. I cannot overlook that level of ignorance in a character and especially not the protagonist.
My Final Verdict: In spite of the moments where I was smacking myself in the forehead in disbelief, I found this story to be enjoyable and fun. I adored Bristow’s great-grandmother and her lack of a verbal filter had me laughing out loud several times.
I liked Bristow and Jack, individually and as a couple. Even though Bristow could use an extra helping of common sense, I found her to be genuine and sincere. I was rooting for her success both professionally and personally. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy fun stories to take along to the beach or pool this summer.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Post-Traumatic Brazilian Wax Syndrome from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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