Book Smart Kate

Book: 🌟🌟 Spice: N/A

Billed as a female mid-life Ferris Bueller, I was excited to have the opportunity to review this book for NetGalley before its publication in exchange for my honest review. Unfortunately, this book missed the mark for me. Based on the Ferris Bueller description, I assumed it would be a fun, madcap romp. In some ways, it was. But Clover’s adventures took a decidedly dark and destructive turn that seemed to fly in the face of logic, reason, and good sense.

Faced with endless personal and professional responsibilities, Clover snaps and goes on a strange set of adventures that escalate from a new hairstyle to a pseudo-shoplifting incident to stealing a pet, destroying a stranger’s car, destroying a yoga class, telling off her mother, and more. Along the way, she fights for what she is worth, discovers new sides of her family members, and rights old wrongs.

Even writing this, it sounds like a delightful book. However, for me, the understanding of the reasons behind Clover’s break and her motivations come so late in the book that I was unable to generate the empathy needed to appreciate her actions throughout the story. Additionally, as a friend, mother, wife, and daughter, the amount of destruction and harm she causes to those around her seems counterproductive. What took 260 pages to unravel is neatly tied up in the last 20 pages.