Colleen OakleyRecensioni

Mia and her husband have recently moved from stressful, fast-paced Philadelphia to settle into a cute country home in Hope Springs, where they can breathe fresh air and emotionally recover from two miscarriages before trying again to have a child. As they get to know their neighbors in the small town, Mia is shocked to meet the man whose face has consistently appeared in her dreams since she was in college. And what does it mean that, once she gets the chance to speak to him (at the risk of sounding like a lunatic), Oliver reveals that he has been dreaming about her too?

I brought this along on vacation, and both the mood and setting were a perfect fit. I'm truly surprised this hasn't received more buzz — I couldn't put it down. It was emotional, fascinating and more than a little bit heartbreaking. The author kept me guessing where it was going, and I appreciated the restraint shown. Recommended for your next getaway!

Such a fun book with some deep messages about climate and death.

This was a highly emotional read for me. 27 yr. old Daisy is in her second dance with "lots of cancer" and things aren't looking good for a successful outcome. This story hit close to home for me and the author does a great job of putting the reader inside Daisy's anguished life.

Can you imagine knowing you're dying at age 27? Knowing you'll never be able to have the children you dreamed of with the husband (Jack) you love...a husband you hate to leave alone? So what does Daisy decide to do? Find someone who can fill her shoes and be a companion for Jack.

Only it's not as easy as it seems. The struggles Daisy deals with (everything from her failing memory to the waiting game of her trial drugs) end up being little compared to what Jack is privately dealing with - a great flip-side to this story. Getting a glimpse inside what this poor man is going through is as heart-breaking as what Daisy is facing.

This is a great, emotional, heart-felt story!

Loved the book. Old people. Crazy events. Need a second book.½

Sweet story about friendship. Tanner is bitter. She was a soccer star at college until she suffered a major injury to her leg. Now, she is angry with her best friend and her family since she can't afford to return to Northwestern and her dream of playing. She takes a job as a caregiver for an elderly woman, Louise Wirt. What Tanner doesn't expect is a trip across the country, where she and Louise are wanted for a series of crimes.
This is a funny, sweet, endearing story of an unlikely friendship, with a lesson on how important friends are, and how they come through for you when you most need it.

3.75⭐️

“Nothing in life goes according to plan. Nothing. And the sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be.”

Eighty-four-year-old Louise Wilt has a ton of secrets she has kept from her family for decades. A “life-changing” letter from an old friend, has Louise making plans to take a trip, unbeknownst to the rest of her family. When twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby took a job as Louise’s live–in caregiver she never thought her job would entail anything beyond driving Louise around and making sure she was safe and in good health. Tanner has had her own share of disappointments and has a lot to figure out about her future. After her college education was halted due to an accident, she was forced to move back home and was living with her parents until recently. Moving out of her home (though not voluntarily) and taking the live-in position with Louise was a means of raising money to go back to school. Never had she imagined herself on a cross-country road trip with the gun-toting, sharp-witted Louise whose life, memories and wisdom will motivate Tanner to take stock of her own life and priorities.

This is my second Colleen Oakley novel and I will admit I wasn't a fan of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island . Full of humor and heart, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley is an entertaining read. Both Tanner and Louie were interesting characters and I loved their interaction and how they eventually become friends. It was fun following them through their road trip adventure (I really loved their banter), meeting the people they encounter and the situations they get themselves into and of course, getting to the truth of Louise’s past. I liked how the author chose to end the story and I thought Tanner’s trajectory was well–written. Stories such as these are almost always predictable but what matters is the journey to the end and I’m pleased to say that I really enjoyed this story of intergenerational friendship and was surprised by a few revelations along the way.

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Anders , a journalist employed with a local paper is assigned to cover the famous cakewalk of Frick Island, is a small tourist island off the coast of the Chesapeake Bay . He meets Piper Parrish a resident of Frick Island who recently lost her husband to a boating accident but behaves as if he is alive and well and living with her in their home. Her delusions are enabled by the rest of her community who do not correct her and keep up the pretense. Piper’s story and her “invisible husband” intrigue Anders and he decides to share the story on his podcast, a venture that has not given him the fame and recognition he craves. He hides his true motives and tells the residents that his podcast would cover climate change and the effects it was having on the Island. Though the residents initially regard him with suspicion and skepticism, he starts sending more time on the island immersing himself in the community, getting closer to them and Piper whom he guesses to be suffering from hallucinations brought on by intense grief.
Though the story revolves around a woman grieving for her dead husband, The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley is a light read with an entertaining cast of characters and its share of humor, grief and a bit of mystery. I loved the descriptions of the island itself and the lives of the people residing there. While I did not dislike the story, I did find my attention wavering quite a bit. Some parts felt repetitive and at times the story seemed to drag with some of the revelations towards the end detracting from my overall experience with the book.
I went into this novel with high hopes since the premise sounded unique and interesting but I ended up a tad disappointed. The book has garnered a lot of positive reviews but I suppose it just wasn’t up my alley.

This was a super cute book. I love the premise of the older lady who was a jewel thief. The whole "Jules" confusion was clever and funny. I didn't see that coming. The older lady had a daughter named Jules who come to find out is not her biological daughter. So when Tanner, the young girl looking after her...or her driver, says she saw her on the news and she was a "Jules thief" she thought she meant her daughter. Which, she probably didn't because she actually was the jewel thief. Cute story and I enjoyed it. I listened to it on audio. I also loved in the end Tanner did her own thing and didn't turn into this big love affair with Austin, I think the name was.

A very entertaining read. I loved all the characters—a great way to spend time not worrying about the world. I will read this author again.

I was drawn into this immediately. I couldn’t stop thinking about it and spent the past 48 hours really just waiting until I could get back to reading it. It’s heartbreaking and mysterious and also just a beautiful love story. Someone should make a movie of this pronto.

Tanner is a directionless young woman who is the live in caretaker to Louise, who is elderly but full of life. Together they hit the road. Tanner believes they are fleeing from the law and that Louise is a wanted jewel thief. Louise is adamant that they are going to rescue an old friend. Louise's adult children get worried when they realize Louise has disappeared. The ending has lots of fun reveals, but the journey is just as good.

I thought I had figured it out 8 chapters in, but I hadn't, so that was good. A somewhat simple story, but not bad. Everything hinges upon family secrets and a bit of superstition, so the plot really breaks down if you don't buy into all of that.½

Loved this! It’s a road trip, a bit of a mystery, a little romance, some laugh-out-loud parts, and some thriller-like sequences. Two grouchy women find themselves on the run, reluctantly depending on each other in a page-turning story with a few clever twists.

Louise and Tanner are at opposite ends of their lives: Louise is 84 and Tanner is 21. Both are vulnerable, but neither will admit that. They seem to be from different worlds, yet when Louise needs Tanner to drive her to California in five days, this brings them together to find out they are more alike than either could have envisioned. As author Colleen Oakley writes, “they develop a kinship created under forced circumstances, but their relationship flourishes beyond Louise’s imagination…At the conclusion Louise notices how similar she and Tanner are, both creating their own rules, their own sense of right and wrong; forging their own path, regardless of what the world would have you do, who it would have you be.”

This is a cleverly written, heartwarming story of an odd couple who come to care for each other as they learn about themselves. I highly recommend!

What a fun book! Louise is an 84 year old woman whose children decide she needs a companion after she breaks her hip. They hire 21 year old Tanner who just wants to do the bare minimum and play her video game. They both have pasts they don't want to talk about. Then, one night, Louise wakes Tanner up and talks her into driving her to California. What a road trip! Definitely recommended!

Started a bit slowly, & I was dubious because of its over-the-top reception, but once the story kicks in, it´s a fun romp.

I loved this book! It was such much fun to be on the run with this unlikely duo. Louise is an 84-year-old woman whose family insists that someone move in after she suffered a broken hip. Tanner is a 21-year-old former college soccer athlete who takes the job but would really rather just be left alone to play video games. When they leave their home on a cross-country journey, they form an unlikely friendship. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to stop.

I was taken by both of these characters and really enjoyed watching them get to know one another. It appears that Louise has a bit of a past and I couldn’t wait to see exactly what was going on. They each had their own story to tell and seemed to understand each other. Their road trip across the country was full of surprises and I just had a lot of fun waiting to see what would happen next. I loved the sense of humor worked into the story which helped keep a smile on my face the entire time that I was reading this book.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Hillary Huber did a fabulous job with the story. I thought that she did a fantastic job with the various character voices which helped to bring the story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this story was fun from the very start and quickly fell in love with the characters. I cannot wait to read more of Colleen Oakley’s work.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

Weirdly unlikeable characters

This is the book I needed when I felt isolated.

Very unique, but many characters stayed two dimensional, even as the story went on.

Though strange, this was a sweet book with an ending I adored that kept me engaged.
 
The concept of a woman who is allergic to people was quite fascinating, and I was impressed by the amount of research the author must have done in order to gain an understanding of the topic. It felt well researched and the challenges seemed quite realistic. I wasn't quite as skeptical of everything as I thought I would be.
 
I expected that there would be more to learn from this book than there was. Jubilee adjusted surprisingly well to society, and where I thought there would be more conflict, quite a few things went well for her. The biggest conflict was indeed the romance which seemed like a bit of a lost opportunity.
 
Eric's son was probably my favourite character of the book--though a middle school aged boy, he was an absolute delight and I was amused by his interactions with various characters. I think there was a lot to be gained by seeing his relationships with the adults and how they interacted with him. I also loved Jubilee's friend and the way their acquaintance evolved.
 
The ending of this was superbly written. Unlike other romances, I was never quite sure exactly how it would end, but it did a lovely job of wrapping up previous aspects of the story and bringing them together.
 
I recommend this to those looking for a chick-flick read with a little more depth.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So very quaint. Frick Island reminded me of Stewart Island but smaller and with less internet.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise
By Colleen Oakley

This is not my typical go-to type of book but I loved it! Tanner loves soccer and would be getting a scholarship due to her soccer skills until she fell off a balcony. After surgery her leg would never be soccer worthy. She is angry, bitter, and takes it out on everyone. Her mom had enough and said to get out!

Louise fell and now nursing her repaired hip from a fall. She's in her eighties but normally takes care of herself but her daughter demanded that she have a person stay with her. That person could drive her places, be there in case she falls again.
It's a rocky start and it's funny how the generations differ but somehow the same!

Tanner gets suspicious of several things. One is a composite drawing of a jewel thief aged to what they might look like now. Tanner thinks it looks like Louise. Then Louise comes in her room in the middle of the night and has her pack, they leave to go when sirens are coming down their street.

The adventure begins! It is one wild ride too! The people, places, and situations they get into! Oh my! Louise has a dry wit that had me giggling. Everyone is after them! Great fun! Love the ending!
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this awesome book!

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise has been aptly compared to Thelma and Louise and Midnight Run. It tells the story of an unlikely duo--21-year-old Tanner and 84-year-old Louise on the run from Florida to California. As the trip unfolds, we learn more about what brought the two protagonists to where they are today. I thought the author did a great job of doling out information about the women's pasts in a way that made me re-evaluate my initial impressions of them and showed the women to be complex, fully-realized characters. The book was a light read but also explored some deep issues, such as domestic violence. Would definitely recommend!

I enjoyed this. Jubilee Jenkins was a fun, interesting character who was learning how to live in the world after being a recluse for nine years. Her mother's death made it necessary for her to leave her home, in spite of her fear of interacting with people due to her allergy to human skin (touching). Her employment at a local library led to a relationship with a young boy and his adoptive father. Interesting supporting cast and lessons.

I loved this book! I enjoyed the whole idea of the island and the interesting locals and the idea of her "invisible husband" that everyone goes along with. As a Marylander, I really enjoyed the locale although have never been to Smith Island on which Frick Island is based. Whether this just hit me at the right moment or not, this is the best book I have read in awhile and will look for more by this author.