The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

Summary:

Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City.

Usually grounded and mild mannered, Amy finally lets her hair down in the city that never sleeps. She discovers a life filled with culture, sophistication, and—with a little encouragement from her friends—a few blind dates. When one man in particular makes quick work of Amy’s heart, she risks losing herself completely in the unexpected escape, and as the summer comes to an end, Amy realizes too late that she must make an impossible decision: stay in this exciting new chapter of her life, or return to the life she left behind.

But before she can choose, a crisis forces the two worlds together, and Amy must stare down a future where she could lose both sides of herself, and every dream she’s ever nurtured, in the beat of a heart. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This book was super cute and I read in just a few sittings.  Harms is funny, makes the characters easily relatable, and was a refreshing pick-me-up after some heavy books.  The idea of #momspringa completely cracked me up.  It was great to see how Amy had to balance the re-finding her hobbies and self while also maintaining her home life.  Essentially, this was a fantastic romantic comedy that I would 100% watch as a movie.

There have been a series of books recently that talk about how folks balance the challenges of family, career, and being true to yourself which I find interesting.  It’s good these topics are being explored more openly as I believe there are no one-size-fits-all solutions.   BUT if those topics don’t appeal to you, this book will not do it for you.

Warning: Contains repeated sexual content.

Rating: 4 stars!

Who should read it? Folks looking for a light fun read of self-discovery and re-finding your hobbies.