Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 352 pages
Audiobook Length: 12 hours
First Published: 2023
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Rachael’s Review
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Tanner Quimby would rather sit around playing video games all day, but life takes money. So she finds a job as the live-in caregiver of an elderly woman. Indignant that her daughter is forcing a nanny upon her, Louise wants nothing to do with Tanner. When Tanner begins to wonder if Louise is actually an infamous jewel thief, they set out on an adventure to outrun the mistakes of their paths.
Even though I loved The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, Oakley’s last novel, I had a really hard time getting into this cheesy light-hearted story. I will say that I enjoyed Louise’s sense of humor but Tanner wasn’t a great protagonist, veering more toward annoying than likable. Readers seem to be raving about this one on Goodreads, but I wasn’t impressed with the story or the writing.
Publisher’s Description
Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.
One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon.Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.
The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m. insisting that they leave town immediately?
Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.
About Colleen Oakley
Colleen Oakley is the bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch, and Before I Go. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia.
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