Review

This is a review of Rebuilding Alexandra Small from ‘The Book Review Crew‘ as part of the launch blog tour for my new book – which in case I forgot to mention is on sale now in ebook and paperback from each and every bookseller in the whole galaxy. (perhaps)

Rebuilding Alexandra Small was truly a joy to read.  It evoked ALL the feels: happiness, anger, surprise, slight anxiety and…. did I mention anger?

The story centers around PR exec and WAG Allie, who, with her semi- famous athlete husband Jed, is trying to have a baby. I immediately got the DANGER vibe from the fertility doctor and instantly hated her. (I mean, I even surprised myself with the level of loathing I had for this woman, the moment I met her on the first page of Chapter 2.) I thought the story was moving one way, but Fanning tricked me a bit and it went in a whole ‘nother direction.

Suffice it to say, Jed is a pig and commits a piggish act.  And Allie is blindsided.  This story is truly how she rebuilds her life after an incredible betrayal. Mix in a ton of LOL moments and it was a really great read.

a bit of a roller coaster ride … But an enjoyable one, for sure!

The story moves fast; there are quirky characters and funny, funny one liners.  I had to remind myself a few times it was written by an Englishman so some of the slang cracked me up, where anyone living in the UK would probably read over it like we do with our popular swear words.  (To me, “I told him to get to f” is just hilarious. I don’t know why. I’ve never heard “f off” said like that.) Her family is funny and super supportive, even though the author lets us into Allie’s past where there were a host of bad decisions and dark times.  None of us are perfect, and Allie has some serious regrets of yesteryear. But unconditionally, her family loves her, even if her mother is a bit of a wild card.

Several different story lines orbit around Allie and Jed; the media who want the scandalous story and the bottom feeders who dig up dirt to keep Allie and Jed the front page’s headline. The relationships she has with her family play out, including  her father’s story and how it connects to her. She is forced to face past errors in judgement and coming to terms with what she really wants out of life.  Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to make you see where you want to go.

Fanning does a GREAT job of throwing us into ALL our emotions within these two hundred and sixty eight pages.   It really is amazing. I could be ready to reach into the pages of this book to throttle Jed and then someone drops a one-liner that almost makes me wet myself from laughing. (It’s a thing folks. I’m 46. It happens). He also does a great job of making Allie accountable, not simply a damsel in distress. So many female characters are “rescued” and that is so old and boring.  Allie falls on hard times, and it is hard for her to pick up.  She is betrayed and lied to, but doesn’t run right into the arms of someone else to feel better.  (Although there is this one guy….there is ALWAYS a guy….) The price of being a famous athlete’s wife is high and  when things goes awry, she is thrust into the unknown. She handles it with grace but also a little bit of grit, and gives a bit sour-tasting medicine right back to a couple  of mean, mean bitches. (You know who you are, but no spoilers here so you remain anonymous for now).

I think the book ties up nicely at the end and comes full circle, although it takes us on a bit of a roller coaster ride to get there. But an enjoyable one, for sure!

A solid, funny 5 star read! I will definitely be checking out his first book, “The Armchair Bride”.

This is a review for Rebuilding Alexandra Small from Handwritten Girl’s blog, as part of my book launch blog tour.

Six years sober, Alexandra Small has it all… and then one day, she very publicly doesn’t. When her perfect world crumbles, a face appears from Allie’s drunken past, hell bent on revenge. Can she rebuild her life before a stranger destroys it forever? And should she spend three weeks in an overheated shed having colonic irrigation with daytime TV’s Megan Macmillan? In this laugh out loud treat of a novel, Mo Fanning tackles the difficulties and misadventures of work, love, and being seen for who you really are.

Can I just say, that I loved this book!

a fun and witty story about new beginnings, love and facing new challenges that is genuinely lovely reading

I started reading it late on a Sunday evening which was a big mistake and spent most of Monday looking longingly at when I couldn’t read it.

The story is seen through the narrative of recovering alcoholic Allie, who’s life has fallen apart when her marriage to a famous footballer ends, she’s loses her job and someone is selling stories about to her the press.

All these things happen to Allie in a short time and not once does she give up. She keeps strong and is determined to reinvent herself and start a new career owning the childhood cafe that her and her best friend Izzy went to. She hires a handsome Polish solicitor called Tomas to sort out her divorce and like her, I found myself falling for the sweet character who’s like Allie in many ways.

I loved the characters in this book, they were vibrant, bitchy and strong females all out for justice and independence. Another character who was great was Megan, who was the face of daytime telly and is determined that Allie works with her to get both their careers back on track with her own failed marriage. She’s outspoken and ballsy and made for hilarious reading in parts.

The story is also written in the past tense in some parts, as Allie reflects on how she became an alcoholic and reliant on drink. This makes for sad reading at times, as her childhood was far from perfect with her own father battling depression.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I did have one small gripe. There was one character who was particularly vile to Allie and I would have loved to have seen more of her getting her comeuppance. Apart from that issue, this book was a fantastically uplifting read.

‘Rebuilding Alexandra Small’ is a fun and witty story about new beginnings, love and facing new challenges that is genuinely lovely reading.