Saturday, April 9, 2022

BLOG TOUR - If You Ask Me

Title:   If You Ask Me
Author:  Libby Hubscher
Publisher:  Berkley
Genre:   Romance
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   368
Date of Publication:   March 8, 2022
My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Violet Covington pens Dear Sweetie, the most popular advice column in the state of North Carolina. She has an answer for how to politely handle any difficult situation…until she discovers her husband, Sam, has been cheating on her. Furious and out of sensible solutions, Violet leaves her filter at the door and turns to her column to air her own frustrations. The new, brutally honest Dear Sweetie goes viral, sending more shock waves through Violet’s life. When she burns Sam’s belongings in a front-yard, late-night bonfire, a smoking-hot firefighter named Dez shows up to douse the flames, and an unexpected fling quickly shows potential to become something longer lasting.

A lot of people want to see the old polished Violet return—including her boss, who finds her unpredictability hard to manage, and Sam, who’s begging for another chance. But Dez appreciates Violet just the way she is—in fact, he can’t get enough of her. The right answers don’t come easily when Violet finds herself at her own personal crossroads. But maybe, by getting real, Violet can write her own happy ending.


MY THOUGHTS:

The ever-popular advice columnist Miss Sweetie is none other than Violet Covington. For as long as possible, Violet kept her identity a secret. However, soon to go viral due to what was most definitely heartbreaking for her proves a definite avenue to a happy future.

Now, this book touches on some very serious issues and this would be a good time to mention those - adultery, infertility, miscarriage, anxiety and more. However, Libby Hubscher weaves a gentle story where she manages to handle these sensitive subjects with grace. 

Violet's life all but comes to a screeching halt when she discovers her husband in bed with their neighbor. They did not have the perfect marriage, but Violet never thought she would end up the innocent victim as a result of adultery. In short, Violet loses it. She kicks him out, burns his belongings and does even more. In fact, due to her suddenly reckless actions she comes into contact with Dez, a fireman who is called to action more than once.

Meanwhile, Violet's frustrations about her life end up flavoring the advice she gives in the column, sometimes ending up with disastrous results. Will the fact that the sexy fireman Dez can change her life for the good, all while she finds a way to process the end of her marriage and to find solid footing in her life once again?

If You Ask Me has just beome my favorite book so far this year. I loved the sensitive nature of this story, and enjoyed the changes that Violet experienced, although many of what she went through were more than painful. Kudos to Libby Hubscher for writing such a relatable character, one who knew she needed growth and change, and allowing such to happen in the pages of this book.

Many thanks to Berkley and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - 



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Libby Hubscher is a women's fiction author and scientist. She studied biology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and holds a doctor of philosophy in molecular toxicology from North Carolina State University. Her work has appeared online and in textbooks, scientific journals, and literary journals. In 2018, her short story "The Unwelcome Guest" was long-listed for the Wigleaf Top 50. During the week, she is a coffee-fueled value communications writer for an innovative health economics outcomes research boutique. In her free time, she enjoys reading, painting, playing tennis, and watching Mandarin-language dramas. She lives just outside Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband, two young children, and a menagerie of pets, including two dogs, two cats who believe they are dogs, two parakeets, and a bearded dragon named Bubbles. You can find her on Twitter @emhubscher and on Instagram @libbyhubscher.

Her debut novel MEET ME IN PARADISE, is forthcoming from Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in March 2021. She is represented by the amazing Sharon Pelletier of Dystel, Goderich and Bourret Literary Management. For publicity inquiries, please contact Chelsea Pascoe cpascoe@penguinrandomhouse.com


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