Friday, January 31, 2014

GUEST REVIEW: ALL MY RESTLESS LIFE TO LIVE by Dee DeTarsio




Title: All My Restless Life to Live
Author: Dee DeTarsio
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: April 29, 2013
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz
Source: From Author for Review
Ellen’s rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Fans of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner will delight in Dee DeTarsio’s sparkling prose and lively dialogue as she takes readers into the heart of women’s lives.

Life is a soap opera, especially for Elle Miller, who writes for one. (Ellen dropped the “n” in her name in hopes of finding a better ending for herself.) When her laptop crashes, she borrows her recently deceased dad’s computer and gets way more than she bargained for. 

Elle unravels mysterious communications from his computer, while her mom decides to give Internet dating a try. As Elle tries to save her career at I’d Rather Be Loved with a storyline featuring a trip through Atlantis, she takes a trip to the Emmys, and finds herself in the middle of a romance between a real doctor and a hunk who just plays one on TV. 

Friends, family, and clues from “the other side” all help Elle figure out the difference between living the good life and living a good life. 

Filled with friendship, love, loss, betrayal, and challenges that force her characters to find their place in the universe, Dee’s novels give us that hopefully-ever-after we're searching for.

Dee DeTarsio is a Winner of The 2013 San Diego Book Awards, Romance category, for Haole Wood, as well as a 2013 Next Generation Indie Awards Finalist.




REVIEW

It is guaranteed that I'll laugh and giggle myself through any book by Dee DeTarsio, and All My Restless Life to Live is no exception to this rule. When Elle Miller steals her deceased father's computer, it gets her in hospital to begin with and ends up boosting her career. What are the chances of it helping her find closure about her father's death and winning her the love of her life?

I simply couldn't put this book down once I started reading. Not only is it incredibly funny, it is also written in a captivating way that moves the story along all the time to the next bit of excitement. From her never-a-dull-moment life at work and being bitten by her aspiring boyfriend's niece, to a snake at an awards ceremony, Elle's life indeed seems to be full of said excitement.

The main character is fleshed out and realistic with hilarious thought patterns and tongue-in-cheek inner dialogue.

"I peered at him through my lashes because I had always wanted to do that on a date."

Elle's sharp sense of humor and her wickedly witty mouth makes for a totally unforgettable character.

"Let’s just hope he doesn’t get hurt patting himself on the back and covering his ass at the same time."

Apart from the humor this book also addresses the question of an afterlife, religion and reincarnation in a lighthearted way. Two kids, who had recently lost their parents, bring a touch of gentle seriousness to the story.

The reader gets a look at the behind the scenes life of creating a soap opera as well as at the anxious and funny moments on set.

There are several romantic scenes, be they acted, imagined or real, in this book. The author even includes some of the angst that often accompanies romance.

For an extremely entertaining read with some seriousness to ponder, I recommend All My Restless Life to Live as an absolute must read. Again Dee DeTarsio has convinced me that she is one of the sharpest, wittiest writers out there today.




PURCHASE LINKS



ABOUT the AUTHOR


DEE DeTARSIO is a TV writer living in southern California. After growing up in Ennui, Ohio, and graduating from The Ohio State University she vowed never to be cold again (in a tantrum more worthy of Suellen than Scarlett) and ended up in Tucson, Arizona, producing the news for the CBS affiliate, oddly enough called KOLD-TV. She moved to San Diego where she worked in the SeaWorld entertainment department as a producer/writer. (Penguins are mean!) She then became a producer/writer for the NBC affiliate.

Dee is the author of hopefully-ever-after novels: HAOLE WOOD (Winner in The San Diego Book Awards, and Finalist in Next Generation Indie Book Awards), THE SCENT OF JADE, THE KITCHEN SHRINK (both finalists in The San Diego Book and Writing Awards),'TIL SOMEBODY LOVES YOU, ROS, and ALL MY RESTLESS LIFE TO LIVE.

Though her mother never beat her (that hard) and her father is not a celebrity, she suspects one of her four sisters is a vampire.

(She only goes back to visit Ohio for two days in early October because she is equally scared of tornadoes and getting trapped in a snowstorm.) 



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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, Ellen! I love this review (and you!) so much! Thank you for reading All My Restless Life to Live and for writing such an amazing review. I really had fun with this, and I am so glad that you did, too! Thank you, again! (Me and my exclamation points signing off, for now!)

Ginny @ Gin's Book Notes said...

Terrific review and I agree this book is fantastic. It was the first book of Dee's that I have read but it definitely won't be my last.

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