A review by sandyd
Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Brendan Halpin
5.0
Very adult novel by an author whose teen books I love. It's hard for me to review this, partially because there is so much going on in the story, and partially because I now know the author reads these reviews. I did really enjoy it, though the characters (especially Philippa) annoyed me sometimes. I found myself thinking about them a lot after the book ended, which is the mark of a really good book (for me, anyway).
It's told in alternating male/female viewpoints (like some of Halpin's other books), and it is much less cutesy than the cover blurb would have you believe it is. It's basically the story of two damaged people finding each other, and all the failed relationships that led to this. There's a lot of good stuff about parenting, teachers, music, and dealing with abusive drunks in it, with some great sly snarkiness.
Reminds me a bit of the best of Jonathan Tropper and/or Jennifer Weiner.
It's told in alternating male/female viewpoints (like some of Halpin's other books), and it is much less cutesy than the cover blurb would have you believe it is. It's basically the story of two damaged people finding each other, and all the failed relationships that led to this. There's a lot of good stuff about parenting, teachers, music, and dealing with abusive drunks in it, with some great sly snarkiness.
Reminds me a bit of the best of Jonathan Tropper and/or Jennifer Weiner.