Colleen Oakley

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years and Jane isn't sure they're going to make it to twenty. She's a stay-at-home mom whose teenagers no longer need her, her one published novel sold fewer than five hundred copies, and she's fairly certain Dan is having an affair. She's done. When Dan surprises her with a reservation at La Fin du Monde — an absurdly exclusive, cliff-top restaurant in Southern California that costs a thousand dollars a head for dinner — Jane decides the show more occasion is as good as any to ask for a divorce. They make it through the amuse-bouche. Before the second course arrives, a group of masked climate activists burst into the dining room carrying assault rifles.
Jane is stunned — and not just because she's suddenly a hostage. She's stunned because everything the bumbling, disorganized activists are doing and saying is pulled straight from the pages of her failed novel. The leader, a man named Brick, is following the exact playbook Jane wrote six years ago in her book Tea Is for Terror — about an evil gang taking over a high-end teahouse in London. Nobody read that book. Or so she thought. Since Jane is the only person in the room who knows how her own plot ends, she and Dan may be the only ones who can stop it. Told in alternating perspectives between Jane and Dan, with flashbacks weaving in the story of their marriage alongside the hostage crisis. Funny, sharp, and surprisingly moving about midlife and the identity crisis of empty-nest motherhood.

[May contain spoilers]
The affair suspicion turns out to be a misread — the texts Jane found weren't what she thought, and the truth about what Dan has actually been up to reframes the emotional core of the novel in a genuinely sweet way. Working together to survive the hostage situation — with Jane's fictional knowledge as their unlikely superpower — forces the couple to actually talk to each other properly for the first time in years. There's also a reckoning for Jane around her daughter Sissy and whether she pushed her toward things she wanted rather than what Sissy actually wanted. The ending is warmly hopeful without being saccharine.
What I think: This is warm, funny, propulsive, and quietly devastating about the specific loneliness of a long marriage where you've stopped seeing each other clearly. The hostage premise is delightfully absurd and Oakley uses it to get at real emotional truth. Jane's voice is the stronger of the two POVs. show less

Daisy has already beat cancer once. But now it's back. What she does to deal with the news is both heart-breakingly poignant and at the same time unsatisfyingly detached. I wanted to laugh at some of the things Daisy did while yelling at her for the things she was missing. I was worried this would be too sad but it had just enough humor to keep it from being maudlin.
If the story were just about Daisy though the book would be good but not terrific what adds to the story is the reminder that show more cancer isn't just about the person with the diagnosis but those that love Daisy: Jack, her husband; her mom; and Kayleigh, her best friend. How do you support the person you love knowing right now their emotions have to come first while your pain is just as strong? That consideration, especially the end is what makes the book special. show less

Emotional and realistic…Daisy Richmond receives the devastating news that her cancer is back, and it is a particularly aggressive one. She does not think her husband Jack can take care of himself. So, it becomes her mission to find a new wife for her husband before she dies. But can she handle seeing him fall in love with another woman? There were times that Daisy comes off as hard and pushes people away. But perhaps that is a normal reaction. She had to struggle with letting go or holding show more on. I really felt like Oakley portrayed Daisy’s emotions with realism, and she made me feel them also. She made me think about what I would do if I knew I was going to die…soon.

The characters are likable, believable, and well-developed. I became emotionally invested in these characters. Daisy’s best friend Kayleigh provided just the right amount of comic relief, so the story was not overly depressing. In fact, it is ultimately a feel-good story. Oakley finds just the right balance. The love between Daisy and Jack and between Daisy and Kayleigh filled my heart.

The emotions expressed are so realistic they are likely to bring on a good cry, so keep tissues close. It was a beautiful journey.

This was a good read, and I recommend it to others. show less

Jane is having a mid-life crisis - her first and only novel was published 6 years ago and she keeps getting rejects on her current book because really no one read her first book. She's getting close to becoming an empty-nester when her daughter leaves for college. Her son will still be at home but she knows it won't be long before he leaves too. To top it all, she is bored and aggravated with her husband of 19 years. They don't talk anymore or do anything fun - they are just trapped in a rut show more and she wants some excitement in her life. Plus she has seen some texts on his phone that have convinced her that Dan is cheating on her. From Dan's point of view, they have a great life and a fulfilling marriage and when she tells him at their anniversary dinner than she wants a divorce, he is shocked.

They are having an anniversary dinner at a very high scale restaurant when several armed people enter and take all of the diners and the staff hostage. It's an underground climate activist group and no one really knows why they've been taken hostage. The activists are very confused and very unorganized but Jane soon realizes that a lot of their dialogue and what is happening is directly taken from her failed first novel. She realizes that she and Dan are the only ones who know what's going to happen next and that they are the only ones that can save everyone.

I really liked Jane from the first page -- her mental dialogue is often hilarious and there were several times that I laughed out loud when she was talking to Dan and later when she was trying to keep everyone safe. Dan is just the opposite - he's quiet and loving but together they are both hilarious. How will they handle this dangerous situation together? Not only are Jane and Dan quirky but some of the other diners and several of the activists are fun too.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a funny but realistic book about a woman who wants more excitement out of her life and blames her husband and family. It takes a dangerous situation to convince her that her life may really be just perfect. show less