Blog Tour + Review: "Hot Mess" by Elise Faber

Today, I am very excited to participate in the release blitz celebrating "Hot Mess" by Elise Faber, book #2 of the Life Sucks series. This book works relatively well as a standalone, though characters from the first book in the series ("Train Wreck") make cameo appearances in this one. I haven't read "Train Wreck" yet, so I was a little confused about how the male lead, Finn, knew the female lead, Shannon's, neighbor Pepper before arriving in Stoneybrook. Fortunately, it wasn't a major plot point and the synopsis for "Train Wreck" gave me enough clues about Pepper's past to make an educated guess, so I was able to follow along easily enough.  

 

A full review of "Hot Mess" is included at the end of this post, but in short, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I look forward to checking out more of Elise Faber's work in the future.

About "Hot Mess"

hot mess
noun

1. A disorganized, disaster at life.

2. Someone who excels at disorder and disarray.

3. A person who’s holding it together . . . but just barely.

4. Shannon Torres

Once upon time Shannon had been young and single. But then she’d met Brian and they’d gotten married . . . and now she was single again, only this time she had the best little girl on the planet to show for it.

Which was pretty much the only thing that was going right in her life.

Brian, her lousy cheating ex, was finally out of the picture, and she was left with an expensive house, a car payment she could barely afford, and a job that left her drained at the end of the day.

She was barely hanging on.

Then she met Finn. The number one movie star in the world. The most beautiful man she’d ever laid eyes on. Also, quite possibly the only man whose life might be a bigger hot mess than her own.

And he wanted her . . .

No, this couldn’t go wrong at all.

My Review

A completely unnecessary photo of Baby Yoda reading about himself in "Hot Mess." Because Baby Yoda!

"Hot Mess" by Elise Faber was a funny, cute, and sweet story that tackled a few serious subjects along the way, most notably the impact of trauma on both survivors and their loved ones. Main characters Finn and Shannon were very likeable and well-developed, and the engaging plot kept me turning the pages all afternoon long. That said, I have to admit my favorite thing about this book was that the author found a way to incorporate her love of Star Wars, which I share, and even mentioned my favorite character from "The Mandalorian," Baby Yoda (aka The Child). :-)

Shannon and Finn became friends quickly, and at first it seemed as if there was a bit of insta-love going on, particularly on Finn's side. Shannon was clearly still coming to terms with her divorce, however, and was nowhere near ready to start a new relationship. As a result, the story turned into more of a slow burn, friends-to-lovers romance as the timeline stretched out over several months. In the end, I was really happy with the way their relationship progressed and thought that it was perfectly paced.

I loved that Finn managed to stay so grounded despite the incredible level of fame and success he'd achieved as an actor. He came to Stoneybrook alone, with no assistant or anyone else to take care of him, and even helped Shannon out with mundane chores like dishes without being asked. I also enjoyed the teasing relationship he developed with Shannon's young daughter, Rylie. She was a wonderful kid and deserved to have someone like Finn in her life who appreciated how special she was, especially since her biological father acted like a total jerk most of the time.

I liked Shannon as well, particularly her determination to keep going no matter what hardships she faced and the fact that she always put her daughter first. However, I have to say it bothered me a little that she kept referring to herself as a "brown girl" with no context, and as if it were a derogatory term. My assumption is that Shannon was trying to say she was Hispanic, but the only real clue was her last name of Torres. Confusingly, however, Torres was her married name, so it could have been that her ex-husband was Hispanic while Shannon was actually Irish or something (just speculating based on her first name). 

At any rate, that was a relatively minor annoyance, and overall I really enjoyed "Hot Mess" and would recommend it for all fans of contemporary romance and romantic comedy. I look forward to checking out more of Ms. Faber's work in the future.

*ARC provided by the author via L. Woods PR. All opinions expressed are my own.