Goodbye Earl: A Revenge Novel
Four women take fate into their own hands in this big-hearted story of friendship, resilience, and revenge on monstrous men, from the award-winning author of Half-Blown Rose. Taking inspiration from the infamous, empowering song, Goodbye Earl follows four best friends through two unforgettable summers, fifteen years apart. In 2004, Rosemarie, Ada, Caroline, and Kasey are in their final days of high school and on the precipice of all the things teenagers look forward to when anything in life seems possible . . . from falling in love, to finding their dream jobs, to becoming who they were meant to be. In 2019, Kasey has returned to her small Southern hometown of Goldie for the first time since high school--and she still hasn't told even her closest friends the truth of what really happened that summer after graduation, or what made her leave so abruptly without looking back. Now reunited with her friends in Goldie for a wedding, she's determined to focus on the simple joy of being together again. But when she notices troubling signs that one of them might be in danger, she is catapulted back to that fateful summer. This time, Kasey refuses to let the worst moments of her past define her; this time, she knows how to protect those she loves at all costs. Uplifting, sharp-edged, and unapologetic, Goodbye Earl is a funeral for all the "Earls" out there--the abusive men who think they can get away with anything, but are wrong--and a celebration of enduring sisterhood.
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Community Reviews
I was so excited when I came across Goodbye Earl by Leesa Cross-Smith. The title of the book instantly caught my attention and I previously LOVED This Close to Okay by Cross-Smith. But unfortunately, this book did not work for me. I ended up DNFing this book around 35%.
The overall premise is interesting to me, four friends reunite for one of their sister's wedding in their small southern hometown. The timeline jumps between 2004, their senior year of high school, and the present (2019).
The POV shifts between the girls both in the present and past timelines. There are a LOT of characters mentioned, each girl has her own relationships, family members, friends, etc. I just could not keep people straight.
This book is SLOW. In the part I read, I felt like a whole lot of nothing happened. I loved Cross-Smith's lyrical and descriptive writing in This Close to Okay, but in Goodbye Earl, it often felt repetitive and drawn out. Paragraph on paragraph about dresses, and lip color, and food/drink. I just couldn't get into it.
I assumed, based on the title, that this book was going to be a cozy mystery wrapped in a blanket of nostalgia and female friendship. After 35%, I wasn't really getting much of that and I just didn't feel like investing more time trying to slodge through it to get there (if it was there at all).
The overall premise is interesting to me, four friends reunite for one of their sister's wedding in their small southern hometown. The timeline jumps between 2004, their senior year of high school, and the present (2019).
The POV shifts between the girls both in the present and past timelines. There are a LOT of characters mentioned, each girl has her own relationships, family members, friends, etc. I just could not keep people straight.
This book is SLOW. In the part I read, I felt like a whole lot of nothing happened. I loved Cross-Smith's lyrical and descriptive writing in This Close to Okay, but in Goodbye Earl, it often felt repetitive and drawn out. Paragraph on paragraph about dresses, and lip color, and food/drink. I just couldn't get into it.
I assumed, based on the title, that this book was going to be a cozy mystery wrapped in a blanket of nostalgia and female friendship. After 35%, I wasn't really getting much of that and I just didn't feel like investing more time trying to slodge through it to get there (if it was there at all).
It started out and I said to myself, I just read this book! It was called ‘I love how you lie’. Four women and their ties, and hidden secrets about being in abusive relationships. I hated that other book. I like this one so much more, as the characters were not stupid and contrived, making bad decisions. Instead they were unique, smart and funny. All the character’s dialogue was crisp and actions were believable. A fun read.