Category: 5 Stars

Janet Evanovich: One For The Money

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Rundown: Washed up Stephanie Plum needs a job, so she blackmails her cousin Vinny into making her a bounty hunter, and her first case is to track down an accused killer, who also happens to be her old high school flame.

Written by Janet Evanovich Published 1994

Here’s where it all begins. Here, we meet one of my all time favorite heroines, Stephanie Plum. I think I like her so much because she’s such. a. mess. Divorced and on the brink of not being able to pay her rent, Stephanie Blackmails her cousin Vinny (because don’t all Italians have a cousin named Vinny?) into giving her a job as a bounty hunter. Her first job is to bring in her ex, vice cop Joe Morelli. I mean, if we’re betting here, I’m going to give the odds to the cop, not the former lingerie buyer who can’t load a gun. To say she’s unqualified for the position is the understatement of the year. Her first attempt to nab Morelli ends badly. Enter Ranger, badass Cuban bounty hunter tasked with bringing her up to speed. Poor Ranger, he didn’t have a clue what he was getting into. But bounty on Morelli is $10,000, so it’s not like Stephanie can pass it up. Morelli is accused of shooting an unarmed man, but he claims he shot him in self defense. With Joe trying to clear his name, and Stephanie trying to bring him down, hilarity ensures.

I won’t go into too much detail here, because if you’re a plum virgin, I most certainly don’t want to ruin your first time. This one is a little darker than the other books in the series but Evanovich does a great job at balancing some of the darker elements with belly busting laughs.

We meet Stephanie’s extended circle which includes her pervy cousin Vinny who owns the bail bonds agency and his Betty Boopesque office manager Connie. Also in the mix are Stephanie’s mom who irons when she gets stressed, her Grandma Mazur who causes much of the stress, Joe’s grandma Bella who likes to give people “the eye”, and Stephanie’s adorable hamster, Rex. It’s also the beginning of a 27 book long love triangle between Stephanie, Joe and Ranger.

I should also mention that this book was turned into a movie by the same name. I tried to watch is, but it’s so cringy couldn’t get past the first 20 minutes. 10/10 don’t recommend watching it. Read the book instead. You’ll thank me later.

Jessica Simpson: Open Book

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Rundown: Celebrity writes a book about their life.

Written and Narrated by Jessica Simpson. Published 2020.

I’m going to give Mrs. Jessica Simpson a five star rating on this book based on enjoyability alone. Full disclosure, I listened to the audiobook version which she narrated herself. I’ve been a fan since I watched her on The Newlyweds, which seems to be about 100 years ago. And even though she doesn’t sing my preferred kind of music, no one can deny the lady is a power house. Open Book brings us through her life from the very beginning and doesn’t skirt around the dirty details. She speaks openly about her abuse as a child, treats her marriage to Nick with respect, and shows the love she feels for music. As someone who is not religious, I was a bit nervous as anyone who is familiar with the singer knows how strong her faith is. An while it was a prevailing theme in the book, it isn’t pushy or in your face. I was also floored by the dirty details of her relationship with John Mayer and Johnny Knoxville (my teenage crush), and I also completely forgot she dated Tony Romo. I’m a little miffed she didn’t talk about Ashley’s SNL fiasco, but I guess that isn’t her story to tell.

Listening to the audiobook of this was like sitting down for a chat with an old friend. She plows through the tough stuff like abuse, supporting her family, divorce, breakups and addiction with such force and finesse you can’t help but be impressed with her.

I’ll admit, I didn’t go into this book thinking it would be anything of substance, but I was proved wrong over and over again. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m off to watch Dukes of Hazzard (which is on Netfilx at the time of the publication of this review) and drool over Knoxville and Jess’s legs.

This audiobook was borrowed from my local library using the Libby App.