Giveaway & Review ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE by JESS RILEY @jessrileywrites

“WANTED: a whole new family to share holidays with. Please have a good heart and be a thoughtful, polite person. No sociopaths, no pedophiles, no fans of the Kardashians. We’re not weirdos, I promise. I love old Steve Martin movies, new Steve Martin banjo tunes, Indian food, and reruns of Bob Ross painting happy little trees. So if you’re looking for something other than the typical family dysfunction this Christmas, drop us a line.”

After losing her beloved mother to cancer, 37-year-old Jaime Collins must confront the ugly fact that she and her siblings don’t actually like one another. At all. Fueled by grief and an epic argument at Thanksgiving dinner, Jaime decides to ‘divorce’ her siblings and posts an ad on Craigslist for a new family for Christmas. 

From the Author

I wrote All the Lonely People two years ago, after I was hit pretty hard by the Story Question Stick: what would drive someone to post an ad for a new family, and what kind of people would answer it? In answer to the first part, things would have to be pretty sour with that family of origin … and to the second: well, can you hear the Benny Hill theme music from here?

The sibling dynamic also fascinates me; and when one or both parents are gone, it seems like brothers and sisters face the real test of their relationship. (Speaking of which, my parents are both alive and well. My mother likes to joke about this book, though: “This is the one I die in, right?”)

I hope that when you finish reading, you’ll want to call your sister, hug your spouse, write a haiku, visit someone in a nursing home, adopt a three-legged dog. This is as close as I’ll come to writing a Hallmark movie (on acid), and I hope it warms your heart, even a little.

SOURCE: AUTHOR

MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT

Jaime, the youngest of three, has spent the last year caring for her mother who died from Ovarian cancer.  Her oldest sister has always been perfect and dynamic, soaring quickly through law school and ignoring the fact that she has a family.  Her older brother and his sarcasm has used Jaime as the butt of his jokes to the point of being cruel.  The only reason she puts up with this oaf is because of his daughter, Hannah.  So when even his religious wife can’t contain his anger, Jaime loses it at Thanksgiving when he baits her one last time.  She decides that she is fed up with her non feeling sister and ignorant brother and puts an ad on CraigsList for a new family to spend Christmas.

The four people that answer the ad are truly characters.  An elderly lady that is an artist and truly has her act together but too far from her family.  A single man with a passion for  rescuing dachshunds! A transgendered person that is truly a wonder and full of understanding even though she has been abused constantly and now estranged from her extremely Christian family.  A young college student who just lost the love of her life in a car accident.  When all of these people come together for a holiday dinner, things get increasingly strange but they do form a bond that will leave life long emotions.

I really enjoyed the whole story and found it really believable. The characters were all people I seemed to recognize.  Jaime realizes that her family will never be what she wants it to be and her husband, Eric doesn’t have the family she needs/wants.  I appreciate that he went along with the whole scheme with good humor and love.  Even though it doesn’t go exactly how Jaime wants it to go, I think she got just what she needed.  I adored Riley’s writing and the humor she captures in little things.  If you enjoy Laurie Notaro’s fiction works, you are going to love this one.