Illinois Valley Woman Book Club

Working Their Mom Magic

In My BookO ur views on This Won’t End Well by Camille Pag án

After our fall book club pick, The Jetsetters, turned out to be a rather serious book full of dysfunction, we were looking for something a bit lighter for our winter selection. This Won’t End Well by Camille Pagán seemed to fit that bill with the promise of a quirky character, Annie Mercer.

Annie is a chemist facing a major life upheaval after having a fight with her best friend, a rift with her fiancé, and losing her job. She’s sworn off letting people into her life when she meets an amateur private detective and a glamorous new neighbor.

As always, we’ll let you know what we thought of this book without discussing any spoilers in case you haven’t read it yet.

JEANETTE SMITH, REGIONAL ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

This Won’t End Well was an enjoyable read. It was a feel-good book and is hard to put down without a smile on your face.

The lead character, Annie, is easy to relate to, and we are introduced to her at a point in her life where we have all been – swearing off something for good only to find ourselves right back into that situation.

Annie and the other characters are so relatable you feel as if you know them, or they remind you of people in your own life. If you are looking for a fun, easy read that ends up being a book about NOT closing yourself off to new things because of past failures, I would recommend reading This Won’t End Well.

SHANNON SERPETTE, NICHE EDITOR

As much as I love strong female characters in books, sometimes I feel modern-day authors go a bit overboard when writing all those tough-as-nails leading ladies in their books. As a fan of quirky characters who have their share of self-doubt and social awkwardness, I really enjoyed the character of Annie. As an intellectual who sometimes has trouble relating to other people, she was an enjoyable lead.

I enjoyed her realization during the course of the book that while relationships sometimes don’t make as much sense as science does, they’re still a wonderful way to spend your time and energy. With some mild mystery undertones thrown in, it was a quick read that kept me entertained the whole way through. The book we’ll be discussing in the next issue of Illinois Valley Woman is “The Guncle” by Steven Rowley.

To have your thoughts and observations on this book published in our next Illinois Valley Woman magazine, email sserpette@shawmedia.com by January 20. Please include your name and city of residence along with your comments, and make sure to let us know why you liked or disliked this book. And if you have any future book suggestions, we’d love to hear them.