Last year I participated in the Publication Tour for Amy Cole Has Lost Her Mind by Elizabeth Mcgivern and I immediately fell in love with both Liz’s writing style and her character’s. Having eagerly anticipated the release of the next instalment I was disappointed to have to place it on my TBR for a while due to other book commitments. Finally, having cleared (some) of my TBR pile backlog I couldn’t wait to get started on Amy Cole Is Zen and I’m sharing my thoughts on this new(ish) release in today’s post. Enjoy!
Synopsis
Ding Dong the bitch is dead
The inner bitch, that is
It’s been almost two years since Amy Cole walked through the door of her therapist’s office and now she’s ready to emerge as the sane, zen-like woman she has always wanted to be. Unfortunately for Amy, life has the nasty habit of not playing along.
There’s no time for a quiet life with a business to run, family life to balance and a newly-single best friend to keep an eye on.From getting embroiled in a feud with a maniacal diet guru, making sure Elle isn’t murdered by strangers from the internet and dealing with the mother-in-law from hell, mayhem always seems to find a way into Amy’s life.
Elle De Bruyn is on the cusp of finalising her divorce and is ready to jump, head-first, into dating once again. She soon learns that finding love in the 21st century is a tricky business. She lives in hope that somewhere in between the liars, cheats and unsolicited dick pics there’s still a chance for one more great love affair.
With life in a constant state of chaos, it doesn’t take long for Amy to realise that therapy was the easy part and now it’s time for the real work to begin.
Is sanity really all it’s cracked up to be?
Review
This book begins as Amy Cole is embarking on her final therapy session and after 2yrs she feels she has this thing called life figured out. Unfortunately for Amy the end is only just the beginning and for her life is NEVER simple. With unconventional best friend and business partner Elle requesting help with the world of dating, a critical Mother and nightmare Mother In Law it really isn’t any wonder that the ‘zen’ she thought she had mastered swiftly abandons ship.
Hopping from one chaotic scenario to the next poor Amy is stretched to her limits trying to hold everything together and be everything to everyone. But, when Elle decides to remarry Amy has some serious choices to make; should she support her friend or continue to alienate her by spouting her opinions?
AMAZING, it the first thought that comes to mind when thinking about this book. Liz McGivern has excelled herself and written a cracker of a sequel that is even more hilarious than the original. Her characters are extremely well-written and so relatable to me as a Mum that I find myself nodding along whilst drying the tears of laughter from my eyes. Some of the situations Amy finds herself in are not only hilarious, but also ones I could imagine myself ending up in which magnifies the hilarity ten-fold.
The relationship between Amy and Elle has been developed beautifully in this book, they are real #friendshipgoals and they complement each other perfectly despite their differences. I also really enjoyed the character progression of Amy’s long-suffering husband Ben, I’m not sure my hubby would be quite as forgiving of my behaviour!
McGivern has a real talent for combining serious issues with humour and this novel offers the perfect balance of both. It deals honestly and realistically with family, friendship and life all mixed together to create a fabulously uplifting story. This is a real compulsive read that had me hooked immediately, having to practically prise myself away from it when the school run called!
Although this is the second book in the Amy Cole series it does work perfectly well as a standalone read. There are however several references to the previous book and if you are like me and want to know everything about the character’s backstory’s then it would definitely be worthwhile reading Amy Cole Has Lost Her Mind*
This novel ends with the door firmly wedged open for the next chaotic chapter in the lives of Amy and Elle and I can’t wait to see what trouble they get up to in the next instalment. Amy Cole Has It All Figured Out is due for release later in the year and it will be fast-tracked to the top of my TBR pile when it is, I just wish I didn’t have to wait so long!
About The Author
Elizabeth McGivern is a former journalist turned hostage-in-her-own-home surrounded by three men and a horrible dog named Dougal.
In an effort to keep her sanity she decided to write a parenting blog after the birth of her first son so she can pinpoint the exact moment she failed as a mother.
In an unexpected turn of events, the blog helped her to find a voice and connect with parents in similar situations; namely those who were struggling with mental health issues and parenting. It was because of this encouragement – and wanting to avoid her children as much as possible – her debut novel, Amy Cole has lost her mind, was born.
Elizabeth lives in Northern Ireland although wishes she could relocate to Iceland on a daily basis.
To witness her regular failings as a parent you can find her visit her on her website Mayhem and Beyond
You can also follow Elizabeth on social media; Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Amy Cole Is Zen As F*ck is available to purchase from Amazon*
Fraser’s Fun House 
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