A Thirty-Something Girl

I was taken aback at how much emotion I felt while reading "A Thirty-Something Girl." I was expecting something a bit lighter, something without the heft that Ms. Stull actually created. But the characters brought real emotion right to my front door. The place was teeming with it.

You'll get no plot re-hash from me. Others do it better and I have no time for such things since I like all readers to truly experience a plot and set of characters without the taint of others' interpretations. What I can and will tell potential readers is that I believe L.M. Stull is a gifted writer. There is an arc here, both to the book and to its main protagonist. She has conjured something that feels real. She has captured a viewpoint as if it really happened to real people. Like really-real and not that 90210 kind of way that glosses it all over. What weight, what trueness in how actual, living, breathing people behave.

My hat remains off to the author. She has done something few have: gotten me to feel deep emotion while I read.

I think the draw to A Thirty-Something Girl--beyond Ms. Stull's fantastic writing--is the 'realness' of the characters and story. This is not to say it's everyday or forgettable, nothing like that; rather, it offers an unflinching look at the trials, tribulations and, most importantly, triumphs of adulthood through a character, Hope, that is relatable. That we instantly connect with. That we root for. And this is a testament more than anything to Ms. Stull's storytelling ability, keeping us hooked from page one.

Bottom line: I cannot recommend this novel enough. I cannot wait to see what Ms. Stull writes next.

A Thirty-Something Girl is a story about a woman in crisis working her way back to the world of the living. Hope is not looking forward to turning thirty. Making matters worse, her husband of ten years has left her for another woman, she's lost her job, miscarried a baby, lost all her money in the stock market and her condo is about to be foreclosed upon. Fortunately, Hope has great friends.

With the love and support of her friends, Clara and Emma, Hope slowly begins to pull her life back together and realize her true potential. We follow our extremely likeable, and often times humorous protagonist through the at times painful, but ultimately rewarding emotional ups and downs of leaving a shaky past behind and finding a new career and a new soul mate in a brighter future.

As a male reader I have to say I found myself falling for Hope, and at times feeling jealous of Sam, the love interest. In Hope Jackson, Ms. Stull has created a very realistic character with hopes, fears and passions all of us can relate to. I'd recommend this novel to anybody who has ever felt like giving up, but has been able to overcome life's obstacles with the love and assistance of true friends. L.M. Stull is a writer of great talent. I look forward to many other great works by her.

I usually don't dip into the literary romance genre, but L.M. Stull's book was a pleasant surprise and has inspired me to check out a few more titles like hers. It has lots of heart and just the right amount of sugar - the perfect book for burrowing into a warm corner of your house and reading it cover to cover. Even though the main character, Hope, has seen more than her fair share of hard times, the book focuses on the upswing and her struggles to get back to happy. I don't recommend many books to my wife, but I'll definitely give her A Thirty-Something Girl.

So much mush, I could feed an entire geriatric ward. This book is so sappy, I could make gallons of syrup. Do you get what I'm saying? But I know that is some people's boat. The few steamy scenes were very steamy, but it was just too apologetic for my taste.

I listened to the audio version of this book and I found the narrator to be a bit monotone for me. The speed was great though. Just, a bit of animation during exciting parts would have been nice.

Not my cup of tea.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Everything.. i think it's stupid you require more words than I have to say do you realize my problem is I never shut up already!