For the past few years, I have read a book by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella in the beginning of summer. It’s a great way to kick off the season, and I really look forward each new copy. This year’s edition is one of my favorites so far.

Usually I can relate to Lisa’s comments the best. I love her way of turning even the most ordinary of circumstances into something to be laughed at, and I often find myself nodding along in solidarity with another female dealing with life’s challenges. I love how she finds humor in her own foibles, and doesn’t even mind when her very own daughter points out a few.

On the other hand, Francesca adds a different dimension to the book, sharing stories of her life as a single woman. The back and forth between the two shows what a good relationship they have. As the mother of two sons, reading about their relationship, I feel that I would have enjoyed having a daughter. Not that I don’t love my sons, but a daughter to share the ups and downs of female life, would have been nice.

This book is definitely worth five stars. Add a bit of levity to your life, and pick up a copy of this; life is far too serious.

I did my best to keep it in. People don’t expect a quiet woman reading in her armchair to throw her head back and let loose.
But I had to.
The book that I was reading is that funny.
I was reading an advance copy of I See Life Through Rose-Colored Glasses by Lisa Scottline and Francesca Seritella. That’s rose as in rose wine, but I can’t figure out how to do the accent mark on my keyboard, so you’ll have to trust me. It’s wine and song and chocolate and dogs and what it’s like to be fully alive and figuring things out. It’s also the merriest, most uplifting book I’ve read in forever.
Scottoline, for those who don’t know, is a prolific, accomplished, NY Times bestselling author of legal thrillers. Her work features fully-realized characters, grace, wit, intelligence — need I say more? I am a total fan.
Her daughter Francesca is her co-author. This book is the eighth or so in their collaboration on short essays on all things modern living.
The book starts out frank and upfront about what they hope to accomplish: “We take real life and make it funny.”
And they do.
Incredibly and reliably so, such that a woman reading her advance copy quietly at a Starbucks is wailing with glee, mopping tears from hysterical, gut-wrenching laughter, and snuffling to calm herself down.
But I don’t want to calm down. I want to know Francesca’s guidance for the perfect break-up, Lisa’s garden, snakes, and dog grooming.
Don’t let me steer you wrong. It’s not all hilarity and merriment. There is plenty of straight-on serious thinking, bracing encouragement, and acknowledgement that sometimes a writer must sample every appetizer at a cocktail party for her research. Cake is mentioned — often. Naps are an Olympic event — and the Scottolines take gold.
The afternoon passed in a haze of uproarious laughter, people turning to stare at me, snorts of coffee through my nose. I stopped often to scrawl declarations such as this one from a piece about aspirational condiments: “That’s the story of being middle-aged. Realizing that the maraschino life will never be yours. Because the one you have is much better.”
Can you guess how I am going to review this book? Let’s see: smart, funny, opinionated, loving, snappy writing, tightly structured, wonderfully paced….Yes, this is going to be one of those happy FIVE-STAR reviews — which I secretly always long to give because that means I had a wonderful read, in this case a wonderful read through the tears of laughter, grins of recognition, admiration for a writing duo at the top of their form.

Every summer, I look forward to the newest episode of the Lisa and Francesca family saga. Each year, as this mother-daughter writing team releases their Chick Wit column in book form, I cannot wait to sit down with them to share in their laughter and to realize, no matter whom you are, the good and the bad in life finds us all.

In the past, I would listen to their most recent book while driving my daughter back to college or when I wandered on a journey to visit. This year, with her off on her own adventures, I look at their stories with a different eye. An eye of a mother with an adult child and realizing, though our stories are different, we each have those things that make us laugh, cry, confront tough decision, and realize no matter what Francesca says, the dating years, though trying, were also a lot of fun.

Maybe it is an age thing, but Lisa’s stories resonate with me. Aging is not easy, but the lessons from our past are what get us to our future. You have to face each day with humor or you will not make it. As Lisa said, her job is to make us laugh and that is what she did in this book. A moment or two of great aloud guffawing in an otherwise quiet place, may turn heads, but what is life without laughter and listening to the stories of two women whom have turned into friends.

4.5 Stars

Can I just say how much I love Lisa Scottoline?? She is not only a wonderful author but one of the funniest, sweetest women around...her personality just shines through in the essays she writes with her equally funny and fantastic daughter Francesca Serritella! 

I really do adore this mother-daughter duo, and their series of books about their real-life is just the best! They have such a wonderful relationship, and it makes reading their essays just that much better. The essays are just brilliant; they are personal, warm, witty, relatable, hysterical, and just so highly entertaining! Every time I read one, I start to imagine what it will be like when my own daughter, who just turned eight, is an adult, and I only hope she and I will have the same kind of relationship as Lisa and Francesca!!

These two talk about everything! And by that, I do mean everything: their dogs and cats, who are a tremendous part of their family (and I LOVE what a huge pet lover they both are, which only makes me adore the duo more!!), loss of a pet and how that is so shattering, snakes..in the toilet??, hearing about dating through the eyes of Francesca, the horrors of Spanx, receiving a do-it-yourself colonoscopy in the mail(!), technology issues, they touch on feminism, the strength of being a woman, and they made me feel so blessed and thankful to be a woman and part of a great group of women who just enrich my life and make it more meaningful every day...and I'm including them in this by just being a part of my life by sharing their stories and thoughts. And there is so much more in the book-no topic is off limits for them, but it is clean, fun humor with touches of sadness at times (I even cried) depending on what the duo is reminiscing about.

This was a perfect, quick book to read while sitting on the beach while on vacation or to read even if you aren't on vacation! It's just a perfect read!! If you want to read a wonderful collection of essays that will make you laugh or sometimes cry, then you need to pick up I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses asap! I can't wait to read their next book together! 

**Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my review copy in exchange for my fair and honest review.**

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories by mystery/thriller novelist Lisa Scottoline and her daughter. The duo collaborated on a newspaper column and this is the 9th collection of their work. Though Lisa is quite a character, I relate much more to Francesca and wish she'd write a book of her own.

Like most short story collections, the individual stories were a bit uneven. Some made me chuckle but others failed to engage me at all. I found myself dipping into it whenever I had a moment to enjoy these funny, relatable stories. All in all, this is a fun collection, perfect for whenever you need a quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love reading these stories. They are such fun to read and they are about things that really happened to them. Some of them are laugh out loud funny. One was very sad about one of Lisa's dogs, I cried. I always enjoy these books, it's a nice change. Sometime I will have to try their audiobooks. Lisa and her daughter Francesca do the recordings themselves. I received this ARC through NetGalley for an unbiased review.

I had a hard time stopping laughing long enough to write this review! I LOVED this book. It is a great read for anyone at any age, but if you have a daughter or a mother (wink), you can relate to all of this on a number of levels. This is a series of humorous essays/columns from Lisa and Francesca, a mother and daughter team of authors who have a wonderful gift for words. They write a weekly newspaper column titled “Chick Wit”, and many of these are excerpts from that. They sound just like your best girl friends, only much funnier. The short essays alternate voices, and they aren’t on the same topics( like tag-teaming), just reflections on life in general from their respective perspectives. Lisa reviews the aging process while Francesca gives ten rules for breaking up graciously. Lisa shares lessons learned from HER mother, and Francesca tells how she made friends with the Container Store to organize her bathroom, temporarily at least. And so much more! I am now hooked and will be searching out previous books in this series. I can’t think of a better way to lighten the day than to read these essays, so I plan to keep one of their books open in the Kindle app on my phone to enjoy any time I have to sit around and wait for something. Anyone nearby will be sure to see me giggling and laughing out loud and wonder how I manage to enjoy waiting around! I can’t wait to buy my own daughter a copy of this book. It sounds just like conversations we have had (but funnier)! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. They have made me an enduring fan!

This is a humor book of short stories from Lisa Scottoline and her daughter Francesca. They write about their lives and problems in an amusing way that is relatable to everyone from a mother-daughter perspective. Lisa writes more about the problems of aging while Francesca talks a lot about younger women's issues like dating.

The stories are all funny and naturally, some of them are better than others. It was a great book to pick up, read a few stories, put down again then start over a few days later.

I enjoyed this book a lot and recommend it. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I See Life Through Rosé Colored Glasses is a humorous and delightful read. Just what I needed especially right now. Everyone may be experiencing sunshine and warmth but it is the opposite for me. The temperatures have been dropping every day and the urge to stay indoors reading a book like this one has been getting stronger.

This book is the work of a mother daughter duo writing about their everyday experiences whilst sharing the occasional photo of their adorable dogs, which made reading this even better. The book is edited in a way that they have small alternating chapters with Lisa having two chapters and Francesca one. I wondered about that arrangement but I guess that is what worked for them.

Humor is a large part of this book and it starts right from the beginning. Some things especially in Lisa’s chapter will make you laugh out loud. For the most part though, it is a relatable kind of humor. The kind that makes you go like, ha ha I can totally relate to this except when she puts it like that, I don’t feel like a complete weirdo. At the start of this book, it looks like it would take some time to finish it but I flew right through the pages.

The chapters were short and I found myself reading more of them than I had planned in one seating. I recommend this book for those looking for a light and fun book to read especially on those cold nights.

This is the next book in the hilarious story collections by the mother/daughter team. I laughed, I cried, and I followed my grown daughter around reading the best chapters aloud to her. If you need a good laugh, then this is your book.

Quirky, weird and hilarious! From itchy back to expired makeup to petcam, every story in this book made me laugh. Going to The Lady Gaga concert to FaceTime calls, the mother-daughter relationship is so sweet or, should I say Aww? This book is one of a kind! With lovely pictures of the authors and their dogs to beautiful watercolors, I loved reading this book.
Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin's press for the ARC.

This is a collection of short stories by popular author Lisa Scottoline (though VERY different from the fiction books she writes) and her daughter Francesca. It’s the eighth book in the series, but it’s the only one I’ve ever read. The stories are funny and relatable, particular if you are in a mother/daughter relationship. Due to the nature of the book, it’s a quick read, perfect for summer travel. There’s a little bit of everything in here, from animals to music to technology. Where there are a few sad stories, the majority of them will have the reader chuckling along the way.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book, but I wasn’t required to leave a positive review.

If you only know Lisa Scottoline from her Thrillers, then you are in for a treat when she joins her daughter in this humorous series of true life stories of a mother and daughter and the way they view life as two adult women in different stages of life.

From Lisa we get the stuff a lot of us are dealing with. They make the every day hilarious and you can't help but laugh along as you are saying, " Oh my lord, I thought that was just me!" Well, it isn't just you and from the built-in bra dress to the napkin on her head I laughed so hard people came over and asked what I was reading. Of course I shared.

There is nothing Lisa won't tell you. Nothing. Including her obsession with Bradley Cooper and her aversion to air conditioning. It's fun to see Francesca's view as she navigates the dating scene and tries to face time her mother.

We desperately need a laugh these days, so I would recommend picking this up and posting up by the pool!

Netgalley/St.Martin's Press   July 10, 2018

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me an advanced reader copy of this book! This is currently one of my most favorite series of true stories between this mother and daughter writing team. They are so funny and so real that I think most people can relate. And, if you can’t relate to them then at least you can laugh about their real life occurrences. They share wonderful family stories, lots of dog stories, women stories in such an honest humorous way. I only have one more book in this series to read that I’ll make up over the summer. I am personally hoping it’s one where Mother Mary is still alive. I miss her but love that this team keep her alive through their books. I’d recommend anyone to start at the beginning of this series as this is book #9 and just read all of them. It is worth your time:-)

The many tales in this book prove as cleverly witty as the title! There is no end to the laughter and tears brought forth.

From the disco dust and Millennial spiral to the stuff from Lisa that hit home, i laughed and cried. I need to find the other books this dynamic mother-daughter duo have penned.

I am a fan of Lisa Scottoline’s mysteries but this is the first of her humorous books that I’ve had a chance to read. I love the short stories from her and her daughter . The honest, witty stories draw you into their world and are easy to relate to on many levels. Their love for their pets just adds more appeal to the stories they share with us. Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. I will definately be reading more of this series.

I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses,True Stories and Confessions by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella is a light, heartwarming read. These amusing mother-daughter stories show how close they are. They narrate snippets of their real, everyday life and share their rose-tinted thoughts on everything from birthdays, dresses, food, hobbies, travel, technology and many more.

Lisa and Francesca do it again! Through their hilarious, witty, and true tales, they make you laugh and cry- sometimes in the same story! I have read all of their books and recommend to anyone!

I just love reading the collaboration of stories between mother and daughter, Lisa and Francesca. The way the stories are laid out; it's always a great comparison to how events and experiences can be seen through different eyes as a mother a daughter. And always, always laugh out loud funny! I constantly find myself saying, "yes, that's me!" or "I'm so glad I'm not the only one". I just love their relationship with each other and their sense of adventure together. Their outlook is really no holds barred and honest and I would just love to run into these two on one of their adventures! Between the trouble with Spanx, loving on their doggies, sitting at the kids table at Christmas, and their love for Mother Mary and her inordinate affect on their lives, you will find love in your heart for this light heartened collection of essays and the authors! #netgalley

"We take real life and make it funny."--Lisa Scottoline

Philadelphia lawyer turned courtroom/thriller novelist Lisa Scottoline has also been writing "true stories and confessions." I thought it was about time I read one of her humor books, which she co-authors with her daughter Francesca Serritella. I picked up I See Life Through Rose'-Colored Glasses through NetGalley.

My husband and I began reading Scottoline's novels for their Philadelphia locale. We kept reading for her characters and plotlines. I followed her on social media and discovered her humor writing. I looked forward to that laugh-out-loud moment her posts always brought.

Like the snake in the toilet news story that had her horrified. She writes, "Now, this is where I reveal that I go to the bathroom to pee approximately thirty-five times a day. Seventeen of those are at night." The only thing worse worrying about finding snakes when you lift the toilet seat lid is, well, there is nothing worse.

Scottoline's 'true stories' are written in her own voice, with a wallop of self-depreciation and a no-holds-barred admittance of the plight of being a woman 'of a certain age' and the indignities of aging. The stories "chronicle our lives" as mother and daughter she writes, looking "at the upside of ups and downs."

Her daughter Francesca writes about being a 21st c thirty-something female in NYC. I loved her "Can You Hear Me Now?" about her mother's struggle with technology--WiFi, phones, Face-Timing. Yep. We have a thirty-something son who we rely on as our personal technology service rep.

"The Ad That Stole Christmas" is about a Match.com ad makes singles feel bad about, well, being single during the holidays. But as her mother knows, the worst thing is not ending up alone, it is ending up with people who make you feel alone.

Scottoline is an animal lover and I enjoy seeing her rescued dogs laying on quilts on the couch. "Animals make us human" she states. "Lint rollers can only do so much," Scottoline admits, and the evidence is apparent on their clothing.

Oh, I do know about that. Our Shiba Inus shed 9 months out of the year, and the other three they exploded fur. We did not have dust bunnies, but dust puppies, and they rolled on the hardwood like tumbleweeds. I once found my dachshund's wiry hairs woven into my brassiere. Francesca writes about deciding to cut her dog's hair herself, which she discovers is not for the faint-hearted or neatnick.

The stories are brief and I like reading them one a day, like a vitamin pill, a daily laugh or chuckle to maintain good health.

I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.