Oh gosh, I wish this had worked because the idea and the timing for this novel was spot on. But, no, Roxy is annoying and doesn’t get better the more you read her letters. Author Mary Pauline Lowry just hasn’t given us a character we can enjoy spending time with, even as we are stuck at home right now desperate for someone new to come our way. I wish Roxy had been that someone for me. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Roxy Letters is a bit of a modern "Bridget Jones" but with letters instead of a diary and it's set in Austin, Texas instead of London, England. It's cute and light, and Roxy is eccentric and odd. The character has growth over the course of the novel after a series of misadventures in love and friendship. It's an interesting concept and in this time period of isolation, it provides a bit of an escape.

A laugh out loud rom com that I did not want to put down. Roxy is hilarious and you fall in love with her!
Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the Free e-book.

3.5 stars it would be higher but it was a slow start and the letter format took me about 1/3 of the way through the book to get used to. I did enjoy the character development but felt it lacked detail on descriptive information. Roxy was funny, serious, messy and real which I enjoyed. With that being said, the first 40% of the book was slow for me, but it picked up and became a quick and easy read. I love how all the loose ends were closed up at the end, however Roxy talked about "one date" with Texas and that evolved way too quickly for me!! Now I'm off to research OM and see if this is a real thing!!

I do love books that are written in the epistolary style. This book was a disappointment. It just didn't do it for me. It was odd and bizarre. I don't know how to classify this, but it was definitely trashy and not in a fun way.
The plot was unidentifiable and the Roxy was one dimensional.

Bridget Jones has nothing on Roxy! A fun read that still resembles the truth in many ways. The author clearly has knowledge of the issues which she lightly writes.

DNF. Did not like the format of how the book was written. Seemed too...exaggerated? Did not like Roxy.

Oh how I loved The Roxy Letters. Told in a sort of epistolary format, we read the letters that Roxy has written her exboyfriend, ex/sometime roommate about her life. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get into it, but after about 40 pages, it really picked up. Roxy has a little bit of a fanatical love life (god bless her) and her attitude about it was pretty much as perfect as it could get. The letters are funny and warm and sometimes even a little TMI, but in such a good, great way. I wanted to be friends with Roxy many times during this book. And I even wanted to meet her friends and all of these unique characters.

It was a really great distraction during all this quarantine time.

The Roxy Letters publishes 4.7.2020.

5/5 Stars

I love love love epistolary novels (some of my favorites: 1, 2, 3, 4) and this one was no different! If you loved Bridget Jones Diary, you will probably love this one even more! It was quirky, feel good and just embodied where it was set -- Austin in 2012. I immediately fell for Roxy and her zany letters to an ex boyfriend. This is a fun, fast read and definitely will be one of my favorites for the year!

The Roxy Letters comes out next month on April 7, 2020, you can purchase HERE! This book is SO good and you must put it on your spring/summer reading list!!

Am I destined to spend life satisfying myself sexually while reading the complete works of Silky Raven on literotica.com? To distract myself from this morbid thought, perhaps I'll try to pain one more sign before I head into the deli.

TL;DR REVIEW:
The Roxy Letters was just what I needed right now, as coronavirus upends the world: a funny, joyful, lighthearted book about a character you can’t help but love.

For you if: You like contemporary fiction and are looking for a smile!

FULL REVIEW:
Okay so let me start by saying that contemporary fiction isn’t usually a go-to genre for me, and I’m typically far too much of a fix-it, action-oriented type A to read books about characters who are a hot mess. But as Roxy would say, oh my Goddess — this book was DELIGHTFUL.

The book is written entirely in the form of letters that Roxy addresses to her ex-boyfriend-turned-friend, Everett. He starts out as her new roommate, too, and the first few letters make their way to him. But soon she starts writing them to him but for herself, very much like a diary. We follow Roxy for about six months as she navigates the reality of her terrible job, lingering broken heart, search for artistic inspiration, several pursuits for romance, some burgeoning friendships, passion for her city, and a rekindling of her love of life.

And friends, Roxy is HILARIOUS. She is witty and uses her buoyant vocabulary and ceaseless energy to write the most entertaining letters — absolutely hats off to Mary Pauline Lowry for this incredible voice and characterization.

Roxy is absolutely a hot mess and a bit short-sighted, but she has a really big heart. Her adventures and antics in this book are just the right mix of farcical and serious, and by the end of the book, you’ll have fallen for her hard. You’ll be rooting for her, proud of her, rolling your eyes at her, and cheering her on. The ending is a little deus ex machina but totally uplifting and heartwarming.

This book was EXACTLY what I needed right now, with coronavirus spinning the world on its head. It was light, fun, and a delightful escape. The work that Lowry’s put into Roxy’s character just makes the whole thing — if it had been written in third person, I could have wanted to wring Roxy’s neck. But through the eyes of these letters, I adored her.

If you need something that will squeeze your heart and make you laugh, look no further!



CONTENT WARNINGS:
Explicit language, especially about sex; Mental illness; Addiction

I wasn't sure if the format of The Roxy Letters would work for me. The story sounded interesting. A twenty-something,under-employed, underwhelmed with her life, unequivocally mad at the direction her town is headed, mostly underwater with her mortgage and bills, and unsure what to do to get her life on track. The story is told through letters Roxy writes to her roommate Everett, who also happens to be her ex. I am not one of those people who knew what I wanted to be when I grew up, so Roxy's struggles were relatable.
I can now say the letter format did work. They may be written to Everette, but I felt like I was reading a diary. All of Roxy's hopes, dreams, fears, and the mundane reality of work and bills are shared. Some are sad and some are hilarious. I didn't race through this book but rather read a few chapters at a time, and I felt like that worked well. I was an entertaining read, and considering the amount of stress and uncertainty Covid-19 has brought to my life, it was a fine escape. 3.5 stars.

I wanted to like this book. The style of 'letters' is an interesting take, but...man, Roxy was kind of the worst.

This is similar to Bridget Jones - except that I love Bridget. Roxy came off as annoying and just...irresponsible. Look, I love Austin too - but like....grow up a little and recognize that the world changes. It can't all be small businesses all the time.

I think that's the take-away. Roxy needs to grow up and one would hope that by the end of the book, she would have. Sadly, not the case.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This epistolary novel was a joyful romp. The comparisons to Bridget Jones are spot on, though with a more feminist (e.g. less focus on weight and more focus on self/career) angle. The thing I loved about this book was the friendships Roxy has with Annie and Artemis. Lowry must have fantastic friends (or maybe she is one herself) because she expresses perfectly what good friends should be. I also liked the development of Artemis, the unfolding of her character and the way this was treated. Of course Roxy is a little whiny (so is Bridget!), and that does become tiresome. I stumbled over some of the language (e.g. the shhuuuutttttt uppppppppps, the grrrrls). Also, the idolization of Whole Foods, there is a line somewhere near the end that alludes to Whole Foods being this giant that will always at heart be an independent, organic food store in Austin, one with no links to behemoths like Amazon. Was this purposefully ironic? It was not clear to me. Perhaps a comment on Roxy's idealism? Regardless, particularly in the midst of COVID-19, The Roxy Letters is a joy to read. Escapist, somewhat silly, but good at its heart story telling. Give yourself a break from the news and read this instead! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the galley.

Loved this. So different but familiar - a wonderful story told in such a unique way. I'd highly recommend!

The Roxy writing “The Roxy Letters” is a lovable, starving artist who is underemployed as a Whole Foods deli maid. The book is her diary, written in unsent letters to her ex-boyfriend.
This is a very cute read and you can’t help but root for Roxy. It drags a bit in the middle, but it’s worth hanging on for the twists and the ending. It comes out April 7. I received a free review copy from Netgalley; all opinions are my own.

Let me start by saying that I live for anything written in letter, email, memo, or diary format. So, when I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I had super high hopes.

Roxy did not fill my letter loving heart. We meet Roxy on the verge of losing her job and her home through actions solely of her own doing. To avert some of this crisis without actually DOING anything, she allows her ex-boyfriend to move in to help pay the rent. She then proceeds to write him letters almost daily telling him about what new house rules she has made up and to remind him to pay the rent.

While some parts of the story charmed (friendships and fur babies), there were far more cringe-worthy story lines (dating man-boys, creepy bosses and ex-lax brownies, and refusing to date a guy for no other reason than he has children). The lack of respect given to a storyline about mental illness is offensive and a cult of finger-bangers is given both far too much and not enough attention in the story. It should have either been much further explored or further sent to the background.

Overall, I was not rooting for Roxy. All I have to say is that she is lucky other people were because otherwise her story would have (rightfully) ended up very differently.

I really wanted to like this.. really I did! I usually love books in a diary, letter or email format (even texts) but this character was just......horrid.

Maybe reading it right now amid the Covid19 crisis right now wasn't the best idea. I'll try again later..I hope

I'm going to be honest, there was a moment where I really thought I wouldn't finish this one (I usually feel obligated to finish ARCs I've been given the privilege to read)...

It is an epistolary novel, which I typically love, but it just didn't really work for me for the first couple chapters. Roxy is writing letters to her ex-boyfriend while she's going through some things. The letters, in my opinion, didn't seem realistic that a person would actually write them in the way she did AND would actually then give them to someone. But the letters change and by about half way through I was laughing out loud and was feeling invested in the bizarre story to the point where I couldn't put it down even if I wanted to! I feel like this book calls for a warning that there is quite a bit of adult content.

Set in Austin, this book really fits the "Keep Austin Weird" tagline. It's weird and quirky and fun. I can't say I liked it, but it was okay and the right reader will love this.

This is the story of Roxy and all those in her world. It is a world filled with pseudo adults. All of those in her sphere are immature, irresponsible, sometimes annoying and offbeat, but not in the fun endearing way. The book is told in letters from Roxy to her ex-boyfriend/current roommate. There is some humor, but some of the crazy things they’d all do were too far fetched and silly for me to believe or care that much about. I had a tough time finishing this book. I didn’t really connect or care about any of the people. I was ready for it to be over.

Lowry has dished up a witty, delightful book. I have always enjoyed epistolary novels and this one is now at the top of my list. In these dark times we need to look forward to some pleasurable experiences and this book fits the bill! Roxy is your confused post college graduate trying to figure out her way through life. She tells her story through letters to her ex boyfriend, drawing us into his life as well. This is a fun book not to be missed!