This was a 4 1/2 star read for me- A great mix of light politics with fiction and a regret list that may seem like a good idea, but is it? Also, can I vote Cleo for President? This was funny, timely and really brought back some of my old regrets from high school. You can always count on a solid story with unique characters and twist from Allison Winn Scotch. She is a must-read for me! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing is an entertaining and quick read. Some interesting twists and turns, but not too deep. An enjoyable afternoon read.

Have you watched The Politician on Netflix?

I loved the first season and just started the second! Between that and current world events, this political story was perfectly timed for me, and I liked it a lot.

The author expertly portrayed Cleo as a strong, successful woman, yet also showed her struggles in her roles as a senator, mother, sister, and friend. She felt so real to me (and she's definitely the kind of person I would want fighting for my community!) #CleoForPresident

From @amazonpublishing:
"Cleo McDougal is a born politician. From congresswoman to senator, the magnetic, ambitious single mother now has her eye on the White House—always looking forward, never back. Until an estranged childhood friend shreds her in an op-ed hit piece gone viral.

With seven words—“Cleo McDougal is not a good person”—the presidential hopeful has gone from in control to damage control, and not just in Washington but in life.

Enter Cleo’s “regrets list” of 233 and counting. Her chief of staff has a brilliant idea: pick the top ten, make amends during a media blitz, and repair her reputation. But there are regrets, and there are regrets: like her broken relationship with her sister, her affair with a law school professor…and the regret too big to even say out loud.

But with risk comes reward, and as Cleo makes both peace and amends with her past, she becomes more empowered than ever to tackle her career, confront the hypocrites out to destroy her, and open her heart to what matters most—one regret at a time."

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

If you are looking for a book with a political setting, you are in for a treat with this book. Cleo McDougal, 37, is a straight-arrow US Senator. She is made some mistakes in the past. When a former best friend writes an op-ed exposing what she sees as McDougal’s past. McDougal has always felt winning was uppermost and as this book explores a strong woman involved in the feminist movement one can see why. It’s a quick read for those who don’t want to get too far from the political scene.

This book was super interesting, especially as someone who works in politics. However, I found Cleo McDougal extremely unlikeable majority of the book. It was written very well and I enjoyed the story overall.

The main character of this novel, Cleo (of the title) is a young senator and single mother thinking about running for President, when her former best friend from high school writes a nasty op ed about her. Cleo has always kept a list of regrets, so at the suggestion of her chief of staff she starts addressing some of them, publicly. Cleo is a prickly character but I really came to care for her, as she is brought vividly to life. Lots of interesting and thought-provoking stuff in this book as well, from the dilemma of “likeability” and ambition for female politicians to stuff with friendship, family, the me too movement, and more. Allison Winn Scotch has long been a favorite writer for me, and this is one of her best. 4.5 stars.

Cleo McDougal is a single mom of a teenage son who is also a senator thinking of making a presidential run. A friend from high school tells the press that Cleo isn't a nice person. Cleo has regrets, who doesn't? But Cleo has a written list of regrets! Her chief of staff tells her to pick 5 and let's go fix them! This leads to an awesome book with humor, love, friendship and family. I loved the characters in this book and read the entire book in one day! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Living near Washington DC, I see politics all over the place. Therefore, I am thankful that the focus of Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing was not on politics, but instead on regrets.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this novel, but was pleased with where it went. I enjoyed getting to know Cleo and could relate in regards to being the mom of a teenage boy and also reflecting upon things I regret in my own life. I liked the supporting characters and the relationships between them and Cleo. The dialogue was great throughout, especially between Cleo and Gaby. It was easy to visualize people and settings without the descriptions getting in the way of the narrative. The story pointed out the hypocrisies that happen in real life when it comes down to how men and women are treated in the political arena, and how social media has an impact on people's decisions.

There were times I got confused as to whether Cleo or Gaby was talking, as their voices tended to blend together sometimes. I had to go back and read sections when that happened. I could also have done with less swearing when Cleo was being introspective. These issues didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story. This was a great novel that I read most of in one day.

Movie casting ideas:
Cleo: Ari Graynor
Gaby: Issa Rae
Lucas: Lucas Jade Zumann
MaryAnne: Kirsten Dunst
Bowen: Channing Tatum
Matty: Matt Lanter
Georgie: Kristen Wiig

I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy of the book from the author and Net Galley! I have been a fan of Allison Winn Scotch’s books for awhile and was very excited to read her newest book. I think she does an excellent job writing about complex female characters, and Cleo McDougal is a perfect example of that. I highly recommend reading the book this summer and learning more about Cleo’s story!
Cleo McDougal is a Senator considering running for President. Cleo’s story is extremely pertinent to our current political climate. In the current climate, many prominent female political figures constantly face sexist attacks, and I appreciate that Winn Scotch delved deeper into that through Cleo’s character. From the first page, Winn Scotch jumps into the plot with the first scandal surrounding Cleo’s future presidential run. There are lots of plot points and political scandals, but I think the most intriguing part of the book is Cleo’s growth throughout the story. This is a story of personal growth, forgiveness, and family. While the story is about a politician, I think any woman will relate to Cleo’s story, regardless of your level of political interest. (Those who are interested in politics might just be a little more intrigued!)

What a timely story from one of my favorite authors. Cleo is a strong, intense politician, a Senator contemplating running for President. After losing her parents at a young age, Cleo learned to depend on herself, but left her without any real friends. As Cleo decides to attack her list of regrets, there are funny and serious moments as social media gets a hold of her efforts. Cleo is a well defined character, not a stereotype, which strengthens the story line. I recommend this book and thank Netgalley for the ARC.

Exceptionally great- by far my favorite of her books. Covering everything from ambition to unrealistic expectations of women, this book is a home run and I want everyone to read it.

Only forward. No regrets.

After a high school friend pens an op-ed about how she is a bad person, Cleo McDougal decides to face her regrets. But Cleo is not an average woman, she is a current senator with plans to run for president. What could possibly go wrong?

Cleo makes a decision that has her become a leader of a new movement, similar to “Me To” and “Time Up”. After some fallout, Cleo must also come to terms with her past, choices she made, and what she must do to open herself up to living life fully.

I really enjoyed this one. It addressed things happening in the world without feeling overdone. Cleo’s story was able to address how women are viewed especially in positions of power. I loved how Cleo was really written to feel like a well-rounded character. She was flawed and acknowledged those flaws. I was happy to see how Cleo’s story progressed.

I ended up really enjoying this book! I love the author and all her previous books but there were moments when reading this one that I felt like the message was a little too much.

Allison Winn Scotch creates a political landscape that feels timely, yet hopeful as compared to our current political climate. Cleo is a powerful protagonist who excites me for a day where a woman with her caliber flourishes in our world. I have come to expect not just a great read from AWS, but a book that makes me think long after I put it down. CLEO is no exception - hitting on themes of the Me Too movement, female friendship, as well as female portrayal in the media and societal roles, not to mention the obvious theme of regrets and what living a life truly in the moment means. I loved it - and I love AWS' role in furthering the conversation and advancement of women through this book.

I loved this book! The political aspect is perfect for an election year. The main character Cleo is a strong and brave woman managing her political career and raising her son alone. She gets thrown into a situation where she has to make up for past choices and decide if they are regrets or not. Excellent read that is highly recommended.

This is not my favorite of Allison Winn Scotch’s books, but it was a solid read. The characters were strong, the story intriguing, and the pacing perfect. I’m not sure why, but something felt like it was missing, and I have no idea what it was. Still, I really enjoyed this and am grateful to the author for a free ARC through Netgalley!

this book gave me serious Where’d You Go, Bernadette? and Charlotte Walsh Likes To Win vibes, but was wholly original and refreshing and I couldn’t put this one down either.
Senator Cleo McDougal is a political wunderkind - elected to Congress in her twenties, and to the Senate in her early thirties. An orphan and single mother, her need to survive has served her well - but not without collateral damage. As she readies for a presidential run, her childhood best friend publishes a scathing op-ed about Cleo's character, and the backlash is severe. The book follows Cleo revisiting her regrets and sees her work through them, to poignant and sometimes hilarious consequences.
It's so refreshing to read books that capture women for who they are - smart, complicated, brave, loving, loyal, and always changing. There are moments where you can't stand Cleo, moments when you're rooting for her, and moments that make you cringe.
I LOVED this book. In a time when politics is depressingly male, Cleo gave me someone and a vision of the future to root for.

I received a reviewer copy of Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing by Allison Winn Scotch from the publisher Lake Union Publishing from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Cleo is the definition of having her life together or so it seems. A senator at 38 and a single mother, she works hard to balance her life and is also trying to set up for a Presidential run. Unfortunately, a friend she wronged in her past writes an Op-Ed, "Cleo McDougal is not a good person." And so begins Cleo's journey of 'righting her wrong's' before she runs for President

What I Loved: The story of a woman trying to come to terms with her past is brilliant. As women we are expected to be brave and strong, but not too brave and strong. We are told to be brilliant and independent, but not so much that we look like snobs. As a woman in power, Cleo deals with holding up to the high standards she and society have set for herself, while also trying to succeed at things that seem to be in conflict or challenging to have when you are trying to be an ambitious woman. I really connected with the challenges of having it all and even when you have pushed yourself to a powerful position, you still have regrets. The book is a wonderful story about having power but also having the comfort and support that all humans need. It's hard to explain but this book touched me deeply. I also read this after volunteering for a campaign that was destroyed because of sexism, so this book found me at the right time.

What I didn’t like so much: I really loved it, sometimes I felt like some of the mother-son stuff in the book was a bit exaggerated but then again, I've never been a part of that type of relationship, so I wouldn't fully know.

Who Should Read It: People who like politics or DC insider like books. People who like novels about strong women. People who like character driven novels.

General Summary: A story of balancing personal drive with a support system set against the ambitious DC playground.

I finished this last night but I had to chew on it all for a while. It is a book that is so perfect for the times we are in right now. After reading about Cleo, it made me reflect on how we as a society expect so much more from women than from men. A woman candidate has to be likable but not too likable as to appear too soft. She has to be tough but not too tough or she appears not soft enough. She needs to have all her ducks in a row even though no one ever has all their ducks in a row. As Cleo followed her "regrets" list, I found myself wondering how much it would change her view of herself. I don't even know if if changed her or just opened up the real her. I loved how she threw caution to the wind eventually and opened herself up to being all of the real her. It really showed you that it does take a village to be a mom, a friend, a senator, a human being in this world. And yes of course, I was in tears at the ending. I imagine just what a wonderful president she would be.

I would read anything by Allison Winn Scotch all day, every day. I think this might be one of my very favorite books of hers. She never lets me down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union for an advance copy of this fantastic book. It comes out in August so pre-order it now.

I liked this one but it also felt a bit long. I think part of my reluctance to get really into the story was that I didn’t think Cleo wronged MaryAnne all that much.