I read this book as a stand alone and it didn’t miss a beat. Author Julie Valerie did such an amazing job creating the quirky heroine Holly Banks and the uppity village of Primm.

Funny! Fresh and light, “ The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks” gives you a lift on a gloomy rainy day. Holly Banks leads a busy life as a mother, wife and beginner filmmaker….trying to balance it all, wanting it ALL. Relatable ! A dab of mystery too !

After a short month of living in her new town of Primm, Holly is still trying to keep up with her fellow moms and find her way to “fit in”. The strive for perfection is overwhelming and it’s non stop adventure including her dog, Struggle! A drama filled read, thoroughly entertaining.

After a heavy and emotional read, this is just what I needed, Valerie’s writing style lifts your spirits and keeps you wanting more.
Funny wedding antics and a lighthearted read destined to lift you up and laugh out loud.

Thanks @netgalley for this ARC . All comments and opinions are my own.

Since I enjoyed Holly Banks Full of Angst, I was looking forward to seeing what would happen next in the Village of Primm. The story picks up where it left off, so that is definitely helpful in terms of continuity.

Overall, this was a good follow-up to the previous novel. I enjoyed getting to know Holly better. I could definitely relate to some of her current angst and the parts where she and Jack were discussing her plight were the most interesting to me. I can relate as a working mom in regards to seeking balance and also trying to make things work for my family as a whole. Ella was so cute with being a bridezilla for the QU wedding. Also the parts involving Greta were interesting.

However, I could have done without the whole mystery that Struggle is involved in, as the archaeological facts (like the information about astrolabes) didn't work for me. Maybe if it were a more engaging mystery, I would have been more excited about it. It just took away from other parts that could have been fleshed out more, like Holly trying to confront her fear of flying or more interactions between Holly and Mary-Margaret. (I want a she shed now!) Even so, Julie Valerie kept the story moving along with all the humorous banter, neighborhood texts, and more letters to the psychic.

I look forward to seeing what will happen next in Holly's life, as well as with the supporting characters.

Movie (or TV series) casting suggestions (some are from the first novel):
Holly: Cobie Smulders
Mary-Margaret: Leslie Mann
Jack: Michael Rady
Caleb: Dylan Arnold
Penelope: Elizabeth Banks
Greta: Blythe Danner
Shanequa: Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Houston: Michael Caine
Thom: Patrick Wilson
Eliza Addalee: Katie McGrath
Maeve: Holland Taylor

Synopsis:

Holly Banks wants to have it all but nothing goes according to plan. She's learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a f/t job, especially when the women in her neighbourhood seem to have it together all the time. Her husband's job is in flux, her daughter has difficulty reading and her mom is online dating, and then her dog digs up an old artifact that draws media attention. Holly finds herself in the center of a mystery between two rival towns that if solved can change the town forever. She's trying to launch a new business and needs to submit an entry for the upcoming film festival.

Review:

This book gave me shopaholic vibes with the FMC always getting herself into funny and impossible situations. Her dog - "Struggle" - what a funny name for a dog was also a main star of this book. This is the second book in a series so I'll have to go back and read the first. I was thoroughly entertained.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the digital copy.

The peculiar fate of Holli Banks by Julie Valerie

Holli is a woman extending herself trying to be an overachiever and ends up over extending herself.

An ok read. With a bit of lighthearted humour, twists and the odd mystery . Part of series 3.5/5

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest review.
Since this was the second book and I didn’t realize it. I enjoyed it all the same. Although I’m definitely going to have to read the first book now. Lol.
This book is definitely an uplifting novel that will make you feel good.

Holly Banks is back and she's funny as ever! This was so cute and funny, just as good as the first book. I love watching Holly grow and change and figure out just where she should be going and what she should be doing. Such a cute book with amazing characters!

Such a delightful and fun read. I really enjoyed the first book and I also enjoyed being able to follow Holly’s next set of adventures was so entertaining!

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

A young woman trying to hold it all together. The description is that of a contemporary novel and this is a
light hearted read of a woman hoping to achieve all what she wants to do, over extending herself and in the
process creates this story which is very easy to read.

Holly is a young mother, part of a community and a wife plus a budding film maker. She wants to establish
herself very much as part of the this small community and not just be an isolated person. To this end she
tries to adapt to changing circumstances, changing people and still keep true to her dreams.

Found this book a tad too unbelievable, and Holly too much of a mess to really engage with... I'm all for reality, but the kind of mommy-mess that is super-scattered and so ditzy you wonder how they're even alive? Sadly, I couldn't get behind this level of quirky here

As a mom, this book resonated with me. It is so funny and I love this author's writing style. I'm going to read more of this author's works!

I didn't read the first book in this series, but after finishing The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks, I immediately added it to my TBR. During my brief stint as a stay-at-home mom, I remember feeling like I lost myself. Holly’s relationship with her husband, family, and neighbors is relatable and laugh-out-loud funny, but also poignant and emotional at times. I found myself calling my sister to read whole passages out loud. Delightful read.

I was thrilled to read book 2 in the Holly Banks series. Head back to Primm with our favorite wife, mother, filmmaker, the one and only Holly Banks as he pursues perfection, only to have it always out of reach. While Holly's perfection pursuit can feel over the top at times, the underlying theme of trying to have it all, all at once, is all too relatable for the working mamas. Holly's newest story invites us to laugh and consider that we may live our best lives when we don't get the "picture perfect" image that we have imagined or tried to make happen.

Told in the hilarious, relatable voice of Julie Valerie that we have grown to love, this is a great sequel.

Enjoyed immensely! Great book to read after a sad or thriller type book. Love Holly Banks ❤️. She’s a lot of fun 😊

Enjoyed immensely! Great book to read after a sad or thriller type book. Love Holly Banks ❤️. She’s a lot of fun 😊

First, I didn't realize that this was part of series but you can def read as a stand-alone! If you are looking for a light book, that will laugh out loud and seems to mimic life for a busy mother (raise hand!), then this would be an ideal fit for you! Add a little village life and drama too. Holly Banks was an extremely enjoyable and relatable character, always striving to do her best and stressed out while trying to balance motherhood, friendships, and life itself. I felt like Holly def got herself in some crazy situations, but that was part of the fun of this novel - it was humorous and light. Someone wrote that this book series is a bit of I love Lucy crossed with Desperate Housewives and that seems pretty spot on. You get the drama and all the business of motherhood/female relationships but then there is the added relief of humor that makes a reader smile.

This is a delight of a book. So many different things happen, you feel Holly’s dismay. Great setting, love the characters, terrific plot. I recommend this book.

This just didn’t end up being a book that interested me. When I first read the premise, I was very excited and invested, but getting into it made it clear that it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works for others out there!

Loved, loved, LOVED this book by Julie Valerie! The Village of Primm is definitely an interesting place to visit and the author's writing is so lyrical and flowing that she's quickly become one of my favorite authors.

If you haven't yet read anything by this author, pick up her books today and prepare to lose yourself in a village filled with quirky characters you'll quickly come to want to know more about.

Thank you Julie Valerie, for another fun visit!