Meet Cricket she’s the owner of a Antique Vintage store , who believes her life is perfect she comes from old southern money , until she overhears and soon realizes that the rumors of her banker husband Scott is having an affair is true and with their daughters tennis coach ! Soon she set out with a plan, find an attorney, hire a private investigator and the most important part, make Scott pay for hurting her with the help of Ruby.
Ruby is Crickets assistant at the store, she’s determined to put her past behind her and build a future for herself. She’s the complete opposite of Cricket, Ruby has piercings yet makes amazing pieces at the antique store by deconstructing and redesigning. Soon these two polar opposites become friends as they work to reconstruct their lives, and take down crickets cheating husband along with a bunch of amazing characters along the way, Cricket soon sees that change isn’t always a bad thing! Four stars!

Part southern charm, all southern sass-this book was everything I hoped it would be!
Cricket is dealt quite a blow when she discovers her husband has been cheating. Her employee, Ruby, has been dealt some low blows in her own life so she doesn't even blink as she conspires with Cricket to take down the cheater. What follows is a charming tale of two women who come from very different upbringing and become unlikely friends as they take charge of reconstructing their lives. Themes of friendship, forgiveness and love shine through along with a good dose of quirky southern families. I smiled at the 80s pop culture references, Cricket's overbearing momma, and Ruby's lovable gran. I could say so much more about this gem of a story, do yourself a favor and read it!

An unlikely friendship between Cricket, owner of a vintage shop, and her new assistant Ruby, who is a budding clothing designer. Cricket finds out through the rumor mill that her husband Scott is cheating on her with their daughters’ tennis coach, Stephanie. I’m trying to catch them in the act, Cricket along with Ruby turn into sleuths in a series of hilarious antics while deepening their growing friendship. In their sleuthing they find out more than they bargained for in an ending that is worthy of a standing ovation!

A fun and cozy read that had me doubling over with laughter.

There are so many things I love about this book. First and foremost, Liz Talley's writing style is fun, easygoing, and feels like a chat with your best friend. Cricket and Ruby are both fierce women, and their friendship is strong, with them truly being there for each other when it mattered. I particularly loved Ruby -- her background, her personality, her style and fashion designs. I wish I could see those designs in person or a drawing of them! No spoilers here, but her love interests and how they turn out are perfect. Yellow carnations -- nice touch. As for Cricket, her journey to catch her husband cheating is a wild, and enjoyable, ride (for the reader, not her!). Along the way, who can blame her if she wants to get to know Griffin better. My only complaint with the book is the little jumps forward between chapters (a week, a month near the end). I wanted more time to know everything about these characters!

This is my favorite book from Liz Talley to date! What a great story with so much depth. Relationships, life in the south, crime, some pretty amazing humor, really great characters and more. I love Cricket and Ruby! They remind me of Bebe and Weezie in the Savannah Blues series by Mary Kay Andrews with their “do anything for you” crazy friendship. Underneath all of this is the lesson not to judge others on background or appearances until you truly know them. I think this one will be a huge hit with readers!

More Amusing Than Timing A Centipede Across The Kitchen. Yes, the title here is actually a play on a line from the book. So sit down, grab some popcorn (Michael Jackson meme style), and get ready for a funny yet poignant cross between Mark Twain (as another Goodreads reviewer noted, which I found appropriate) and the 2014 movie The Other Woman (the one with Cameron Diaz, Leslie Bibb, and Kate Upton's boobs). This book has a solid look at "well, maybe the grass *aint* so greener on the other side" as we see two women from different sides of the tracks - one an ex-con, the other a respected banker's wife who owns her own antique shop - realize that they actually have quite a bit in common and quite a lot to offer each other as they develop a solid friendship. And this is a world that feels like this particular book does a good job setting up... and which could be fun to come back to in a loosely coupled series that maybe looks at some of the other characters introduced here while having many of the primary characters "drop by" in those future stories. Who knows, I've suggested similar in reviews before and the author later ran with it, so maybe Talley will too. :D Overall truly a fun book, and a solidly relatable dose of humor set in the Southern US, but relatable to most anyone. Very much recommended.

Wow ,great what a great quirky read. Cricket and Ruby are total bookends of the social ladder. Together they work well and become great friends besides being boss and employee. Not what I expected, it was more. Fun read, curl up and make a warm beverage, great way to spend the cold weather.( or cool beverage/ warm weather,lol!)

This a story about 2 people who have reconstruct their best lives Christina aka Cricket is living their best life with her husband Scott and daughter. Julia. The other main character is Ruby who works for Cricket in her store.
The main characters are well written and the plot very engaging, the story is written in the POV of Cricket and Ruby, so we learn about their personalities and problems in their lives.
I really enjoyed the book and recommend this book to fiction readers.
I received this book as an ARC from the author in exchange for an unbiased review.

Deconstructed by Liz Talley is a story of tearing down to rebuild something better. Catherine “Cricket” Crosby is an antique store owner whose seemingly perfect life is about to turn upside down. After overhearing a gossipy conversation, she learns that the rumors about her husband Scott’s affair are true after all. She sets a plan into motion: hire a private investigator, find an attorney and, with the help of her assistant, make her husband pay. Ruby knows all too well how quickly life can change. Trying to leave her dicey past behind her, she is determined to build a better future by working for Cricket and establishing herself as a designer of deconstructed vintage haute couture. Cricket is determined to use her newfound sleuthing to find the truth, no matter how hurtful or dangerous it gets. Can Cricket repair the life she had or will tearing down and rebuilding lead to the life she always wanted?
Deconstructed caught me by surprise. At first, I wasn’t sure I would like Cricket. She seems like a typical stuffy high society lady who doesn’t want to rock the boat. But as she digs deeper into her husband’s secrets, she dries her tears and feels the anger burn. She’s ready to rock the boat. She goes from uptight lady to the sassy Southern woman I have come to love in movies and books. I loved Ruby who helps Cricket embrace her inner woman scorned and helps her along with her plan as she recruits a couple of less than savory cousins. I laughed with them as they planned and plotted to make sure her husband Scott gets his comeuppance. I cheered alongside Cricket when she finally confronts Scott. Deconstructed is a great book with fun, relatable characters. It’s The First Wives Club (1996) meets Steel Magnolias (1989) with its sassiness, comedic moments and camaraderie between Cricket and Ruby. I highly recommend Deconstructed.

Deconstructed will be available February 1, 2022 in paperback, eBook and audiobook.

Oh my gosh. This book was so much FUN!! There was some sadness of course, this book speaks to most everyone's life!

Cricket owns an antique shop. Through no fault of her own, well maybe it was her fault since she was eavesdropping, she overhears some friends talking about her HUSBAND and his cheating ways! This can't be true. They have a perfect life. She is devastated.

Ruby works in Cricket's antique shop. After some poor choices on her part, she is getting her life together but totally understands her bosses issues. She went to JAIL for her family. Keep that quiet please.

Together Ruby and Cricket begin the 'take down' of Cricket's husband and her marriage. Using some of the 'better' relatives that Ruby still associates with, they lay an ingenious plan to get Cricket's husband antics out in the open for all to see! The resolution just feels good!

Ms. Talley writes the south like no one else. She knows these people! I can't wait to see what Ms. Talley comes up with next.

I was gifted an ARC of this book by the author and NetGalley. The review is my own.

Liz Talley has written yet another fabulous book with fun, quirky characters and hilarious situations and dialogue, and this may be my favorite. The main characters, Cricket and Ruby, could not be more different, yet these two ladies manage to form a solid bond and friendship that goes much deeper than the employer/employee relationship that is their starting point. These are characters with whom we can all identify in one way or another, and they certainly make the ride entertaining. Ms. Talley is a master at writing witty, believable characters and putting them in the most awkward yet entertaining situations. You know it’s good when you wake up the day after finishing the book and can’t wait to read more, only to be disappointed when you remember you finished it the night before. I, for one, hope there is a sequel...or three.

Deconstructed features two strong women, Cricket and Ruby, who couldn’t be more different—employer and employee; country club wife and a young woman whose family is on “the fringe”—but they come together at a time when they each need support and friendship. I loved watching the relationship between these two women grow, watching each of them enter the other’s world, gaining each other’s trust and support.
When Cricket discovers that her husband is having an affair, she enlists Ruby’s help to find evidence and get some revenge. At the same time, Ruby is finding her way back into the world, and Cricket is able to help her in return.
This book had me laughing out loud so many times; but just as many times I felt my heart aching for both women. I felt myself getting angry for both of them, and I was 100% cheering them on! Deconstructed is as poignant as it is funny, and any book that can make me laugh and cry is truly special.
In the end, this is a story about characters who hurt and heal, who grow at a time when it would be easier to disappear. As Cricket says, “…without the deconstructing, you have no history. It’s the deconstruction that matters. Without understanding who you are and accepting all the good and bad parts of your past, you don’t know the things worth keeping and you can’t get rid of the things that need to be tossed. You can’t remake yourself.”

This is the first Liz Talley book I have read and I absolutely loved it! She had me hooked from the first pages of the story! Just when you thought the story was going to end, something else happened that just added to the already incredible storyline! I will be checking out Liz’s other books!

Liz Talley does it again! Quirky characters? Check! Relatable storyline? Check! Tears of sadness AND laughter? Double check! An ending that doesn't disappoint and leaves the reader wondering / hoping for what comes next for both Cricket and Ruby? Check, check, check! Seriously, though. Talley just keeps getting better with each new offering. When you get the chance, grab Deconstructed and settle in for some southern charm, a little bit of outrage, a couple of second chances, a lot of laughter, unexpected friendships, a few words of wisdom, and a (mostly) happy ending for all.

I loved this book! I devoured this book! Liz Talley is a gifted and talented writer, She develops engaging characters, whether you like them or not, and makes you care about what happens to them. The title also ties in with the story as Cricket's employee turned to running buddy as a fashion designer by taking a vintage item and "deocnsructing" to make a new garment. At the same time, Cricket's life is undergoing a deconstruction. I read this book in less than 24 hours because it was so good I did not want to stop reading. Loved Ruby's outlook and her family absolutely added to the story as well as the scummy husband of Cricket! Thanks to Liz Talley and Netgalley, I was able to read a digital ARC. Buy this book when it comes out, or pre-order today! Fabulous book! .

4:03 a.m. and I just finished Deconstructed. Yes ma'am or sir, it is that flipping fantastic! I truly had to run to Goodreads while my husband dreams in the bed beside me so I could tell y'all to PREORDER. THIS. BOOK. NOW.!!!

After reading Liz Talley's Adulting, I wondered how she'd top it, truth. But she wasn't happy with merely topping Adulting, which was an incredible book, she wanted to leave it at base camp on Mount Everest while she summited and she did.

The characters, the premise, the story, the total woman power vibe all served to rock my world and make me want to go kick some serious ass and take names. And throwing in 50's pulp detective books and mags as well as Trixie Belden? Mind blown.

Add deconstructed fashion by a bad ass fringe chick and Deconstructed is this year's must read. Don't hesitate ~ FOMO is real and you don't want to be the one whose friends are slurping up the deliciousness that is Deconstructed while posting on Bookstagram "ICYMI you blew it."

Eternal thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for trusting me to read an ARC! All thoughts are my own and happily shouted from the rooftops!