Audrey's middle management gig is uninspiring at best and downright dull at its worst. The vanilla pudding of jobs, as it were. But Audrey liked it. She didn't work hard, her assistant, Pooter, joined her cynical outlook of corporate and management politics, and because of her affair with her married boss she was not pressured into any relationship commitments. Life was easy....... until it wasn't. When Audrey's old high-school crush - her brother's best friend - shows up at her house and asks her to hide him, Audrey's idyllic world starts unraveling more quickly than she can process. All her secrets are out in the open and Audrey is forced to really start living her life.

I found this to be a thought-provoking book on intrinsic motivation and how the ups and downs in life cause you to grow as a person. At times Audrey was difficult to connect with, but I think that was intentional. Audrey's life was so dull and routine that even though it seemed "perfect," it was simply monotonous. This book was unique and the ending was just right.

3.5⭐️
If this were a movie, it’d be one of those indie films about life in general--not necessarily plot heavy or action packed. It’s your typical office, day in the life, rom com with dark sarcastic undertones and can be described perfectly by one of the meta-discussions that the characters have about a movie they didn’t really understand. “I don’t think the writer meant it to be that literal. I feel like he was taking the very concept of relationships and stripping it down to two extremes, total strangers and intimate partners, in order to explore what makes us human.”

It’s absolutely fantastic writing, but with not that exciting of a story. With a better plot, her writing could win a Pulitzer. The actual story was just so mundane that I found myself forgetting what had happened when I read the night before.

This was not an unputdownable, edge-of-your-seat, “can’t go to sleep till finished” type of book, but it was enjoyable and it was worth definitely worth the read. All in all, a solid read if not life altering. But do we always need those? Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC opportunity !

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Definitely creepy. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Sadly I had to DNF. I was just bored. The first quarter or so was enough to draw me into the story, but after that it was a bit of a slog. I could not make it past the 60% mark.

Thanks to NetGalley, The Story Planet and the author Amy Klinger. This is a setting that I enjoy reading: office anything..relationships, romance whatever I really enjoy it. I really liked the relationship between Audrey and Pooter, The book was very entertaining and a book that I did not want to see end. I loved the placement of the book being in the 90s. I liked so many things about this book.

Thanks again

A surprising, funny, and enjoyable read! In Light of Recent Events is an impressive debut novel set in the 1990s in New Jersey.

It centers on Audrey, a 35-year-old slightly apathetic middle manager at a college text book publishing house. Her administrative assistant, John (aka Pooter), seems to help out everyone in the office but her. Even so, they enjoy a camaraderie and friendship of sorts. Audrey is doing just fine. She is blending in at work, keeping out of the spotlight, while also having an affair with her boss. When an A-List celebrity / acquaintance from childhood comes knocking at her door, his presence threatens to shake everything up.

I found Audrey to be likable despite her questionable life choices and the plot zigged and zagged, never ending up where I thought it would. Read it if you enjoy stories set in the 90s, workplace drama, and smart “slice of life” novels.

Thank you to The Story Plant and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Cheers to Amy Klinger and her debut novel,"In Light of Recent Events." It was so enjoyable that I hated to see it end! Audrey and Pooter were so likable and relatable, and their in-office/out-of-office relationship was one not often depicted in books, yet so common in the workplace. The poor decisions made by some of the main characters were all too human, and the reconciliation of those acts, and redemption in the end, without all loose ends totally tied up, seemed to parallel reality. Also, having grown up in New Jersey in the 70s, the descriptions of time and place sent me back to that time. I could smell the gypsy moths, as well as hear their crunching!

This highly enjoyable book features a cast of delightful characters that jump off the page with their sarcastic and witty dialogue. I laughed out loud several times while reading. The characters were quirky and interesting - I was very invested in hearing what happened next on their journeys. The book makes you think about the complexity of our choices and the layers of things, conscious and subconscious, that help us find our way through life. A really fun read!

(3.5 stars)
In Light of Recent Events is a fast-paced, character driven fiction debut, which follows our main character, Audrey, through a series of life altering events in her (commonly normal) life.

Audrey's life in the 90s is simple. She works an office job, lives in a small town, and has, like, two friends. Except she's also sleeping with her married boss. And a movie superstar just knocked on her door. 

Throughout the story, we go with Audrey through all of these situations, until a chain of events sets up an explotion which alters her life, and her perception of the past, present and future, forever.


I had fun with the characters in this book. I specially liked the sarcasm and the friendship between Pooter and Audrey, and the fact that hers and James relationship remained platonic. Because, although I was expecting a romance, I didn't find the story lacking. A platonic friendship like this is usually uncommon, so I liked it, and I also thought it was well developed. 

I overall liked Audrey, but I truly did not agree with the relationship she had with Dan, and how she acted towards Patricia. I do understand, though, that that doesn't completely define her, and that she hopefully got to grow through that somehow.

In regards of of plot, some people will say that there was none in this book, and they may be right. But I really enjoy these type of books, where the characters just guide us through their life. This one, specifically reminded me of Beautiful World, Where Are You (my favorite fiction book) and Writers and Lovers, which I also liked. The normalcy of real life, the nostalgic feeling of the 90s, and the intertwining relationships of the characters, are all things in these books, including In Light of Recent Events, that I enjoy. It also helped that the writing is really pretty and fast paced, and it just sort of keeps you looking forward for more. 

I will say this is a very good debut and I hope to see more books by the author, in the future. 

(Thanks to Netgalley and The Story plant for granting me access to an ARC of this book!)

Audrey Rohmer is the star of In Light of Recent Events. It’s the mid 1990s. Audrey is 35, single, a manager at a textbook publishing company and she still lives in the New Jersey town where she grew up. She’s floating through life, neither happy nor unhappy. Her family is having problems and her job is boring. There’s a big however here…she’s having an affair with her married boss and only her assistant knows. Its convenient, there no great passion but then a friend from childhood, a movie star (think Brad Pitt) comes back to his hometown and hides out at Audrey’s. Needless to say, problems occur.

It’s hard to believe that this unique book is the first from talented Amy Klinger. Audrey is a character you really care about. Pooter, Jamie and Dan are given depth and all characters are well described. The 90s setting makes you wistful for that not so long ago time when there were bootleg CDs and no phones in constant use. A character denigrates multimedia and fails to see a time when textbooks will be quaint relics of a bygone era. I’m looking forward to the next from Amy Klinger. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Story Plant and Amy Klinger for this ARC.

This was a slice of life book taking place in the 1990s where nothing truly extraordinary happened and yet it was compulsively readable. Audrey is a mid-level manager at a publishing company, content if not a little blasé about her single life, her widowed father and his girlfriend, and her snarky assistant Pooter. Unlike other books where the main character tries to shine, Audrey is trying her best to blend in and expects very little out of life. So when she comes across a famous actor who grew up in her neighborhood and he ends up crashing at her house, it’s an understatement to say it shakes up everything.

One of the things I really liked about this book was that Audrey knew herself really well. She wasn’t highly motivated, not a head over heels romantic, she didn’t have lofty expectations of herself or others. But she had a very realistic understanding of her capabilities and her relationships with other people, and it was refreshing to see a character be grounded in that way.

There were a few moments in the book that were incredibly poignant, like the recapping of when Audrey’s mother passed away, but otherwise this was an enjoyable (if not somewhat unrealistic) slice of life. Perhaps not the most memorable book I’ll read this year, but a good one.

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

In Light of Recent Events follows Audrey Rohmer, a quiet main character that suddenly finds herself mixed up in a series of, well, events that start to intersect and come crashing down around her in way that is a little tragic, a little comedic, and a little crazy. Audrey and many of the main characters in the book are ones that will feel very familiar if you work in corporate America - you will recognize yourself or coworkers in whole or in parts and actions.

The story starts off in a very quiet and personal way, mainly focused on Audrey's professional and personal lives. I thought the book was destined to be heading in a direction that I was less than comfortable with, perhaps straying into Nicholas Sparks territory (or what I think a Nicholas Sparks book is like I should say) but it quickly heads more into Nick Hornby territory. A change meeting with a childhood acquaintance who is now famous leads to strange relationship that doesn't go the way you think it will end up. The people you think did something bad don't, the people you think will end up happy don't quite get there - but still learn something about happiness - and minor background characters suddenly jump into the limelight.

One thing I enjoyed was when the time that book is set in - the mid-90's - starts to reveal itself in subtle but interesting ways. I would even argue that it is a plays a force in the overall plot progression and development. So while sometimes it is simply fun to remember through the book that you used to have to go out to your car to grab a CD to play a favorite band for someone (CDs!) and that news wasn't available on-demand in our pockets 24/7, the lack of instant communication, news, information and apps makes some things possible. More than a few times I found myself "why wouldn't they just look online?" or "don't they just have their Google Maps app installed?" Then I would remember that it is set in 1994 and Mapquest didn't even exist.

That being said, it is hardly a nostalgic book, but if you remember that period, it can conjure up some fond memories. In Light of Recent Events is a fun, entertaining read for fans of intimate storytelling about everyday characters that find themselves in non-everyday events.

Such a unique book that was beautifully written. My first book to read by this author but cannot wait to read more! Highly recommend!

In Light of Recent Events
by Amy Klinger

Very amusing story. EngagingbFull of witty characters and how It all starts and ends with a laugh. Just in time for everyone in need of some happiness and feel good. so far, this is the best to date, BUT will go for it, you'll love it.
Thanks, NetGalley for the arc for my honest review.

A fun read which cleverly uses the past to move the story forward, and ties it all together with an ending that's both surprising and the best possible conclusion.

I really enjoyed this unusual novel about people, relationships and how fate can throw things into a spin. Told from the perspective of several characters, the author cleverly weaves links between their lives in such a way a s to make them all important to the reader. A humorous twist at the end caps off this thoroughly readable missive.