One of my Most Anticipated releases for November! I wouldn’t say I’m a huge Prince fan, I’m a little young for him, but the title of this one completely grabbed me. and the premise completely jumped out at me. And while the title mentions Prince, this is more a story of a mom reminiscing on her love of Prince while on the verge of a breakdown, than actually being about Prince.

The story takes place over a 48-hour period of time. In that 48 hours Romana is attempting to evacuating for a Cat 4 hurricane, discovers her husband cheating, attempts to wrangle her children, make sure her mom is safe, and contend with a completely out of touch boss. This book is such a fast-paced read, and really Romana is every mom out there who is trying to ‘do it all’ while keeping her sanity together.

This book is hilarious to me. As a new mom (I have a 9month old) I find that tiny humans are pure chaos and Prusa captivated that chaos completely! I could relate to so many of the comments, thoughts, and actions that Romano goes through, and I said ‘Girl, Same’ so many time through this book. It’s totally relatable and I love the way Prusa was able to capture my exact feelings of overwhelming stress accurately of being a working mom trying to ‘to it all’. Are some of the antics in the book a bit over the top? Yes, yes they are, but I found the characters to be fun, and the story to be fairly well developed. Romano’s relationship with her mom and children are authentic and lovely. They stress her out yes, but she would go to the ends of the world for them.

So why not Five Big Stars? The first chapter is CHATOIC. So much so that I almost felt myself putting this book down. Romano is a rambler and is scatterbrained for sure. But once you get use to the way her character thinks, reading goes smoother. The other area I wasn’t satisfied with was the ending. A little more closure or at least an epilogue would have tied this one together nicely.

If you’re a mom one tantrum away from a meltdown, you’ll find this book hilarious. Prusa does a great job of painting all the roles moms are supposed to occupy and how we’re all just trying to do our best. There are only

Recommended for fans of Finlay Donovan is Killing It and Cheri Preist books.


None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive comes out November 22, 2022! Huge thank you to Atria for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

This was a cute read. Wasn't a biggest fan of the MC or about the way she dealt with her problems. I found it hard to relate with the MC and the way she went about handling the things that went wrong in her life. It felt like everyone was out to get her and nothing was really her fault. But it was a light and quick read and while I didn't really relate I can see how many women would find comfort reading Ramona's story.

Rating 3.5

Ramona is likable and relatable then throw in a hurricane and philandering husband - OH BOY! From the beginning of the novel, Prince has been highly influential to her life. Many of her memories are related to his life, before and after his death.

Throughout the book we learn of the many ways this character has sacrificed parts of personality, her dreams and her true passions to maintain what she believes is her perfect marriage and job. Adulting isn't as glamorous as its made out to be, and Prusa captures a working mother perfectly. This Mom-com is a quick read.

I remember where I was at when Prince died too. Thank you Atria Books for the complimentary copy.

The title got me first, then the all purple cover....then the story got me.

This story is a chaotic, wild ride!!! I think readers are ready based on the cover alone. Plus, I think true Prince fans will get the Christopher name reference---Under the Cherry Moon, anyone?

This is definitely a tale for readers looking for escape, overworked and underpaid..... and missing Prince. That someone is me.

Thank you so much NetGalley for an advanced copy of this title. I know this will do so well.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy.

This week’s headline? Who tf names a pet after Clarence Thomas?

Why this book? I love the purple cover and Prince is cool, too

Which book format? ARC

Primary reading environment? Drunk in my apartment

Any preconceived notions? I think I’ll like this but won’t want to buy it

Identify most with? Ramona

Three little words? “best hurrication ever”

Goes well with? Purple Rain, hurricanes

Recommend this to? Chaotic moms

Other cultural accompaniments: https://www.whatyoushouldread.com/1101233/11595158

Grade: 3.75/5

I leave you with this: “He doesn’t know what it feels like to be left in a world that used to have a tiny guitar-wielding deity shrouded in lush fabrics emanating freedom, sexuality, vulnerability, and funkiness and now it doesn’t.”

📚📚📚

I don’t often enjoy books about women who have children and that being one of the main plot points, but I think all of the other topics balanced it out because it was still a fun read. The writing style is great, you really get into Ramona’s head; she’s a very well-developed character.

All in all, this is a great debut novel and I’ll definitely be checking out Prusa’s future books.

None of This Would've Happened If Prince Were Alive will be released on November 22, 2022.

3.5 stars!
This was such a charming novel. Starkly set in 2016, the story explores an incredibly stressful day in the life of Ramona, a woman with active roles as a wife, daughter, neighbor project manager and mother. The inner monologue is relatable and Ramona’s struggles with mental load and her identity outside of all of her various roles is authentic and grounded. A few things stood out as not-so-great, including Ramona’s descriptions of her friend Christopher, a gloat about a thigh gap and an absolutely absurd amount of product references. Additionally, the lack of quotations around dialogue in the sections of the book taking place in the past was confusing and I often found myself re-reading those snippets to clarify who was speaking to whom. Overall this is a fun debut novel and I’m looking forward to Carolyn Prussa’s future works!

This is a great story about a mother dealing with family struggles at the same time she is forced to flee a hurricane heading directly for her hometown. As Ramona feels that her marriage and her job under stress, she is also trying to determine how to best keep her children and her mother safe. During this time, she reflects on the ways that her life is not what she expected when she was a young art student -- and how it feels like things may have gone off track when Prince passed away too soon.

This is a warm and highly engaging story, full of compelling characters and perceptive examinations of parenthood, marriage, and ambition.

Highly recommended!

Come for the title, stay for the good read. Ramona is a working mom with a lot on her plate. Juggling her demanding boss, children, a the shock of a cheating husband, Ramona doesn't have time for a hurricane evacuation. This is a fast-paced fun ride and Ramona is relatable.. The story touches on some real life issues like how we can get so overwhelmed my our life that we don't stop to evaluate our happiness or consider if we are on a path that makes us happy. The story is told in the present day as well as some flashbacks which give us a more complete image of the path that Ramona started on. I found the ending satisfying, and although Ramona is certainly an imperfect protagonist, I enjoyed the prospects of what her future will look like.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the ARC. This is my honest review.

Well this was fun!

The name of the book caught my eye but the description sold me. Hurricane coming and Ramona, who is barely holding it together as a working mom, catches her husband cheating. Told between present day and random flashbacks, this was a fun ride. I mean, you can't go wrong with an old woman named Gigi as a character.

The pacing was fast and smooth making for a quick, can't-put-down read. Once I realized Ramona's children would play a prominent role I was iffy but even as annoying as they were I ended up not minding. It felt like an authentic portrayal of a working mom: phone calls mid domestic disasters, feeling alone while everyone wants everything from her, calm on the outside but screaming on the inside. It was funny without trying too hard and I could totally read more from some of the side characters.

What an interesting journey this book took me on! I’m not a mother, but Ramona felt so incredibly relatable. And sweet Bailey!

This book just GETS ME. The day Prince died, I left work without asking and got a Love Symbol tattoo on my wrist. Am I a touch young for Prince? Perhaps. But when I was tiny, I was one of those ultra-lucky toddlers that had a Power Wheels when they were first on the market. Mine was, of course, a Red Corvette, and my grandma used to sit outside with me and belt out lines from "Little Red Corvette" in her raspy pack-a-day singing voice. I loved it, and I grew to love all things Prince.

Anyways. Enough about me. Ramona is relatable on so many levels — her micromanaging hipster boss, wild animal of a toddler, stagnant romance, stubborn af mother, and general sense of "whatever can go wrong, will go wrong." Now throw in a hurricane, a teenage neighbor, a cheating husband, and about a million other laughable little road bumps, and you get Ramona's experience in this book. Poor thing, right? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe these chaotic few days are exactly what she needs to live the life she really wants to.

This story is a wild ride and I laughed, I cried, I loved it. The writing is great, and the pace is so consuming that I stayed up late to finish it same-day. Brilliant! Also, I sincerely hope that Christopher's name is a nod to Under the Cherry Moon, as that one is my personal favorite of the Prince films.

Thank you to Carolyn Prusa, Atria Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive, the debut novel by Carolyn Prusa, releases on November 22 of 2022. Atria Books provied an early galley for review.

I have been devoted to Prince since 1981. I remember the day vividly when the news broke that he had passed on April 21, 2016. I was devastated, and I still feel that loss over six years later. So, no surprise, the title of this book immediately captured my full attention. I needed to read this one.

While Prince does get mentioned a few times over the course of 330+ pages (just over a half dozen instances, including song references), it is only in a very general sense. It is not overly critical to the tale, but it does add some familiar color to which I can relate. I appreciated that. It's something I could see myself doing in my own writing.

The book is really about a mother on the edge, trying to juggle everything and everybody in the midst of a natural disaster. Sticking with a Prince theme, "Let's Go Crazy" would be an apropos song to describe it. Throughout, there are numerous flashbacks that fill the reader in on Ramona's life before the harried events of the two-day present. As a writer myself, I noticed a few tricks that Prusa used in how the flashbacks were conveyed (sort of a way to put her own signature on them). Some of the flashbacks dropped in more seamlessly than others. As for the present day plot, it does not run an expected course which adds to the tension and stakes. The ending felt mostly resolved though open for potential further exploration of the characters if the author desired.

In the end, this was a quick and easy read. For those looking for something that moves with a general-friendly plot, this would qualify.

2.5 rounded to 3 stars…Ramona is a stressed out mom in the middle of a literal hurricane. She suddenly finds herself balancing a life flung up in turmoil, which leads to some crazy adventures.

Soooo…I was 100 percent drawn to this book by the title. It’s clever and I expected a humorous rom-com type of book. That’s my fault…don’t make assumptions. It’s meant to be in the mom humor space.

TBH, I found Ramona and her humor to be annoying and her decisions to be nonsensical. I lost track of the number of times I mumbled, “Oh come on.”

Thanks to #netgalley and #atriabooks for the #arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is the book for readers who want their books (and protagonists) messy and relatable in all the best ways. Storms, both of the personal kind and the natural disaster kind, dominate this narrative and the life of Ramona, its protagonist. Told over two very rocky days and infused with nostalgia, Ramona's story is one that almost any woman will see herself in. Heck, anyone can see themselves in Ramona - who hasn't wanted to just drive off when life becomes too much? Written in a clear, easily readable voice, Prusa takes readers into the drama of one woman's life and gives readers the gift of being seen and being understood.

FYI to those that follow my reviews: I do almost always read romance novels, but this one is women's fiction.

It took me quite a while to get into this book. The writing style is a bit different and I needed to adapt in my brain, but once I started to connect with our FMC, I really appreciated this book for exactly what it is. Even though this book is full of chaos and things I've never had to deal with, I understood SO MUCH that this FMC was dealing with. Being a working mother is the hardest thing I've ever done, and this writer GETS IT.

I think every woman who is a wife or a mother will be able to relate to this story.

We follow Ramona over 48 hours - when a hurricane is coming through her town and she has to single handedly maneuver her way through parenthood, her career, her marriage, and even her role as a daughter.

This book is a testament to modern day womanhood - the ever changing hats we wear on a minute to minute basis, the losing of oneself as we trade individual identity to one of a partner, a family. The ever growing balancing act of handling work, kids, the emotional load of marriage and never letting the sweat of it show.

I think everyone can agree that when you lose oneself to the demands of others, life is not enjoyable. And this story just shows the weary path women lead as they try to find their way back to themselves.

Thank you for sending me an advance reading copy.

This was a solid 3.5.

The author has real talent and the storyline was at least unique.

That said, the protagonist is not very likable and it could have used more time in development. While the execution of the story was good, the pacing could use some work. There were important story elements that could have been anchor points, but they were rushed.

This is a chick lit/ beach read kind of thing. I read it on a quiet weekend at home after a busy work week. For that? It’s perfect… but there are certainly better in the genre… and the Prince connection could have been better developed (that was disappointing)

However, I am excited to read more from this author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Actual Rating = 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3

If there was a competition for the best book title of 2022, "None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive" would be a strong contender. The story of a 30-something working mom facing a hurricane and evacuation, this novel has a funny voice and I think a lot of readers will see themselves in the MC.

However, this book was somewhat inside. I am a 30-something professional woman, so very close in circumstance to our leading lady. There is one key difference though - I don't have kids. This story, while entertaining in general, is very obviously written for moms and I think you'll get the most out of it if you are part of that group. This isn't a problem, I'm simply not the target audience and didn't hold that against the rating.

The writing of this wasn't particularly strong and there were a lot of anachronisms, like software developers in Savannah GA using the word "bloody," hence the 2.5-star rating.

As Hurricane Matthew bares down on her home in Savannah, Georgia, Ramona must try to hold it together and keep her kids safe over a 48 hour period. There's a cranky boss, an abandoned neighbor's kid and a stubborn mother to boot!

What I liked:
- The characters are fantastic! I loved Ramona and her rag-tag group of evacuees! So funny and very relatable.
- a fast paced abd believable plot that made me want to keep reading to see what would happen next.
- laugh out loud funny dialog
- a satisfying ending

I really enjoyed this one!
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up to 5