A fun and thought provoking read that exceeded my expectations.

I love stories about ex-pats and tagalong spouses, so I was immediately drawn to this story about a career music industry woman who gives up everything to follow her husband abroad for his career.

Less interesting to me typically are dysfunctional marriage stories, but this was actually very well done and intriguing, poignant without being too tragic, and—perhaps most surprising of all—one in which you actually end up rooting for the couple to make it.

The story has enough subtle humor to keep it from feeling too angsty, and the protagonist feels relatable and likable. I especially enjoyed the components of the book that focused on ex-pat life in Paris, Tokyo, and Beijing, but I found myself surprisingly invested in Em and her family as well.

This was a good pick for audiobook format, mostly because it has a terrific narrator, but also because the story is paced in such a way that it keeps your attention.

Em’s Awful Good Fortune by Marcie Maxfield
Literary Fiction
Audiobook
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Pub date: August 3, 2022

Em is a wife and mother who puts her career on the back burner for her husbands job. G her husband gets to travel around the world to Tokyo, China and France. Who wouldn’t love to be in that position to take their family around to all those amazing places. Well from the outside it seems amazing, from Em’s position it’s not always as good as it seems. Being a tag along wife, always leaving your home or having no home and meeting and leaving friends. When you get down to it, travel life might not be so amazing after all.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, the narrator was good and I laughed a lot during this book. Em is very witty with a good sense of dry humor. There was a lot of ups and downs and I learned a lot about the expat life. Em is a strong woman who does what she can for her family and husband. I highly recommend you check out this book when it releases.

I love an adventure story, and really enjoyed EM’S AWFUL GOOD FORTUNE by Marcie Maxfield.

Em was a relatable character, with flaws just like most of us, from a dysfunctional marriage, to feelings of loneliness and depression, and as a reader, my favorite characters have messy lives just like this.

My favorite thing was the travel and culture found in each city, and I loved that the story came to life through the narrator, Gabra Zackman.

*many thanks to Blackstone Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

From a dysfunctional marriage to

This book was a joy to read because I was able to learn something new! Em is a tag-along wife and an ex-pat. She details her struggles as a wife and mother chasing after her husband’s dreams living abroad, while negating her own.
Her story is packed full of humorous moments that shed light to the loneliness, fear, constantly trying to fit in and being a loyal wife in a variety of different cultures.

Gabra Zackman did a great job narrating Em and all her baggage.

Thank you Suzyapprovedbooktours for having me on tour

Really enjoyed this one! I hadn't read this author before but I'm glad that I got the chance to read this one. It was great as an audio book! Thanks so much

Loved this book. So relatable. Read like a memoir. Didn’t love that the chapters were not chronological but overall, so good.

I loved this book! I listened to the audiobook, and my attention never wavered. Maxfield takes a lifestyle that many of us travel lovers think we want, throws in flawed, messy characters, and what emerges is a story that rips back the curtain on the cost of ex-pat adventure for many.

The synopsis from her publicist (because it's a good one!):
"Part dysfunctional marriage, part global romp, this is not your typical expat story. Em’s Awful Good Fortune is a deeply personal, marriage coming-apart-at-the-seams look at the struggle between a woman’s desire for partnership and her need for identity. Fueled by twin demons, love and rage, Em stomps her way around the world coming to terms with the fantasy of having it all: husband, kids, and a career....

Maxfield’s compelling, nonlinear story explores the expatriate lifestyle through the lens of a crumbling marriage, while at the same time tracing the lasting impact of sexual assault and PTSD. Em’s journey exposes the dark corners of this seemingly privileged world: loneliness, depression, infidelity, and loss of career. An empowering, uncomfortably funny narrative about compromise that every woman should hear."

The juxtaposition between the marketing of an exciting life and the realities for the family are powerful. But what I loved most about this book are the pockets of support Em finds in the women in her life. They add a lightness at times to what was a heavier story than I expected while also acknowledging a universal truth--family is so much more than blood, contractual agreements, and location.

I will be adding Marcie Maxfield's books to my TBR.

I enjoyed the different cities and cultures that Em experienced. I loved how detailed the settings were and the narrator brought it all to life. The narrator had a nice tone and I loved how it was written like Em was telling me her life story but in a non linear timeline. Sometimes, at the start of chapters I wasn’t quite sure what time frame events were happening until I heard the age of the kids, but it was easy to follow. Em’s marriage goes through so many hard times, I couldn’t imagine having to pick up my life as many times as Em had to. I loved following Em’s journey and watching her grow confident and discovering her worth.

Thank you @marcie.b.max and @suzyapprovedbooktours @netgalley for the gifted copy.

This was a great read! I laughed, there were moments that my jaw dropped and others I just shook my head! It was very easy for me to relate to Em. There were many situations that I have also found myself in that were brought up.The narrator, Gabra Zackman, does such an excellent job at bringing the story to life! It's an entertaining and emotional read but I started it in the morning and was done before bed! Overall it was a fantastic read and one I will definitely be reading again!

Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Marcie Maxfield for sharing this fantastic story with me!

Emma was a tag-a-long wife when her husband worked over seas in different locations. She always seemed to quit her job and career for his. From a power career, to a struggling mom with a floundering marriage. The story goes through her life before meeting her husband and her life with him. It’s so real and life like.

This book was easy to get lost in. Literally and figuratively. There were times I was lost in her story telling and right there with her as she traveled, worked, hated her MIL and spouse, fell in love, described the world, etc. There were also times I would get lost in the story as well because she skipped around from places and time which was confusing.

The narrator was perfect. It was like listening to a friend fill you in on what you have missed in her life lately. I will say at times I didn’t like her, her husband, her friends, or the way she was being treated. Other times I was cheering her on and wanting to give advice. My favorite part of it all though, was the details about traveling and how real it was for those traveling and trying to fit in.

There are a few trigger warnings in this book though: rape and cheating/affairs.

This was an interesting book, it reads like a memoir, yet it's classified as contemporary fiction. I had to do some double checking because the book just seemed so authentic, raw, honest and gritty, I thought for SURE it was classified incorrectly. It was just so REAL! Turns out, while it is a work of fiction, it is definitely based off of the author's own real life experiences as an ex-pat, tag-along wife.

I learned so much about the ex-pat and tag-along wife life and the breathability of air in other countries (this particular subject freaks me out) from reading this book. It was funny at times but mostly it made me frustrated for Em. The MC, Em, is a strong woman who wants to be heard, she wants to do big things and have a career of her own. However, it's hard when your husband has an international career and your moving constantly from LA, to Paris, to Shanghai, Tokyo, Seoul, etc. It's even harder when your raising children and long to have your own hobbies, interests and career....but...you...can't.

This is a sort of coming-of-age story, that deals with marital issues, parenting, sexual assault, health issues and depression. It's also about finding your voice and being a strong woman...standing on your own 2 feet and choosing your own path.

I loved how she described being married to her "3 husbands." That is so accurate when you are with someone for a long time. The ending was just perfect, it was realistic...it wasn't cheesy.

Kudos on a job well done. I definitely recommend this book and thought the audio narrator was excellent.