The Mostly True Story of Tanner Louise by Colleen Oakley was an story of unexpected adventure and friendship between the two title characters.

After an accidental injury causes Tanner to lose her soccer scholarship at Northwestern, she moves home to Atlanta. After essentially getting kicked out of her parents home, Tanner moves in with 80-year-old Louise to help around her around the house and drive her to appointments while she recovers from hip surgery. But when someone from Louise’s past reaches out with a cry for help, Louise convinces Tanner to drive her to a California before it is too late. So the pair embark on an adventure across the country and are on the run from the law because Louise is also believed to be a jewel thief, the two form an unlikely friendship along the way.

Overall, this was a beautiful story that warmed my heart. I loved the characters and their respective growth throughout the novel. There were also a few fun surprises in the plot that I didn’t see coming. This is a book that I would definitely recommend.

I absolutely love Colleen Oakley’s books! I’ve read all of them and they are all wonderful. This book was such a joy to read with an entertaining storyline, great dialogue, and great pacing. Once again the author has given her characters such interesting, unique, and unforgettable personalities. There is a great mystery weaving throughout the plot which slowly begins to unravel. At times the story is humorous, thrilling, heart warming and poignant. As Tanner and Louise head out across the country it is reminiscent of other stories about strong women but this one is definitely uniquely it’s own. I loved this feel good book from start to finish. Make sure to add this one to your reading lists.

A fun mystery centring around an evolving multigenerational friendship! Tanner is a 21 year-old college dropout who goes to work as a caregiver for Louise, an 84 year-old recovering from a fall. The two couldn’t be more different and butt heads at the beginning. When Louise knocks on Tanner’s bedroom door in the middle of the night with her bags packed and an urgent plea to flee into the night, the story kicks off.

This story is funny, and Louise is one mysterious lady…is she a jewel thief from decades ago? Why are they running from the law? There is more to the story than meets the eye, and as Tanner and Louise travel together, they begin to form a bond and a friendship. Tanner begins to find herself and find hope after her sports injury, and Louise endeavours to tie up loose ends. Throughout the story we are privy to text conversations between Louise’s children which adds so much fun to this adventure.

I thoroughly recommend this book. Thank you so much to Berkley, Netgalley, and to Cindy from Thoughts From a Page for arranging the advance reader copy and discussion with the author.

Twenty-one year old Tanner has (begrudgingly) moved in with 84-year-old Louise Wilt to act as her caretaker, which mostly means driving her around in between hours-long sessions of playing video games. The arrangement is working out fine until Mrs. Wilt wakes her in the middle of the night insisting that Tanner drive her to California. With a bag of cash pulled from beneath the mattress and police sirens approaching, they speed off together. Thus begins a cross country journey between an unlikely pair that just might become friends.

This was a fun, light-hearted take on the ‘friends on the run from the law’ story we all know and love. While a quick and enjoyable read, there wasn’t anything particularly special that set this book apart from the rest. Still an entertaining, easy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the advance copy of this book.

Louise's kids think she needs a caregiver. Tanner needs a job and a place to stay. When Louise suddenly decides she needs to go see her old friend George in California and needs Tanner to drive her, the two are off on quite an adventure.

This was a fun intergenerational story with humor and heart. Told in dual POV over the course of a cross-country road trip, Louise and Tanner learn they may have misjudged each other.

I liked both of these characters who start off very prickly but eventually allow parts of their inner selves to be seen. There are themes of found family, aging and how to handle life's curve balls. I recommend adding this unlikely friendship story to your TBR. Thank you to the publisher for my e-copy of this book.

Review will be posted on 3/31/23

Louise Wilt is an 84 year old woman who lives alone and is recovering from a fall that hurt her hip. Much to her chagrin, her children have decided she needs a caretaker. They ask a family friend, Tanner, who is twenty-one years old and does much of nothing all day since she dropped out of college. Tanner had a scholarship as a soccer star, but all it took was one accident to injure her leg and her dreams went up in flames. Tanner hasn't quite gotten over this bump in the road and spends most of her day playing video games much to her parents' disappointment. Tanner reluctantly takes this job and neither Louise nor Tanner want to deal with each other. They are most definitely an unlikely pair. As more time passes, Tanner realizes there's more to Louise than just crossword puzzles, doctor appointments, and her daily routines. Tanner notices that a suspect from a jewelry heist in the 70s looks exactly like Louise. How can this be? Before she knows it, Tanner starts noticing strange things around the house and then to make matters worse, Louise demands they leave town after she receives a mysterious letter. Colleen Oakley's The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is an entertaining story of an unlikely couple who go on an adventure filled with hijinks, mystery, and a surprising friendship.

I really enjoyed Louise from the beginning of The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise. I just realized that the last two books I read have female protagonists that are sixty years or older and I am here for it! I love that Oakley paints Louise as so much more than a grandmother stuck in her house. She lived quite a full life and has aspects of her life that her own kids may not know about. In fact, the FBI even gets involved regarding Louise's mysterious past. Then there's Tanner who was a bit frustrating at times due to her lack of drive. She really let her injury dictate her future and hasn't bounced back at all. Her interactions with Louise were pretty funny at times - a lot of witty back and forth banter. It reminded me of the Odd Couple at times.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise took me by surprise. I thought it was going to be a mostly funny story involving an unlikely friendship and while it definitely is that, it was so much more. It highlighted many aspects of society like what it means to be a woman, the difficulties of aging, female friendship, as well as what does it meant to do the right thing. Also, there was definitely a good mystery to the story, which I also enjoyed. While I didn't like The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise as much as The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, it was still a solid story and would most definitely be a fun one to throw in your bag for spring break.

So, have you read The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise? Are you a fan of Colleen Oakley? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

I couldn’t get past about 25% of this one. The storyline interested me but once I started reading it wasn’t enough to keep my attention.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is an adorable story with well-drawn, three-dimensional characters that you have to root for. The author does a great job slowly building the friendship between these two protagonists, who go from disdain to a strong friendship. The ending is terrific, too. Highly recommend.

This book is so fun. I loved the development of the unlikely friendship between Tanner and Louise. Each is a great character in her own right but together they are fantastic. Anyone taking a road trip will want to take this along and enjoy the adventures with these two. I loved the generational gap between these two and how they each learned from the other. Fun read!

Who likes road trips?
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I love them, and road trip books are so much fun. The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley is excellent. I love a feisty old woman and Louise is perfect!
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Even better, I recently found out that Louise was inspired by the author’s own grandmother. I just love that. This character is not one to sit around and wait for things to happen, she charges out and makes them happen on her time.
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Sitting around is part of the problem, Louise has been sidelined by a broken hip and her daughter insists she have live in help. Tanner‘s life as a college soccer player has been sidelined as well and she is somewhat forced into taking the job as Louise’s care giver. Neither of them are in the place they want to be and resent the other’s presence. Louise can’t understand why Tanner sits around all day in baggy sweats playing video games. Tanner can’t understand why Louise has so many locked cabinets and doors or why the news is talking about an old jewel heist and posting a picture of a suspect that looks just like Louise.
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When Louise wakes Tanner up in the middle of the night to drive her out of Atlanta, Tanner goes. Then the adventure really begins. I laughed and cried and had the best time reading this book. This cross generation friendship that developed is pure gold.
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I loved all the characters, all the banter, all the situations they encountered. I also loved that they were driving cross country in a Ferrari!
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I highly recommend this fun book!

I absolutely adored this book from start to finish. The fun dynamics of an 84 y/o woman and a 21 y/o woman and the evolution of their relationship as they start out as employer/employee to best friends is nothing short of fantastic. The witty banter, the spitfire personality of Louise, the tentative but learning that she is stronger than she realizes Tanner, the kookiness of their adventures and missteps along the way, and the smart humor all unraveling on a road trip of unexpected twists was just so much fun to read. If I didn’t have to adult and be a mom or work for a living this would have been a book I could have finished in one day because I did not want to put it down. It had me giggles, it had me smiling, it had me with all the dang feels the way it all resolved in the end. If you need a good book to end March with, I highly recommend picking this one up.

Sweet tale of friendship.

I really enjoyed my time with Tanner and Louise! Tanner was a junior in college with a scholarship for soccer, but a freak accident left her leg shattered and without soccer, no ability to pay for school. Her recovery and lack of direction has caused her to go into a deep depression, spending time playing video games and taking out her frustration on her parents. Louise is 84 and a widow, recovering from a broken hip. Louise's children hire Tanner as a companion to Louise, to drive her around and perform basic tasks until Louise is recovered. The two don't particularly mesh, but remain in a cordial existence. Until Tanner starts hearing some rumors about Louise's past, notices many locks, and sees a news report about a long ago robbery committed by a woman who looks a lot like Louise. Then Louise wakes Tanner in the night and the two start on a cross country adventure that may or may not include some illegal activity.

Such a fun adventure! I loved how Tanner and Louise helped one another to learn some things about themselves--even Louise realized that she could grow and change, but Tanner realized that in some ways Louise was more progressive than she was. These are two women that appear to have nothing at all in common, but the more time they spend together they realize that they are actually very alike.

I spent a great deal of time smiling, and while this book didn't quite reach the emotional depth of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, I still enjoyed my journey with Tanner and Louise. I highly recommend it as an enjoyable unlikely friendship story--full of whimsy and humor.

This was such a fun read! Louise is 84 is recovering from a broken hip, and 21-year-old Tanner becomes her live in caregiver. Tanner has no idea of Louise’s past and soon finds herself on a road trip across the country trying not to be caught by the police or FBI.

The book was entertaining with quirky characters and some laugh out loud moments. Tanner and Louise are an unlikely duo but they both learn from each other and develop a friendship. It was such a heartwarming read, I highly recommend!

Are you a fan of road trips? I can handle a few hours in the car but beyond that, I am a plane person.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is the hilarious story of a college student who gets hired to take care of an elderly woman and the adventures they embark on. To put it simply, I loved it. I absolutely loved it. The witty banter had such a sarcastic bite, the emotions were raw and so realistic and honest, the text conversations interspersed were hysterical, the dynamics of these women becoming unlikely friends were so entertaining and charming and the whole story just worked so perfectly. It worked to tug at my heart strings, make me smile and giggle and make me stay up too late reading.

I absolutely loved this book! Tanner and Louise are an unlikely inter generational pair that brought so much life to the story. I love books with hilarious grandma characters! With humor, hijinks, and lovable characters this book is a pure win! I absolutely cannot wait to read Colleen’s backlist and whatever she has coming up next!

This was a fun intergenerational cross-country road trip book. We follow twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby, whose life is turning out not at all how she expected, as she begins to cohabitate with Louise Wilt. Louise recently fell and broke her hip but she absolutely does not want a stranger living with her. The two get along as well as oil and water. Until one night when Louise wakes Tanner up and says they need to go on the run. Adventure ensues from there.

Both these characters have good banter, even when mostly ignoring each other. For me this was a fun road trip book. It did take me a little bit of time to get into it, but once I did I found it to be an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for gifting me a digital ARC of Colleen Oakley's new book - 5 wonderful stars!

Tanner left college after an injury ended her soccer career and she had to move back home with her parents. She's angry, and sits around feeling sorry for herself. When her mom tells her she needs to move out and do something with her life, she grudgingly takes the job of live-in nanny, watching over an elderly neighbor, Louise, who is recovering from hip surgery. Louise's kids forced help on her and she is not happy about it. These two women basically exist together until things start happening - Tanner sees a news report with a woman who looks remarkably like Louise, talking about a decades-old crime. Then Louise wakes Tanner up in the middle of the night and their adventure together really begins.

I loved everything about this book - definitely Oakley's best yet! It's laugh-out-loud funny (especially the texts between Louise's kids), it's poignant, it's the best road trip story. It's women sticking up and standing up for each other. A reminder that "Nothing in life goes accord to plan" and "Everyone has their shit." You will fall in love with these characters and their interactions. And that ending was perfection! A must read and fingers crossed that it becomes a big screen hit as well!

I tend to like octogenarian stories, especially ones where the 80+-year-old is feisty. Maybe it is because I spent a lot of time with elderly people growing up and now my own parents are in that category. In fact, my mom is the exact age as Louise in this story. The other part of this story that caught my attention was a cross-country journey, another trope I love.

Tanner’s life is over, as far as she thinks. She lost her full-ride scholarship to Northwestern and her dream of playing professional soccer to a stupid accident. Now she spends her days hiding in the basement playing video games. Louise’s daughter believes she can no longer live alone after a slip on a rug and hires Tanner to be her aide, someone to take her to her appointments and be there in case Louise needs assistance. Let’s just say that neither Tanner nor Louise is thrilled with this idea, but Tanner doesn’t have a choice. After a blowup over a jar of pickles, she’s been kicked out and has to live with Louise.

Even after a few days together and numerous trips to physical therapy, the two still aren’t really getting along. Tanner’s about to jump ship when she sees a news story of a wanted criminal with age progression who looks suspiciously like Louise. Tanner starts to put a few things together….the locked nightstand, the weird phone calls, the gun, and starts to wonder what is really going on with Louise.

That night, Tanner is woken at 1 AM by Louise with a packed bag and a new adventure ahead of them if Tanner is willing to help. What else does Tanner have to lose? What ensues is a cross-country adventure of a lifetime that brings Tanner and Louise closer and reveals years of buried secrets that even Louise’s family won’t be able to imagine.

“Sometimes it just feels like we still spend so much time trying to teach the house not to catch on fire, instead of teaching the arsonist not to light it.”

I’m embarrassed to say I am mostly unfamiliar with Oakley’s writing. Her most recent novel THE INVISIBLE HUSBAND OF FRICK ISLAND published in 2021 is the only one of her books I had at least heard of. But, I will be watching for her now. She is a character novelist and draws you into the story by making you care about the characters. Neither Tanner nor Louise was especially likable in the beginning. They both treated their family members quite horribly and were generally not very nice people. They also were pretty rude to each other. But, I knew there was more to each character because of the way Oakley told the story, building the reader up to this exciting cross-country adventure with a surprise ending I didn’t see coming.

The side characters including Louise’s children who meet to discuss the sudden disappearance of their mom, the FBI agent who just wants to break this cold case, and the neighbor, August who Tanner can’t seem to stop thinking about also add a lot of fun dimension to the story. I loved the chapters that gave us a peek into the texts between Louise’s children and their interviews with the FBI. I loved the different roles each of her children took from the worrier to the nonchalant to the practical. Pretty much exactly how my siblings would be divided up.

This journey that took Tanner and Louise across the country was also a personal journey where each one was able to take a step back and right a wrong or realize a mistake or two that was made in their past. They also found that they actually liked each other and their friendship had value. I highly recommend this funny, lighthearted story that will touch your heart and surprise you, and maybe inspire you to take a road trip with an octogenarian you love. I would love to see this adapted for a movie!

I loved this book! It was such much fun to be on the run with this unlikely duo. Louise is an 84-year-old woman whose family insists that someone move in after she suffered a broken hip. Tanner is a 21-year-old former college soccer athlete who takes the job but would really rather just be left alone to play video games. When they leave their home on a cross-country journey, they form an unlikely friendship. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to stop.

I was taken by both of these characters and really enjoyed watching them get to know one another. It appears that Louise has a bit of a past and I couldn’t wait to see exactly what was going on. They each had their own story to tell and seemed to understand each other. Their road trip across the country was full of surprises and I just had a lot of fun waiting to see what would happen next. I loved the sense of humor worked into the story which helped keep a smile on my face the entire time that I was reading this book.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Hillary Huber did a fabulous job with the story. I thought that she did a fantastic job with the various character voices which helped to bring the story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and easy to listen to for hours at a time. I do believe that her narration added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this story was fun from the very start and quickly fell in love with the characters. I cannot wait to read more of Colleen Oakley’s work.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 stars

The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise is a fun road trip adventure story featuring two endearing and memorable characters. Tanner is 21 years old and desperate for a place to live. Luckily, she stumbles upon a caretaker position for Louise, a mysterious elderly woman. As Tanner begins to question things around her, Louise wakes her up one night insisting they leave town immediately. Are they on the run or on an adventure?

This is such a humorous and heartfelt story that is so easy to become invested in. There is mystery, romance, unexpected friendship, caper vibes, and, above all, fun. I loved escaping into this story.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.