2.5 stars. I won’t get into the synopsis of Blank by Zibby Owens because it can be found easily online.

I adore all of the positive ventures the author has undertaken to promote books and writers, and her commitment to uplifting the publishing industry and authors. I was eager to read her fiction debut.

Blank was a fast read and had some funny moments and wry humour. Momentum definitely picked up in the back half, the writing and dialogue less choppy, and I was eagerly reading and curious as to what would happen with Pippa and her various quandaries. I could feel Pippa’s stress and anxiety with juggling so many balls, the most important motherhood, marriage, career, and financial uncertainties. Jewish representation was incorporated in an interesting way to round out the story, and it added an emotional, meaningful layer. There were a few fun behind-the-scenes tidbits of the publishing industry.

Had it not been for these various aspects, I would have had an even more difficult time with this review.

Unfortunately, I found the first half of the story to be particularly cringy in reference to both the writing and the content. The story, along with interspersed dialogue and text messages, didn’t have ease or flow. Even though the meta bits were neat to pick out (the name of the author’s real life podcast, a sly reference to the author’s new bookstore, a couple of well known authors, book influencers, etc.), it did feel contrived. Some of the publishing industry “inside” items were outright jabs, and while last year’s hit Yellowface by R.F. Kuang was subtle in its satire, this from Owens is a constant and is beginning to grate on this reader. Blank was all over the place and was going off in so many directions with multiple characters and plot points. The story did all come together in the end, but aspects of the ending had a different tone once again. It was also surprisingly preachy and could have done with tighter editing.

🌟🌟💫

Thank you to Little A and Netgalley for the electronic advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. So very glad it has been released. I will recommend it to everyone I know!

Blank by Zibby Owens makes you laugh and also covers some very serious topics. Zibby Owens knows all about books - she's a writer, publisher, podcaster and even owns a bookstore! The main character Pippa Jones is a writer who had her debut novel become a huge hit and now she can't think of anything to write about for book number two. With a deadline looming over her her son suggests turning in a blank book. It's a joke right?!! Maybe not! This book takes along for the ride! Some true laugh out loud moments! Highly recommend!

I was looking for something short and light and that's exactly what this book is at just 234 pages. This is Zibby Owens's debut novel - her writing feels a bit immature and the storylines are pretty contrived and predictable. Pippa Jones is a forty-something writer with serious writer's block after her first novel was a bestseller. She's unhappy in her marriage to Ethan but not really willing to do anything about it, mainly because of how she thinks it will affect her teenage daughter Zoe and her 12 year-old son Max. She starts working on what she thinks is a great idea for a second novel, but finds out that it's basically the same plot as a superstar author already released. When she can't come up with anything at all, she tries something totally out-there that Max suggests as a joke. She's going to shake up the publishing industry and hope for the best. In the process, she learns all kinds of secrets about every part of her life. Thanks to #Blank #NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get into this book and I almost "gave up", but glad I went ahead - once I was in, I didn't want to stop reading. This was an enjoyable, quick (once I got into it) and fun read. I enjoyed the publishing (process about writing a book and coming up with ideas) and parenting themes.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

For me, it was a hard book to get through. It was all over the place and seemed like it needed to be edited more. Fast read.

I enjoyed Zibby Owen’s Blank about a best-selling author struggling to come up with her next book idea. Pippa gets an idea from her son for a blank book - a book with no words that would be a statement on the publishing industry.

Pippa is a mom juggling all the things: dealing with her publisher, staying connected with a group of college friends, struggling with her marriage.

She deals with pressure by visiting open houses and posts about them on her secret Instagram account. But snooping in other houses leads her to a secret that could turn her life upside down.

I enjoyed the characters and writing, and found this to be a quick, funny read.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Little A in exchange for my honest review.

I must be an outlier bc I cannot understand the high star reviews.

Unfortunately, this was a huge miss for me. I really didn't care for the MC, I found her to be whiny and really annoying and her husband just sucks. I felt bad for her friends, particularly Kelly, bc Pippa is just THAT annoying.

Overall, I can't recommend this book and I'm not entirely sure who the target audience is- possibly a mid-40s mom living a really pampered life in LA with spoiled kids and a spoiled husband?

Special thanks to NetGalley and Little a for sharing this digital ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

I received this book as an ARC. I had never heard of this author before and was happy that this book ended up being a pleasant surprise. I have read a lot of books with the "author struggling to write next novel" trope but this one took a brand new angle and wasn't super predictable like many. I was very engaged and finished the whole book in just a few days. I felt the climax was a little rushed, but again, not predictable. Would recommend!

Cute book. Tough topics spun in makes for a good book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I struggled with this book. I pushed through hoping it would improve. The writing was all over the place. It is slow moving and the sex scene was a little much.

There's a funny kind of symmetery to my reviewing this book - in the novel, the four women discuss Lily King's 'Writers & Lovers' which was one of my favourite books that I read in 2023. I liked the sound of this one from its blurb - I thought it sounded like a quirky take on the 'writer struggling to get unblocked' theme.

I thought it started out well and, as silly as the idea of a blank book is, I thought she did make some good points around the notion of instant gratification and the 'Tiktok-ification' of how we consume culture and entertainment in today's world. I think there was some good stuff around the idea of technology curating what we read, watch, etc, and I think the idea of a blank book actually plays really smartly into that idea.

The problem was that the challenge of getting this blank book published gets resolved too quickly which paves the way for the kitchen sink melodrama that makes up the rest of the book and it drags down the relatively interesting ideas that it started out with. The big plot point here is Pippa trying to figure out what to do about her husband (spoiler alert - she should have done it about 20 years previous) who is an almost impossibly one-dimensional character.

There's a lot more going on (kids, parents, friends, a contrived reappearance of a childhood acquaintance, etc) that results in the whole thing becoming too busy and, frankly, asks the reader to suspend far too much disbelief.

It's a pity because I think there was space for this to be a smart satire of the publishing industry - instead the most interesting part got wrapped up in a melodrama that did not stand out in the slightest.

Deliciously Depicted..
An author with an apparent case of writers block tries to rejuvenate her flailing career when she realises that she is obligated to repay an already dwindled book advance. Keenly observed and fizzing with humour and despair in equal measure, this satirical glimpse into the publishing industry and the angst associated with it is rather deliciously depicted. Enjoyable, engaging and entertaining.

TLDR it was fine

After a little bit of consideration, I have decided this book just wasn’t for me.

I liked the writing and the humour and the flow of the story. I thought it was well thought out and made sense. There were a lot of little things that I didn’t particularly like but instead of deep diving, the one big thing I had a problem with was that the actual climax of the story happens so quickly. I feel like it could have been expounded on and flushed out a bit. I’m still sort of like… wait so why did this even happen?

Altogether I thought it was fine and I agree with the theme of the publishing industry being a bit wack. I would recommend this book to people who read the description and are intrigued because I don’t think you’ll hate it. At the very least you’ll be like 👍 I’d also recommend to woman mostly, and probably 30 and up.

Content summary: 🖍️ light swearing, lots of unfaithful marriages, sexual harassment, some light sexual content 🖍️

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC. Blank's premise is a good one, I just struggled a bit with the book. I had a hard time getting into it, and it felt a little superficial. Overall, it's a quick read, and entertaining.

A working mom that has her priorities out of whack and desperately struggles with balance. So much so, it almost seemed like a right of passage for her to finally grow up and take ownership of her own life instead of deflecting everyone else’s issues. I really hoped the book would have jumped into the exciting stuff before 55% of the read. But when it does finally pick up, it becomes a page turner and I couldn’t put it down. I had nearly gave up on the repetitive commentary of her miserable life before the 55% mark hit. Overall, it’s a light, often funny and beautiful coming of age story of a grown woman. #There were many themes in this book, but they only seem to scratch the surface (misogyny, abuse, affair, betrayal to name a few) #netgalley #blank #bookish #zibbyowens #bookstagram

Thank you Net Galley for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a FUN romp into the publishing world! Main character, Pippa Jones, is an immediate favorite who I felt myself cheering on from the beginning as her life falls apart and gets built back up even taller and stronger than before. You don’t want to miss this novel full of lovable characters that will have you crying, laughing, and crying-laughing all at once!

I really wanted to like this book, I am a huge fan of Zibby Owens, but it fell flat in every way possible.,

In Blank by Zibby Owens, readers are taken on a rollicking journey through the tumultuous life of Pippa Jones, a once-celebrated author now facing an insurmountable case of writer's block. Inspired by a desperate need to salvage her career and repay a long-spent advance, Pippa concocts a daring plan with the help of her children, setting the stage for a comedic and heartfelt exploration of creativity, ambition, and self-discovery. Owens' debut novel crackles with wit and charm, offering a fresh take on the classic tale of a writer facing their demons, all while navigating the glamorous yet treacherous terrain of the publishing world.

This was a cute and charming read. I chose this book because it was recommended by Gretchen Rubin, who I adore. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Zibby Owens hits it out of the park again with an MC, Pippa, that I liked very much and a story that bristles with heart and life. Loved it!