I really enjoyed this one and loved its theme of starting over, new beginnings and self-discovery! I also enjoyed the setting! The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing the story to life.

Despite the difficulties in her life, Jenny has always tried to make the most of it for her son Charlie. Her life becomes even more difficult when an abrupt chain of terrible events leaves her jobless and homeless. She's lucky to have a sparkling knight living next door! Her neighbor Luke is a solitary man who lives in a cozy mobile home with his beloved dog, Betty. With little other options, Jenny accepts Luke's invitation to go on a cross-country journey. A voyage of self-discovery, adventure, and relationships of all kinds are what come next.

This was such a great story. Indeed, there were moments of laughter and smiles, as well as very obvious crying moments. Jenny in particular had a great sense of humor and handled some really bad situations with it. I understood her struggles and the difficulties she faced.
I like how the boy was being raised by a single mother. The relationship has a natural feel to it, complete with a certain amount of distance, inside jokes, misguided teenage angst, and, deep down, true love.
Jenny and Charlie had such a great relationship, and it was fun to witness the three of them develop closer as they traveled to interesting places together.

The narration was excellent, and the plot was charming. I could actually picture the narrative in my head because of the way she presented it. Additionally, the narrator made Jenny's persona incredibly entertaining as she handled each absurd situation.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Audiobook Review

This is such a great summer escapist novel! This book really transports you to England and all over! It best compares to Bridget Jones and a road trip rolled into one. When Jenny’s life falls apart she ventures off on a road trip is an RV with her son and a handsome man! I loved the healing that took place and all the humor! The characters were endearing and relatable.

The audiobook was narrated by Beth Eyre and she did wonderful. Her accent was perfect and the best touch to this read. It was so much more fun to listen with the British accent and the fun lingo.

Quote: “Sometimes it takes life falling apart…to piece yourself back together.”

Spice: 💋 Kisses only

Thank you to the author Debbie Johnson and Net Galley for the advanced listener copy of the audio book!

This was cute and heartwarming. The main character was relatable except maybe for her relationship with her parents. I would definitely try this author again.

4.25 of 5 stars
As someone who feels like her life is a disaster right now, it was reassuring to be reminded that there’s always a way to find joy.
If such a thing exists, I describe this novel as “middle age coming of age” - rediscovering self and nurturing relationships.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for my gifted audiobook copy.

▪️I enjoy books set in England which is why I initially picked up Jenny James. Debbie Johnson does a fantastic job with detailing the places in the novel and it was like my own personal road trip through England.

▫️Jenny James had many layers to her story and we slowly learn about her past as she tries to give her son Charlie the family that she knows he always wanted.

▪️Jenny James is not just a light-hearted road trip novel, there are bigger topics such as teenage pregnancy, estranged family, mother/daughter relationships, and more.

🎧I also listened to Jenny James on audiobook, thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollins and really enjoyed the narration by Beth Eyre.

🌟Overall, I would recommend Jenny Hames is not a Disaster by Debbie Johnson if you are looking for a novel that is heartfelt yet upbeat and a novel that will make you feel as if you too are traveling through England while grounding you to reflect on the important aspects of life.

Jenny James can’t catch a break. Her job is in the possibility of closing the company. Her car won’t start and her house….it fell into a cliff. It seriously fell into a cliff. When she is trying to save her precious son’s baby pictures she almost fall and is saved by him. This grumpy man named Luca that lives in a van. While she is processing everything, she decides she needs to figure out what her next step is with her son. After learning Luca isn’t so grumpy and just might have the best ideas. She finds her joy.

I really really enjoyed this book. Starting off Jenny was honestly just so real. I felt like she was a friend that I just wanted to hug and support. I enjoyed all the characters and development. I recommend this book so much for anyone who feels like they need to start over. Because you 100% always can


Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this book

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

What a good book!!! Such a good story and great writing style. This was my first by this author and will not be my last. Such a cute read.

What a heartwarming read! After reading the blurb, I was looking forward to this and I was not disappointed! It turned out to be a more thought provoking story than I expected.

Because of the blurb, you know that Jenny has a life full of normal mishaps and some more bizarre but when the events of one day wreak havoc on her life, she is at her wits end. Raising her teenage son on her own, she is faced with some hard decisions.

I really wanted to see Jenny thrive and recover from her hardships. Even though she made some baffling ( to me ) life choices, I grew to like her and longed for the story to have a sweet, happy ending! You’ll have to read it to find out!

If you enjoy stories about second chances later in life that are full of humor and a bit of romance, you will like this book.

Many thanks to HarperCollins Focus/Harper Muse, and Debbie Johnson for the ARC via NetGalley!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.

After a series of bloody awful events hit single mum Jenny all in one day, getting laid off, her car breaking down, a fight with her 18 year old son, Charlie, and her house falling off a cliff, Jenny needs a break. So when Luke, the man currently parked in the next field with his massive motorhome and friendly dachshund Betty, suggests she and Charlie join him on his adventures touring around England for a couple of weeks, it doesn’t take much for her to agree, and so the journey of finding her joy again begins.

Beth Eyre did an exceptional job bringing this story to life. She gave Jenny’s bubbly inner narrative a truly believable voice, this was a joy to listen to.

What I liked: I really appreciate a romance where the attraction plays a back seat. This novel was more about Jenny finding herself and dealing with her past than her growing connection to Luke. I loved the details of the road trip and the descriptions of the places they stopped at. The relationships between all the characters were brilliant, and the back stories that brought them there left a lump in my throat at times.

What didn’t work for me: This feels unfair as there was nothing that stands out that I would change about the book, so it’s a very top 4 out of 5 on my personal scale. As much as I enjoyed it, it’s not a book that leads me to being obsessed with it, which is what triggers a 5 star review for me.

Final thoughts: A sweet, entertaining novel about a mum rediscovering herself and facing her past. Especially helped by the vocal talents of Beth Eyre.

Who would enjoy this book: Fans of light romance (no spice), those who enjoy stories about people rebuilding their lives. Travel fans, or those interested in out of the way spots around England.

Jenny James may not be a disaster, but her life certainly is (at least on this particular day). A morning filled with small annoyances turns into a work day in which she learns that her office may shut down and she would be out of a job. Then, her car won’t start, and when she and her teenage son, Charlie, make it home, well, they discover that their house has fallen off a cliff and into the sea, the result of a month of rain. Jenny’s response to all of this, and the resulting challenges that she faces, create a charming story. The characters are warm and very funny—the banter is fabulous—and their ensuing adventures are very interesting. While Jenny’s life may be far from typical, how she deals with a difficult turn of events and changes her life will interest many people. This book is another hit from Debbie Johnson. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this audiobook.

This was a sweet quirky unsuspecting love story where everything goes wrong before it goes right. Jenny true so hard for her son, Charlie. The audio was a a fun listen. I really enjoyed this.

Jenny James was a cute contemporary romance with humorous and tender moments. I couldn't really relate to any of the deeper moments that the characters experienced but felt emotional regardless.

I received an ALC from HarperCollins Focus | Harper Muse via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was entranced by this book, mostly due to the descriptive writing of the author. I really felt as if I were there with Jenny, the main character, as she takes this amazing journey. I could really feel the emotions that arose from her visits to various locations and was rooting for her to find her joy! The story begins when Jenny and her teenage son Charlie lose their home to a landslide. They are taken in temporarily by Luke who lives in a motorhome camped in a field next to their home. After losing her job in the same week, Jenny is beside herself as to what to do next, when Luke suggests they take a break and travel with him for awhile.

While, yes, there is a developing bond between Jenny and Luke, I'd say the more important part of the story is following Jenny as she reexamines her past choices and tries to figure out what to do in the next stage of her life. I was very moved by her experiences and courage as she takes the risk of this new adventure. The descriptions of her feelings (as well as those of Luke, who is dealing with a loss of his own), and also the physical descriptions of the places they visit were so realistic. I felt as if I was experiencing it myself. Loved this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Focus for providing an advance review copy of this audiobook. My opinions are my own.

Jenny James is a single mom who has ALL the problems. She loses her job, her car breaks down in a torrential rain storm, and that same storm causes a landslide that sends her lovely little home, complete with all her possessions and clothes and memories, careening down the cliff and into the sea. Even though her life is a disaster, Jenny James is not. She keeps focused on what she can do, rather than what she's lost. She and her teenage son take off on a cross-country adventure with their nomadic neighbor in the RV and they all find more than they could have imagined looking for when the trip began.

Though some of the adventures and coincidences are a little too good to be true (finding out your traveling companion is wealthy enough to foot the bill for your trip across England,) author Debbie Johnson creates characters who are believable and relatable. This is an uplifiting book about facing your life with what you've got available and finding out you really are enough all along.

I thought this book was so much fun!

Jenny and her son end up at rock bottom. When her job is at risk and her car breaks down, she thinks things can't get any worse but when she gets home and finds her house has slipped off the top of the hill, her and her son are left with nothing. It's a stranger that offers them some assistance and as they build a friendship with the nomad, Luke, he has an interesting idea. Why not travel around with him in his RV and see some of the sights?

On a whim, they do it and it sets them all on an adventure full of laughter and fun. Jenny is estranged from her family and has been for her sons whole life and thanks to Luke, she manages to fix that. I loved it.

I thought the whole book was really entertaining and fun. You literally can hit rock bottom and find a much better life on the flip side. This book was so enjoyable and the narration was great.

4 stars

A sweet story about how one woman’s worst day contains the seeds to help her cultivate her best life.

Jenny just learned her job may be ending. When she and her teenage son arrive home, they find the cottage they rent has fallen into the sea due to erosion (hence the climate-fiction shelf). With her financial future uncertain and no family network nearby for support, Jenny accepts an offer of help from her neighbor who lives in a motorcoach with his dachshund.

Did I mention he’s a little older but also single and handsome? Guess what happens next: they solve all their problems with thoughtful words and support! No big surprises here just interesting characters and happy endings. 3.5 rounded up for being so darn pleasant.

My thanks to the author, publisher, audiobook producers, and #NetGalley for providing me with a
copy of the audiobook for review purposes. The book and audiobook are now available to buy or borrow Enjoy!

Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook of this newly released book. It was a slow start everything falling apart in Jenny James life, single mom of teenage son, lost her job and her house literally falls off a cliff during a storm. The story has witty dialogue and a pick yourself up and keep going attitude as well as complicated family situations with forgiveness and love. The narrator Beth Eyre gives just the right emotion.

What a fun little adventure following Jenny James after she loses her job and her rental home falls off a literal cliff. It was fun to see how she moved on from this 💩 hand she was dealt and started to build her own new life. This is mostly women’s fiction wish a small touch of romance.

Jenny James is Not a Disaster is a pleasant read with a likable main character and some genuinely funny moments, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of more memorable romantic comedies. Fans of Debbie Johnson will likely enjoy it, but it may not stand out to those new to her work.