This is the story of the disintegration of the Francis family six months after the premature death of their matriarch, Helen. In his wife’s absence, retired ultra-conservative MAGA supporter Louie descends into a self-destructive alcoholic-induced spiral and finds himself the unknowing victim of a young bartender/dog walker who is wrecking his finances. His somewhat estranged liberal lesbian bookseller daughter Lulu responds by taking Louie to court to seize control over his finances in a clumsy attempt to save her father from himself. Told from the perspectives of Louie, Lulu, and Helen (who is watching in horror from the great beyond), this is the tale of a trio with very different takes on the messy Francis family events of 2019.
I really enjoyed this complex and emotional politically-fueled family drama. This book includes excellent commentary on grief, polarizing politics, addiction, mental illness, and empathy. I definitely identify with Lulu and Helen in this story as I have a few family members that remind me of Louie in the madness that has been the past decade of horrifying Trump-era politics. I will say it was difficult for me to read at times with the current political climate in our country, as I usually read to escape this reality. It took some time for me to finish reading as I had to keep taking breaks because the behavior of Louie and his friends was personally triggering and infuriating.
I liked the inclusion of the chapters with the court documents that gave more insight to the testimonies and facts of the court case, then comparing that with the perspectives of Louie, Lulu, and Helen about the situation. It was so interesting and eerily familiar to hear Louie’s POV and his nonsensible excuses for his outrageous behavior. There were a couple of huge twists that I did not see coming at all which completely changed the narrative, and the ending was incredible and very much took me by surprise! I especially laughed out loud at the part of the ending that plays off of the name of the book (no spoilers here!). Overall, I thought it was a great read and would definitely recommend it! 4 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Meredith O’Brien, and SparkPress for the gifted ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I found the writing style very hard to engage with- that made it a bit of a struggle to finish the book but I am glad that I did.

I was very excited for this book, but honestly I just wasn't a fan. The characters didn't feel three-dimensional to me at all, and for a book that's a character study having fully fleshed out characters seems like the most important element. In addition, the chapters of the mom talking as a ghost just felt extremely out of place and clunky.

(3.5/5 ⭐, rounded up)

Gotta start by making it clear I'm 110% a Lulu. If you're a Louie, either stop reading my review or go into it knowing your thoughts would be the inverse. Okay, now we can move on.

This started off strong. Astute, artful and extremely funny in the representation of both partisans. You still can't convince me Meredith O'Brien didn't bug my father in law's house and use direct quotes of his vapid unintelligence. This was done without ever making me so genuinely angry I wanted to stop reading, which was a fear I had going into it.

The ingenuity of Meredith O'Brien's formatting propels the story forward in a way that reminded me a little of [book:Clean|205435919]. I was surprised to find that toward the back quarter of the novel, this formatting I'd loved so much was starting to feel <i>too</i> intentional. I started to sense when Meredith was about to pull one over on me. If I had gotten that sense from the start there's a chance I'd have accepted it as a charming component of her satire, but it was only toward the end I felt the disconnect. While I understand the function of a life-changing plot point, the ending felt too abrupt - even for satire. I appreciate this novel most when I step back and look at it from a perspective in the family of "no plot, just vibes". That's not at all to say there isn't a plot, the plot just isn't what will steal the show here.

While reading I couldn't help but wish there was an audiobook format available, using a different narrator for each documents' corresponding author (this will make 0 sense to you if you haven't read yet, but iykyk). This is certainly one of those novels that could only improve with those added layers when done right.

{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Meredith O'Brien and SparkPress for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!}

This book is coming out just after we'll all have cast our votes for what is likely the most important election of my life. It was a good read, and didn't provoke more anxiety, which is what I needed right now.

Thank you to Spark Press, the author and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

#LouieOnTheRocks #MeredithOBrien #NetGalley #SparkPress

Very excited for this take on what was such a poignant year in my life. I think many willl relate to what went on and how they felt in this life changing year.