Lala needs to grow up. That said, she's an adult but she's remarkably immature. She's lost her love and now she's moved from New York to the west coast and, surprisingly, the change makes a difference, She's annoying at first but you will eventually root for her.

This story wasn’t what I expected! So it was great to read outside what I normally do! I can’t wait for more by this author!

A very interesting tale that held my attention all the way through. Great plot, lotsa giggles & the writing kept me hopping! Thanks for the opportunity with this ARC!

Fantasitc book. Defiantly maybe not for me as a person and slightly aimed at a different type of person to me. But I still enjoyed reading it!

Lala is an amazing woman. You can't help but love her. She has such great friends and family, who step up and take care of her when she most needs it. This book really touched me.

DNF. Just a case of it wasn't really my cup of tea, not that the book was terrible or anything.

Clearly after browsing through some of the review, I am in a minority here. I just couldn't get myself to like this book. I did read the entire book and did not add it to my DNF shelf, however.

"Lala Pettibone's Act Two" felt as if it was filled with over exaggerated descriptions and sentences that lasted for paragraphs before they ended. To me, it represented a women's fantasy, or collective daydream, captured on paper and turned into a book. I could not connect with the characters - they were unrealistic. Either that or I am just not privy to a world such as this where 4 women are independently wealthy without working, can drink all day without becoming alcoholics, eat junk food without getting fat, and donate thousands of dollars won while gambling to deserving charities but bargain shop at Macy's with a coupon for a bridesmaid's dress.

Lala has her struggles but this fun romp is all about how you get through with the help of anything that tickles your fancy!

This book was a fun perspective of an older woman aspect of a new chapter of her life. It was very realistic with the everyday ups and downs most of us would encounter. It was a joy to read and a well deserved ending for the main character Lala Pettibone!

My latest read was Lala Pettibone's Act Two by Heidi Mastrogiovanni. I expected to be in for a fun, light hearted read and got exactly what I was after.

For starters, Lala Pettibone is a 40 something who is seeking her second coming. The title of the book depicts this as her "Act Two" which is meant to be the second part of her "play" in life. It give off very "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" vibes. She is looking for love and a happy life. While successful in her career, she has been a widow for some time and is looking to put an end to serial dating and a beginning on a new relationship. Lala is such a loveable characters and I just loved her antics. She is quite the character. I also loved that she loved animals and wanted to help them. She has a big heart and it showed.

The cover of the book was meh to me and I kept wondering why the author would choose this for her cover. However now that I have finished the book, I realize all of the bits and pieces of Lala's story are represented on the cover. I now really like the cover.

If you are searching for a quick, light read with humor, some romance, and a fun loving main character, you should pick this up. This book is Mastrogiovanni debut novel and while not perfect, it was enjoyable. I give this book a 3.5/5 stars. I would read a followup book to this if released to see what became of the characters so I must have liked it some.

I received this as an ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for sending it to me.
This book is set to release February 21st, 2017.

Very different but I liked it for just that reason.

I liked this book, it was funny and had a good story. Lala was a quirky and interesting character, and I enjoyed the first half of the book. After a while though I felt the story wasn't going anywhere. They're was a little too much sitting around cuddling dogs on the sofa, with descriptions of television shows, which I found a little repetitive and boring at times. Another thing that bothered me after a while was the constant drinking. Lala couldn't seem to go more than a day without getting wasted, but it didn't seem to be an issue for any other characters. When it was good it was really funny and engaging, I felt it lost its way in the middle though.

Sorry, gave up around the 30% mark. Could not relate to character (despite being similar age) and had no interest in seeing where the story ended up.

Lala Pettibone is a forty-something widow whose life is not on a good track right now. Forced to leave her beloved Manhattan and move back to Southern CA (oh, the horror!) when she loses her job following a cell-phone-related indiscretion, Lala and her menagerie of senior pets struggle with health problems, love problems, and the eternal question of whether you really need one more drink (the answer is always yes!).

This book is so endearingly goofy, zany, far-out, and every other word in that general category that it's hard to know where to start with it. The jokes, wisecracks, and ridiculous situations come at you at a mile a minute, so that sometimes it's hard to keep track of the actual plot. Lala herself is that crazy, zest-filled friend/maiden aunt you have stashed away somewhere who's sort of really irritating and sort of the most fun person in your life, and reading about her is in turns hilarious and maddening. All in all, quite a fun little sex-and-alcohol fueled romp for the over-forty set, with the added bonus of sweet, lovable dogs :)

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The idea that everyone can have a second, or maybe third chance is central to LaLa Pettibone 's Act Two by Heidi Mastrogiovanni. I read this book in exchange for a review. LaLa needs to rediscover herself after the death of the love of her life. She is very fortunate that she has wonderful friends and an apartment that she is able to rent out for income. She moves from NYC to California, rescues dogs, copes with spiraling depression and along the way discovers her writing muse. It is not an easy path and I found myself wondering if she would find her way. Kept me interested though the whole book. I can't wait to see what LaLa gets up to next.

I wanted to like this book, really, but I just couldn't. Finding a book with a character who is an older woman, a pet lover, optimistic....should have worked for me but it didn't.

I found Lala incredibly immature and silly. I disliked the minor characters who enabled her idiocy. I am glad there's a second act for her, but I won't want to read about it.