Jenny James is Not a Disaster

This was another great audiobook. Listen for me. I really enjoyed it. From the very beginning to the very end. Pick this one up on publication day.

“Jenny James is Not a Disaster” by Debbie Johnson narrated by Beth Eyre
The Road to Finding Joy
I loved this story. Yes there were smiles maybe even chuckles, and of course a few teary times, too. I empathized with Jenny James, the trials and tribulations she encountered. And, really wished I could have an RV road trip, too. There were many moments of sage advice shared in this story. A Worthy Read that could be a good Book Club choice. I listened to the audiobook version and I am sure the print, whether paper or digital, version will be good reads, also. Happy Reading or Listening ! !

Jenny had the worst day ever- she lost her job, her car died, and her house fell off a cliff. As she is trying to save mementos- in the middle of a storm while her house is crumbling off the cliff- a stranger, Luke, pulls her back. Luke lives in an RV and never stays anywhere more than two weeks. Over the next week, Jenny finds herself confiding in Luke. Her son Charlie, is off to college in the fall. Maybe now is the time to start over somewhere else. Luke invites Jenny and Charlie to come with him for a bit, and they set off on a road trip. Their destinations chosen by drawing a slip of paper out of a hat.

I enjoyed this one so much. It is a story of self discovery and healing, but in a new and refreshing way. It is also "mature"- in the sense that Jenny is in her mid/late thirties, and Luke in his forties. They've lived life and their problems are relatable.

Beth Eyre narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

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𝗝𝗲𝗻𝗻𝘆 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗯𝗶𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻

Having lost a job she didn’t care for and a rental home (that literally falls off a cliff into the ocean during torrential rains), Jenny James is faced with figuring out the next steps for herself and her 18 year old son Charlie.

Here’s the first thing I loved: Where she could have given up and given in - to depression, defeat - instead she embraces this monumental shift in her life, treats it as an opportunity not so much for reinvention but movement toward a happier existence.

The title isn’t a sarcastic quip or misleading moniker, it’s truth: Jenny James is, in fact, not a disaster.

And so, when Luke, a quiet, kind man, who lives in an RV behind where her house had been, offers for Jenny and Charlie to join him on the road for a week or two, they accept.

Jenny, overly grateful to Luke, concerned they might be cramping his style, soon realizes that he’s also in the middle of his own mess, a sadness surrounding him.

And so, the three, along with Betty the dachshund, become companions on the road as well as in a journey to figure themselves out. Using a hat filled with suggested locations to visit, they explore theme parks and Bond film locations, and go “wild” swimming.

Jenny, estranged from her family for two decades, eventually returns at Charlie’s request. He wants more than just him mom and absent father, has always felt he was missing out. And so they travel to Cornwall for a reunion.

Once there, decisions must be made: by Charlie, by Luke, by Jenny. None of them easy, all of them worthwhile.

I adored the dynamic of this single mom raising her son. The relationship feels authentic - with some distance, some private jokes, some misplaced teenage angst, and on a deeper level, real love.

It’s contemporary fiction with romance as a side note; more about understanding your boundaries and deciding how much bigger you are willing to make them.

And Beth Eyre’s gentle British accent makes this audiobook stand out even more.

All the stars for complicated women’s drama, and for Jenny James, unlikely hero.

Thanks to @netgalley and @harpermusebooks for the audio ARC. This one comes out July 9, 2024.

Not what I was expecting to be honest. I thought it would be more of a light hearted summer read. It was an easy read but brought elements of real life too. Sometimes things don’t end up the way we hope. Broken relationships, hardships and learning to trust again. You won’t be disappointed. Pick this one up!

This was absolutely charming! I loved the relationship between Jenny and her son Charlie. I’m a sucker for a great road trip story and I didn’t want this to end. It had no sex, nor was it full of the characters constantly musing on the hotness of characters. It was a delightful story of people finding their way and finding love along the way. It was a story about finding joy and beauty after disaster. The narrator was perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to review!

This delightfully fun book shows how one horrible day can result in the best changes of your life.

Single mom, Jenny James, is losing her job, her car breaks down and her house literally falls off a cliff. This results in Jenny & her teenage son, Charlie, losing everything. A kind neighbor, Luke, and his dachshund, Betty, are camping in their fancy RV nearby and offer to help Jenny & Charlie by inviting them to travel across England on a week long adventure.

This was not just a fluffy romance novel. This book introduced you to characters that had been through tragedy and the author touched on some deep issues, but there were also explorations that the characters experienced that were pure fun. Just returning from England recently,
I loved hearing the different places that Luke, Jenny, Charlie & Betty traveled on their beautiful England escapade.

I very much enjoyed listening to this Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks. Beth Eyre narrated and did a fabulous job. I will be looking for other books by Debbie Johnson and will definitely recommend this book to my friends. #NetGalley #JennyJamesIsNotADisaster

Happy Publication Day!
For anyone who has ever been down on their luck, they know how hard it is to recover. Jenny James is not a Disaster reminds readers it’s possible to embrace the calm before, during, and after the storm and that every day is a good day to try to find joy.

Single mom Jenny is raising her 18 year old son, Charlie, doing the best she can. She is optimistic even when she gets a message that her bank account is overdrawn by seventy-two cents and will be charged a $25 overdraft fee without a deposit by midnight. She tries to remain hopeful when a coworker tells her that their company may soon close. And she tries to find the silver lining when her car won’t start again after picking up her son when she gets off work. Saying she’s having a rough day would be an understatement. But the worst is yet to come.

Forced to get the bus, Jenny and Charlie walk to the cliff side rental cottage she’s turned into a home for them but it’s not there. Due to month long rains, her home has slid on the cliff side. As Jenny tries to frantically recover pictures blowing around she almost falls over the cliff herself when a stranger pulls her back, rescuing her.

What do you do when you’ve literally lost everything? Having walked away from her family as a teen, Jenny has no one to rely on but herself. Thanking the stranger, Luke, who saved her from literally going over the edge turns into a couple more visits to his place which is a motor home. Not sure what to do next, Luke offers a suggestion: take a couple of weeks to travel with him in his motor home while she decides her next steps. After finding out her work is officially closing, she decides this just may be the break Charlie and her need so they hit the road!

The journey that unfolds is raw yet heartwarming. I absolutely love how Jenny remained positive and hopeful, refusing to ever give up. The playful and sarcastic banter Jenny has with both her son and with Luke made this a delight to listen to!

This is a must read for anyone who has lost it all or has had to start over again. Thank you NetGalley, Debbie Johnson, and Harper Collins for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

Wow this book was absolutely amazing! The character development for Jenny James was so perfectly written that I wish I could read the Sausage Dog Diaries for myself and see where her and Luke are these days!

While I did feel like this book did start off a little slow I really enjoyed it and had me waiting to see where in the UK Jenny, Luke and Charlie would end up next. I really enjoyed that this book also showed a "grown up" relationship and how Jenny had to find herself before realizing her feelings for Luke.

I listen to the audiobook and really enjoyed the performance by Beth Eyre.

Engaging, entertaining, and expertly narrated. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where WF is popular.

This book was so good and relatable. I'm so glad I have a copy for a book tour soon! Loved it and definitely recommend it

Jenny James has a day that goes from bad to horrendous with the breakdown of her car, a possible redundancy and her house disappearing before her very eyes. Despite these disastrous events and with no family to turn to she gets some help from someone she previously thought to be a quiet nei9hbour that had never previously even said hello to her. From there, her adventures begin.

I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed it, great narrator with fabulous expression that really added to the story. As ever, Debbie Johnson's books are great reads (or listens in this case!) and the ending leaves us with the potential with for a series in the making which would be great to see. Here's hoping!

This was an easy 5 star read for me.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC audiobook for an honest review.

This book absolutely was not a disaster! I adored it to pieces...

While Jenny James life may be a disaster at the moment, she manages to make lemonade out of lemons thanks to her neighbor (and hero!) Luke who offers her and her son a road trip in his camper after her cottage literally falls off a cliff. This is a book about finding yourself, forgiveness, facing complications and fears, letting go and starting over. There is great dialogue and witty banter. The personal growth off all the characters is a marvel to watch. The characters are filled with flaws and broken in their own way, but each are honestly trying to become a better person. There is just as much sweetness as there is emotional depth. The relationship between Jenny and Luke...From strangers to friends to something extra special...pure JOY!

5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was such a fun audiobook. I loved following Jenny along on her adventure after her rented cottage falls down the cliff in a landslide. Her and her son embark on a life changing adventure with a new unlikely friend. This was well written and well narrated. A mostly lighthearted listen that leaves you with a happy feeling. I really loved the ending and how it was all tied up in a neat bow and previous issues Jenny had were addressed. Loved it. Loved the narrator.

This was a fantastic story - snarky and sweet and moving without ever feeling over the top. It has romance but is not A romance, which I really liked and rarely see. In the way of life, as opposed to books, there was a natural development that seemed to surprise even the protagonist. It made for a very relatable and organic read (well, technically, listen). I'm not often a fan of "women's fiction" because it tends to be overly dramatic and overly focused on romance, as opposed to, well, women (who do have other issues in their lives). I loved the relationships as presented here. They were a warts-and-all showing of what it means to be in a family, and it made the story ring very true. There was humor and levity to balance out the deeply moving elements, and I found the entire thing to be a delight. The narrator was fabulous and really captured the spirit of the writing. I will definitely be listening to more Debbie Johnson!

I absolutely adore this book! Debbie Johnson has once again delivered a heartwarming, feel-good story that’s impossible to put down. With a perfect mix of romance, captivating characters, and an engaging plot, Jenny James Is Not a Disaster is a must-read.

The story follows three main characters who, after facing challenging life circumstances, embark on a journey together. Their growth, individually and as a group, is beautifully portrayed. I especially loved the slow-burn romance and the powerful themes of forgiveness and self-discovery. This book is a testament to finding new beginnings even in the darkest times

Jenny James is a single mom who has a pretty bad day that leads to a pretty great adventure. A fantastic story of love and loss and how taking the plunge to go on a adventure can change your life.

Debbie Johnson perfectly crafted this story and I would definitely recommend to anyone.

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 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.

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!!!

I loved this book so much! It truly encapsulates the persistence of a mom when everything comes crashing down around her, literally. It was funny, insightful, heartfelt, and left me wanting to know more about Jenny's future.

Oh this book!!! My heart was just tugged at the whole time. I loved it and did not want the story to end. Highly recommend this great audiobook!

Jenny James is Not a Disaster
by Debbie Johnson
narrated by Beth Eyre

Five Stars

Imagine. Your life is so stressful. You ran away from home for a man who ended up getting you pregnant and then ditching you. Then you've spent the next 18 years trying to get by, raise your son right, and make ends meet only for your house to literally slide off a cliff! Now you've got nothing but a couple possessions and your son. Enter the grumpy guy in the caravan who has been staying near you. A man who ends up being very nice and invites you and your son to join him traveling the country for a couple weeks. Just until you get on your feet.

That's Jenny, and boy is her life an adventure over the bumpiest roads found anywhere! Her road trip with the grumpy man, Luke, really brings a lot of her life into perspective. Just when you think things are going to settle down, they don't.

I really enjoyed this story. It made me happy and sad. I laughed and I cried. I highly recommend this if you love a good slow burn adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Focus, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this story.

#JennyJamesIsNotADisaster #DebbieJohnson
#BethEyreNarrator #Slowburn #Family
#FoundFamily #Dogs #Travel #BritishLiterature
#ChickLit #Audiobook #ReadThisBook
#ReadAllTheBooks #ALCReview #Romance
#Contemporary #WomensFiction #NetGalley
#HarperCollinsFocus

I was having a really bad day. A really bad string of days really. Then I stepped into Jenny James world and I got some really great perspective.

Debbie Johnson wrote a book that hits just right. It was everything I needed to hear in my own life as a reminder not to let the hard days win.

Jenny James is a very likeable main character. She is like the girl next door and very relatable. I loved reading her unexpected romance with the neighbor who housed her after her world fell apart. It is an uplifting and sweet story of a women finding who she is and opening herself up to loving others. I would recommend this to my friends who like romance!

I SO enjoyed this novel, which I listened to on audio, curtesy of HarperCollins and NetGalley. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The narrator reads the story well, which makes a huge difference for me. It was comedic from the start, which surprised and pleased me, a really light ‘read’ is needed sometimes. Yes some of the storyline was way too predictable, and I wished it wasn’t at times, however it couldn’t put me off leaving a 5 star review as overall this novel was wholesome fun. The storyline of broken family relationships added a sonbre side at times, but I loved how the road trip was led by Jenny,Luke and Charlie following themes, such as zombies, and travelling where that sent them. Everything fell a bit too neatly in place during the last quarter of the book, but again I found this forgivable given the overall feel. I recommend this as an easy, playful summer read.

What a lovely story. I rounded up to 5 because I did cry. But also I laughed out loud multiple times. It was a sweet, soft story about the way that the worst day in Jenny's life changes everything for the better. I loved every character and the ways that they connected with each other.

In standard rom-com fashion, Jenny James's car breaks down the day she learns she's being laid off and then, when she and her teenage son return home by slow bus in a rainstorm of monsoon proportions, there's their rented house falling over a cliff into the sea. Oh, and since she had Charlie as a teen, she's estranged from her family. Enter Luke, who, recovering from his own tragedy, drives around England in an RV and invites them along for a couple of weeks. Good times are had, stories are shared, reconciliation bravely attempted etc. Adorably. Very well written and avoids romcom cliches by its original plot and intelligent characters.

Thanks, @netgalley, author Debbie Johnson and the publisher for this advance ecopy. Highly recommended.

Coincidentally I was also reading the 2022 novel GOOD TASTE, about another peripatetic Brit, Stella, who is writing her second food related book after disappointing sales of the first... and she must not mess up. As she travels from place to place on a meager stipend, she has adventures of various flavours until she anecdotes (as a verb) herself into a corner and has to work very hard to come out on top.

These were wonderful companion books about trips around beautiful England while figuring out your life.