'And, before she knew what was happening, she started projectile sobbing.'

This quote is the book in a nutshell. Lala Pettibone trying to make the best of things, but somehow she keeps getting disappointed. Either because of the universe is sending her something awful, or because she is fooling herself. Thankfully, there is her favourite and only aunt Geraldine who tells Lala to give it another go: different part of the country, different time zone, different weather, a lot of booze and who knows what might happen.

I needed this book, it was a great distraction from my own disappointments in life. Therefore it deserves a place on the for-a-rainy-day-bookshelf. If fooling yourself is not an option or you run out of ideas, hibernate with this book when the universe is sending you rain and lots of it!

Promoted as a late coming of age story - I saw it as more of a rebirth. Lala, a widow who lost of the love of her life is reinventing herself - several times. How many of us haven't done that? But with each time she has a positive mind set, a wonderful sense of humor, a collection of friends that are all entertaining in their own right and a giving heart - just look at her dogs! Lala Pettibone is that person you want in your circle of friends. The one that always has an idea, smile and heart of gold. This was a fun romp of a read and one of the few books I would consider for a second read just because it made me happy.

Lala is clever and fun. This was a great read, although perhaps a bit too long for what it had to give us.

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.

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.

Very different but I liked it for just that reason.

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.

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!

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

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.