Published by Headline
Publication Date: 17th May 2022
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
My thanks to Isabelle Wilson at Headline Publishing Group for the invitation to read and review this book as part of the blog tour. All views and opinions are my own and unbiased.
Book Description:
When Laura Costello arrives in downtown Los Angeles, her life has somewhat fallen apart.
Her apartment building has caught fire, her engagement to her high school sweetheart has been broken off, and she's just been caught in a rare LA downpour and has no dry clothes.
But when she seeks shelter in Nina Hill's local neighbourhood bookshop, she finds herself introduced to the people who will become her new family. And as Laura becomes friends with Nina, Polly and Impossibly Handsome Bob, things start to look up.
Proving that - even as adults - we all sometimes need a little help assembling and re-assembling our lives. . .
My Thoughts:
If you've not read The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by the same author, don't worry, neither have I. But I want to now! The two books share a few characters and while I think you would understand the dynamic between some of the group in Adult Assembly Required a little better, it's not vital to know the previous book as the author very gently feeds in any background info which is useful.
As the description above explains, Laura has arrived in LA and finds herself with very few personal belongings when a fire rages through the apartment block where she's staying. Fate steps in to ensure she's looked after when she tumbles into Nina's bookstore for shelter during a hefty rainstorm. The gregarious Polly swiftly takes her under her wing and introduces her to Maggie, the landlady of the house-share which then features strongly in the remainder of the book.
The residents are all exactly the type of people you'd want to house-share with - friendly, supportive, inclusive but without being overbearing. They're an eclectic mix of ages and backgrounds but the blend of personalities is an absolute triumph. It's easy to see why Laura has skedaddled her way to the other side of the country when her family deign to contact her - not to mention the obnoxious ex-fiancé who just can't seem to get the message that Laura has most definitely moved on with her life (or is desperately trying to if people will let her).
This is a heart-warming story of how strangers can become your new family. There's the ongoing "will they/won't they" relationship between Laura and Impossibly Handsome Bob which has you willing them to be brave and honest with each other and there are some delightful animal residents at Maggie's mansion who threaten to steal the show however my favourite character in the whole book has to be the fabulously straight-talking Clare. Whilst still in her formative years she's happy to share her nuggets of worldly wisdom on just about any subject with anyone - whether they're factually correct is irrelevant. She just tells it how she sees it, which has some interesting results.
An ideal beach/poolside read, I thoroughly enjoyed this book which had me chuckling along in some chapters and wanting to slap a couple of the characters in others.
Pop a copy in your hand luggage, you won't be disappointed.
About the Author:
Abbi Waxman is a chocolate-loving, dog-loving woman, who lives in Los Angeles and lies down as much as possible. She worked in advertising for many years, which is how she learned to write fiction. She has three daughters, three dogs, three cats, and one very patient husband.
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