Jen Lancaster, you can be my twisted sister anytime! Please?!
In her third novel, "Twisted Sisters," Jen spins the tale of Dr. Reagan Bishop, a psychologist on television (or a television psychologist, depending on where you are in the story) who helps guests overcome their fears on the cable show "I Need a Push." Despite getting recognized in stores for her somewhat celeb status, Reagan never gets proper recognition or respect from her family for her accomplishments. Somehow Geri, Reagan's younger sister, gets all the family accolades, even though her only claims to fame are styling hair, singing karaoke, and being curvaceous (aka "fat ass," according to Reagan). After "Push" gets taken over by a big network, Reagan herself gets pushed into doing some pretty cray-cray things to make their guests "get well" by the end of each episode in order to boost ratings, plus not fail and therefore lose face even more with her family. What follows is a hilarious romp with body surfing through astral projection (like channel surfing only you switch bodies instead of channels), quirky characters, family feuds, serendipitous realizations, and the underlying theme that the truth as you judge it isn't always true, nor does it always bring happiness.
Love, love, love this book! If you follow my blog, you know that back in January was the last time I raved about what I was reading, so I've been craving a good book BIG TIME. Thankfully, Jen never disappoints! I have to admit that I love her memoirs -- I've read them all and they are fabulous! --more than her novels, but to me "Twisted Sisters" is the ultimate combo of both genres because Dr. Reagan Bishop is SO Jen in so many ways. It's as if Jen channeled herself into Reagan, and then Reagan channeled herself into . . . I'll stop there, don't want to be a spoiler. What else did I love? I was tickled to see the Deva character resurrected from Jen's second novel "Here I Go Again." When she popped up in the story it was an awesome surprise, like an unexpected visit from an old friend. Deva's fat-fingered texting faux pas nearly made me wet my pants every time! Since I work in a salon, I totally dug the parts about sister Geri and her hair magic. And it is true, getting a new 'do CAN change your life, or at least how you feel about your life. I also adored Reagan's neighbors, Trevor and Bryce! Even though I don't speak gringo-gangsta and didn't know what they were talking about most of the time, I would definitely party with those dudes the next time I get a craving for cupcake-flavored vodka. Plus, they taught me the acronym "yolo": You only live once. (Well, actually they didn't teach me so much as they said it so many times I had to Google it to figure out the meaning, but still, now I know so I can be in the know when someone says yolo. So thanks, Playas!)
So many things to love about "Twisted Sisters"! Probably the best thing about the book, besides all the laugh-out-loud laughs, is the Bishop family makes my family seem almost normal. Almost.
"Twisted Sisters": get it, read it, let me know if you love it too!
In her third novel, "Twisted Sisters," Jen spins the tale of Dr. Reagan Bishop, a psychologist on television (or a television psychologist, depending on where you are in the story) who helps guests overcome their fears on the cable show "I Need a Push." Despite getting recognized in stores for her somewhat celeb status, Reagan never gets proper recognition or respect from her family for her accomplishments. Somehow Geri, Reagan's younger sister, gets all the family accolades, even though her only claims to fame are styling hair, singing karaoke, and being curvaceous (aka "fat ass," according to Reagan). After "Push" gets taken over by a big network, Reagan herself gets pushed into doing some pretty cray-cray things to make their guests "get well" by the end of each episode in order to boost ratings, plus not fail and therefore lose face even more with her family. What follows is a hilarious romp with body surfing through astral projection (like channel surfing only you switch bodies instead of channels), quirky characters, family feuds, serendipitous realizations, and the underlying theme that the truth as you judge it isn't always true, nor does it always bring happiness.
Love, love, love this book! If you follow my blog, you know that back in January was the last time I raved about what I was reading, so I've been craving a good book BIG TIME. Thankfully, Jen never disappoints! I have to admit that I love her memoirs -- I've read them all and they are fabulous! --more than her novels, but to me "Twisted Sisters" is the ultimate combo of both genres because Dr. Reagan Bishop is SO Jen in so many ways. It's as if Jen channeled herself into Reagan, and then Reagan channeled herself into . . . I'll stop there, don't want to be a spoiler. What else did I love? I was tickled to see the Deva character resurrected from Jen's second novel "Here I Go Again." When she popped up in the story it was an awesome surprise, like an unexpected visit from an old friend. Deva's fat-fingered texting faux pas nearly made me wet my pants every time! Since I work in a salon, I totally dug the parts about sister Geri and her hair magic. And it is true, getting a new 'do CAN change your life, or at least how you feel about your life. I also adored Reagan's neighbors, Trevor and Bryce! Even though I don't speak gringo-gangsta and didn't know what they were talking about most of the time, I would definitely party with those dudes the next time I get a craving for cupcake-flavored vodka. Plus, they taught me the acronym "yolo": You only live once. (Well, actually they didn't teach me so much as they said it so many times I had to Google it to figure out the meaning, but still, now I know so I can be in the know when someone says yolo. So thanks, Playas!)
So many things to love about "Twisted Sisters"! Probably the best thing about the book, besides all the laugh-out-loud laughs, is the Bishop family makes my family seem almost normal. Almost.
"Twisted Sisters": get it, read it, let me know if you love it too!
Here's a link to Jen Lancaster's website: http://www.jennsylvania.com/
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