Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Classic Crusie and it has been so long since we’ve had a single author book from her it was like drinking a cool glass of water ( or was it Amaretto, Andie prefers). I can’t really tell you how many times I laughed out loud! This book is Funny.

The whole time I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but feel the story was familiar. We had the creepy Gothic home, the weird Housekeeper, and the out-of-place nanny. The text mentioned Jane Eyre, but that wasn’t it.

I was enjoying all the colorful characters too much for it to bother me. After all, I was happy to be back with all the Crusie hallmarks. I think the only one missing was the dog, and who needs a dog when you’ve got ghosts! Andie and North had already been married to each other TEN Years before, but it crumbled after only a year. And when Andie goes visits him in order to return 10 years worth of uncashed alimony checks( it is obvious these two aren’t done), she somehow agrees to become a nanny to North’s inherited nice and nephew. Hijinks ensues.

When North’s brother Sullivan aka Southie enters the picture with a nosy reporter things get outrageous. She brings a medium and a skeptic. The the Ex-Mother in-laws show up to protect their interests and, their backstory is one I wouldn’t mind seeing. As if two troubled children, a wacko housekeeper, three ghosts, weren’t already enough the last guests arrive — Andie’s fiancé and North himself.

It is a volcano ready to blow and you will laugh and maybe even cry as this screw ball comedy works itself out. North, hasn’t a clue about ghost, but Andie’s in trouble so he’s going to fix it. There is also a guest appearance from Gabe McKenna that makes you want to go back and read Fast Women (also excellent, it you haven’t read it).

I really hope we don’t have to wait 6 years for another one and I hope we will get to see Southie’s story one day too.

The North and Southie and Lydia dynamic reminded me of Sabrina, but that didn’t fit with the Gothic setting. Since the stories echoes where still nagging at me, I visited Jennifer Crusie’s website and could have thumped myself. There on her home page where the words Turn of the Screw, well duh. This wasn’t a mash-up like all the zombie/vampire + classic literature books that are out now. This was a modern retelling like Dean’s Tam Lin, but with more out-and-out comedy.

I loved Maybe This Time. Hope you do to.