The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley #bookreview #contemporary #humor #mystery #chicklit #roadtrip #romance

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Title: The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise

Author: Colleen Oakley

Publisher: Berkley

Publication Date: March 28, 2023

Page Count: 351

My rating: 5 stars

About the book:

An unforgettable pairing of a college dropout and an eighty-four-year-old woman on the run from the law in this story full of tremendous heart, humor, and wit from the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.

Twenty-one-year-old Tanner Quimby needs a place to live. Preferably one where she can continue sitting around in sweatpants and playing video games nineteen hours a day. Since she has no credit or money to speak of, her options are limited, so when an opportunity to work as a live-in caregiver for an elderly woman falls into her lap, she takes it.
 
One slip on the rug. That’s all it took for Louise Wilt’s daughter to demand that Louise have a full-time nanny living with her. Never mind that she can still walk fine, finish her daily crossword puzzle, and pour the two fingers of vodka she drinks every afternoon.Bottom line: Louise wants a caretaker even less than Tanner wants to be one.
 
The two start off their living arrangement happily ignoring each other until Tanner starts to notice things—weird things. Like, why does Louise keep her garden shed locked up tighter than a prison? And why is the local news fixated on the suspect of one of the biggest jewelry heists in American history who looks eerily like Louise? And why does Louise suddenly appear in her room, with a packed bag at 1 a.m.  insisting that they leave town immediately?
 
Thus begins the story of a not-to-be-underestimated elderly woman and an aimless young woman who—if they can outrun the mistakes of their past—might just have the greatest adventure of their lives.

The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley is a contemporary story that has a bit of mystery, a bit of romance and a whole lot of humor. The story in The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise is one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters.

After suffering an accident twenty one year old Tanner Quimby finds her life on hold as she recovers in her parents home. Tanner’s parents are trying to overlook the constant video games as Tanner wallows after her accident and just want her to get out and get a job. That’s where Tanner meets Louise Wilt.

Louise has suffered her own accident and being in her eighties her children are concerned about her being alone in her home. In an effort to appease her children Louise agrees to higher Tanner to help out. Shortly after Tanner’s arrival though Louise hears from an old friend and the pair end up on a road trip neither will ever forget.

Boy was The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley such a fun story that had me laughing all the way! I picked this one up thinking I couldn’t go wrong with a road trip as I love a little virtual travel in my reading but I immediately fell in love with the story and characters too. Loved the growth of Tanner and the mystery of Louise with their adventure certainly keeping the pages turning. Definitely one I’d recommend!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Find this book online:

Goodreads  /  Amazon

About the author:

Colleen Oakley is the USA Today bestselling author of The Invisible Husband of Frick Island, You Were There Too, Close Enough to Touch, and Before I Go. Her books have been translated into more than 20 languages around the world, lauded by numerous magazines including People, Us Weekly, Library Journal, and Real Simple, and won multiple awards including Georgia Author of the Year. Her fifth novel THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF TANNER & LOUISE will be published by Berkley/Penguin in March 2023. A former magazine editor for Women’s Health & Fitness and Marie Claire, Colleen lives in Atlanta with her husband, four children, three chickens, and a mutt named Baxter.