The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms

For Amy Byler, the city really is so good they named it twice.  With a 12 year old and a 15 year old at home and her ex-husband suddenly reappearing after 3 years of silence it is time to get away.  Away from the hum drum existence of work and chores that leaves no time for her, away from her martyrdom, just away.  Told with humour and a deft touch this book was a complete joy to read.

There are some issues with the plotting of the book, mainly centering around how easily Amy gets a job when her husband abandons his family.  Any psychological trauma to the children from this event is glossed over very quickly.  How Amy manages to foot the bill for her momspringa is never really explained - yes she has free accommodation, yes she has a credit card but is very reluctant to use it and all that eating out is going to cost.  At least the new wardrobe, beauty treatments and exercise classes are paid for by Pure Beautiful.  This is a minor issue but it did bother me, as it always does; not enough for me to mark the book down though.

The plotting is strong with believable characters and situations.  Amy herself is a mix of all those conflicting emotions that we all suffer from, mainly the worry that she is just not a good enough mum.  Even though her children reassure her they are fine spending this time with their father and to go enjoy herself she constantly tortures herself with thoughts of unworthiness.  Fortunately she has good friends in Rachel and Lena who bolster her through, when she meets Matt and Daniel their support is probably more important as they do not know her history as intimately but yet still bolster her courage.

I loved all the literary references - to be expected in a book about a Librarian after all.  Even better, this is a Librarian in a school so lots of references to YA literature and I love a good bit of YA.  Cori's journal entries to her mum about the books she has been set to read are fun and have the tone of a precocious 15 year old, rather than a 30 something trying to emulate a 15 year old.

I believe this genre is rapidly becoming referred to as Up Lit and this book genuinely fits the genre.  It will put a smile on your face and a song in your heart and give you slightly restless feet.  What it won't do is help you get off at the right stop on your commute, you are going to wildly overshoot as you become absorbed in Amy's world and cheer her on through first dates, exercise sessions and heart to hearts with her friends.