Covert Missions and New Traditions: Home is Where the Tart Is

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Sophie Kinsella's stories make me happy.  These books are sunsets stuffed in cupcakes wrapped in rainbows.  So when it was my turn to pick for the book club I'm in with my mom and sister, I went with Kinsella's latest, The Party Crasher, a quirky family dramedy with all the feels.

Twenty-six-year-old Effie Talbot is devastated by her parents' divorce.  To make matters worse, her father has a sexy new girlfriend, a nightmare of a woman named Krista who's persuaded him to sell Greenoaks, the Talbots' beloved, so-ugly-it's-cute family home.  Effie's older brother and sister have adopted a stiff upper lip, but stubborn and sensitive Effie is having none of it, refusing to attend Krista's farewell gala, which she wasn't exactly invited to anyway.  But then Effie remembers that her cherished Russian nesting dolls are still hidden somewhere inside Greenoaks.  So she decides to slip into the party incognito to find them, without any of her siblings -- or her now-famous childhood sweetheart -- seeing her.  I don't have to tell you that this is a mission riddled with narrow escapes, epic eavesdropping, and surprises for everyone.  Throughout it all, Effie finds out that things aren't always what they seem, forcing her to finally, maybe, grow up.

Effervescent with all the madcap humor, warmth, and spot-on character insights that ignite every Kinsella novel, The Party Crasher is plus-one perfection.  I don't know how she does it, but, as always, Kinsella delivers a fun and witty confection of a story that also offers up truths about life.  She just gets it.    

The Party Crasher is one party you won't want to miss.