Read about a mom who accidentally pretends to be a famous author

The Messy Lives of Book People — Phaedra Patrick

Big news: The Harper Collins Union ratified their contract! It’s a huge win for workers’ rights in publishing, and I will begin to feature Harper Collins titles again. It’s why I didn’t do a roundup of my favorite books of 2022: today’s book and two others, Notes on an Execution and The Cartographers, were my top reads of last year. I’m so happy for the union members and excited to be able to feature the books they work so hard on.

What to Read This Week

The Messy Lives of Book People by Phaedra Patrick

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Content warnings listed in the footnote of this newsletter.¹

What It’s About

Liv Green is a 42-year-old mom who’s tired of barely scraping by to pay her bills and take care of her two teenage sons. Her husband’s book printing job isn’t exactly lucrative, so Liv’s work as a housecleaner is the primary source of income. By sheer luck, she lands the best cleaning job she could imagine: taking care of the house of Essie Starling, a reclusive and famous writer who also happens to be Liv’s personal hero.

But (this is not a spoiler—it’s in the first few chapters!) when Essie dies suddenly, Liv finds herself the recipient of Essie’s strange last wish: for Liv to complete Essie’s final novel. It’s due in three months, and Essie only has a barebones rough draft, and now it’s up to Liv to finish the series that made Essie the star author she was. And the added twist? Essie’s will states that no one can know Essie has died until after the book is complete.

Soon, she’s attending publishing meetings posing as Essie’s assistant and lying about when the draft will be done to big-time agents, editors, and publicists, all while trying to wrangle her own household and write a bestselling book.

Why You Should Read It

I saw a bit of myself in Liv. She had a chip on her shoulder at people looking down on her for her background and what she does for a living, and she didn’t always make good or right decisions. And even though Essie Starling was a hero to many, she didn’t always make great decisions either. The refreshing take on these characters shows that no matter who you are or what you do, everyone is human underneath.

Patrick did an incredible job building tension as Liv got further into the publishing world, still lying about Essie’s status, and I knew at any point, the wall would come tumbling down. But I never knew when or how, and the buildup was perfectly satisfying.

Other books about books you may like: The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams and Better than Fiction by Alexa Martin.

Misc.

I recently returned from a trip to Asheville, North Carolina, and while I was there, of course I went to bookstores! This underground one named Sassafras was in the small town of Black Mountain, and I loved the speakeasy vibe it gave while I shopped around. I picked up three books while I was there: The Employees, How Far the Light Reaches, and Our Share of Night.

Where is the coolest bookstore you’ve been to, and do you like to buy books while traveling?

More Books

Can’t get enough, or looking for a different recommendation? Browse the archives, or check out some popular past recommendations: 

• Read a mystical novel about what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman

• Read one family’s struggle to stay together amid an unexplainable, almost magical event

• Read a timeless novel about first loves and first losses

I also love hearing from readers! Let me know what kinds of books you’re looking for that you’d like to see featured, or send in your most recent five-star read (or two) and get a recommendation just for you. You might be featured in an upcoming newsletter! Reply to this email to get in touch!

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1. Content warnings include death of a parent, marital affair, infertility.