Challenge Corner discussion

A woman who's used to going solo discovers that there's one relationship she can't run away from in this buoyant novel from the Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The Summer We Got Free

Twenty-six and broke, Skye didn't think twice before selling her eggs and happily pocketing the cash. Now approaching forty, Skye moves through life entirely--and unrepentantly--on her own terms, living out of a suitcase and avoiding all manner of serious relationships. Her personal life might be a mess, and no one would be surprised if she died alone in a hotel room, but at least she's free to do as she pleases. But then a twelve-year-old girl shows up during one of Skye's brief visits to her hometown of Philadelphia, and tells Skye that she's "her egg." Skye's life is thrown into sharp relief and she decides that it might be time to actually try to have a meaningful relationship with another human being. Spoiler alert: It's not easy.

Things gets even more complicated when Skye realizes that the woman she tried and failed to pick up the other day is the girl's aunt and now it's awkward. All the while, her brother is trying to get in touch, her problematic mother is being bewilderingly kind, and the West Philly pool halls and hoagie shops of her youth have been replaced by hipster cafes.

Told in a fresh, lively voice, this novel is a relentlessly clever, deeply moving portrait of a woman and the relationships she thought she could li

Starting this now!

Ch 1-10: (view spoiler)[Hmm not sure how I feel about this right now. Skye seems okay but Vicky annoys me a lot though. Hoping that changes. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 11-20: (view spoiler)[I thought the grocery trip with her mom was kind of sweet. I like how she randomly remembered that she wanted 4 girls when she was little. That was just really adorable. I'm also not a fan of her brother barely being there to take care of her. (hide spoiler)]

Ch 21-30: (view spoiler)[Hmm I guess it's good that she finally told her everything but I feel like this was the wrong time to bring it up?? Or maybe that's just me?!?! I don't know lol. (hide spoiler)]

I need to start this still!

Ch 31-Finish: (view spoiler)[Okay, this definitely got better and I actually ended up liking it. (hide spoiler)]

Melanie wrote: "I need to start this still!"

Woohoo! You got this girl!

25% (view spoiler)[ So far I really like Skye's voice but her view on life kind of stresses me out. Why did I think this was a YA book? because of the cover alone? I seriously need to start reading synopses. (hide spoiler)]

50% (view spoiler)[ I think her not-relationship with Faye is really cute. Skye definitely has a lot of shit to work out but she seems to be on her way. I'm glad this book is about someone older who is still getting their life together! Need more of that in my life. (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[ I feel bad for Vicky. She has so much crap going on. (hide spoiler)]

Finished (view spoiler)[ I really liked this and read it all in one day! I really loved Skye's voice and dry humor and it felt really realistic to me!. (hide spoiler)]

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RESTARTING JULY 18TH, 2022


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43% (view spoiler)[It's been an insanely long time since I just picked up a book because I had it and I wanted to read it, and not to fulfill any challenge. I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying this one.

The spelling bee scene resonated with me, because something very similar happened to me at a middle school spelling bee where I was the participant. I am a childhood cancer survivor, and when I was there, this one kid got the word "oncologist." I don't even know how he botched it so badly, but he started spelling it "E-N-Q-U..." and my dad was losing it in the audience and had to be shushed loudly by special ed kids near where he was sitting. Yeah, fun times, and I definitely felt for Vicky in that scene.

On the other hand, I'm definitely rooting for Skye and Faye to get together, especially after finding out Nick's identity and his shortcomings.

I'm also curious about the Tasha stuff. What actually happened, and why is it such a big deal? (hide spoiler)]

ack, sorry, all the things I'd recently ordered for my house showed up today so I was stuck putting random furniture together lol

I'll definitely start tomorrow! I hope you're liking it!

No worries. This is the first time I've been remotely close to on time lol

50% (view spoiler)[I am really intrigued by this one. I kept being like, just one more chapter, but then realized that that wasn't going to happen. (hide spoiler)]

75% (view spoiler)[Okay, why hasn't she told Faye about Nick yet, after everything?

I really love Viva, she puts up with so much shit with everything in Skye's life, and does it with grace.

The way Skye is repairing her relationship with her mom is super interesting too. I liked this insight into memory and its strengths and faults. (hide spoiler)]

FINISHED (view spoiler)[I love that ending. I wasn't sure how Skye and Faye would get together, but I love the way it happened. I was hoping for more reconciliation with Tasha, though the bus scene was definitely interesting. I also expected that Vicky would get into a lot more trouble than she did, especially regarding her thoughts about Charlotte. (hide spoiler)]

10 chapters -

(view spoiler)[ I agree, I'm not so sure I love this right now
I'm finding Skye pretty awful and Vicky is pretty irritating. Meh. it's just okay. I wonder if Skye is redeemable (hide spoiler)]

YAY! so glad to see you loved this one!!