Oh, thank the gods, I don't have QuarantineBrain™ any more. I mean, much losing your sense of smell might signal exposure to COVID, my sudden fondness for pseudo-paranormal romance signaled QuarantineBrain, and since my last one was a four-star read (Magical Midlife Madness), I was worried things were getting worse instead of better. So I tested myself with this. Nope.




The entire 'plot' --and I'm being generous by calling something that shows up in the last third of the book a plot--hinges on the MC making one giant assumption about her brand-new, ghost-filled reality.



And that's because the world-building is non-existent. Without spoiling anything, let me just say that the MC super-glues a hand back on a ghost. That only she can see. She has no curiosity as to why this works, merely describes herself as 'batty.' Then there's the lurve story component, because midlife books need to include love. A million-year old being falls in l-o-v-e for the first time in centuries.

There is no characterization beyond the MC. Everyone else, except perhaps her friend, Heather, is a cardboard cutout, including the love interest, who is The Most Perfect Being Ever. Hawt, Kind, Admiring, Talented, Rich, whatever, whatever. But don't forget Zany Grandma! It's someone borrowed the paper dolls from Janet Evanovich and placed them into this book, without even the conflict of a love triangle. As a side note on characterization, our MC keeps talking about how 'Southern polite' she is, and then referring to 'banging' with her boyfriend. Eww.



So much classier.

Oh, and for the cherry on the top, it ends on a cliff-hanger. Well, whatever. I'm just glad I don't have QB anymore and can be free of restrictions.paranormal-romance urban-fantasy164 s4 comments Madison Warner Fairbanks2,646 401

It’s a wonderful midlife crisis by Robin Peterman
1st book in the Good to the Last Death series. Paranormal women’s fiction.
She sees ghosts and helps to resolve their issues so they can move on. But in the meantime, they hang out in her home. The ghosts are decaying and often lose arms, heads, etc. Superglue to the rescue.

“Midlife was more than a series of crisis. It was a freaking destination, and the ride was seriously bumpy.”

Ugh. Cliffhanger. I want to immediately start book two to find out .....but I have other book deadlines and won’t be able to get to it for at least a week.
Soon though.
Funny, engaging and I want more. clean cliffhanger cmcon21-reading-challenge ...more48 s Angela (Angel's Book Nook)1,632 915

It’s A Wonderful Midlife Crisis is book one in the Good to the Last Death series by Robyn Peterman.

I’ve not had the pleasure of reading Peterman before even thou I have a few of her books on my TBR. I wanted to this novel; especially since I’ve really enjoyed others in the over 40 bracket novels that have been coming out, but this one just didn’t hit the spot.

Our heroine, Daisy, is a 39 year old widow and a paralegal who loves working with her friends. When the story starts we see her gluing a hand back on a ghost and she explains that this isn’t normal for her. It just stated one day that she could see ghosts. Now, does she go looking for answers? Nope! Throughout the story Daisy doesn’t try to understand this new ability, nor does she talk to her grandma about it, nor does she try to get the lowdown on what is happen even when she finds out a few of the people in her life are paranormal or part of her world. What does she do? She runs around dumb and at the end she blows up her life on one big assumption about her brand-new ghost filled life. I was petered by that. She’s 40 and she does this stupid thing!!

As for the romance; I didn’t fall for the romance. I couldn’t believe it especially when Daisy doesn’t try to understand her new world.

As for the story I was lost when it start. I felt I was missing a whole book. It just didn’t start in a way that worked. The story was slow moving and didn’t hold my interest. It lacked in plot, character and world building. It lacked in any type of explanation on what is happening to our heroine and our ghosts. And, the story also ends on a cliffhanger and I have a love-hate relationship with those. This time I didn’t care for it.

It’s A Wonderful Midlife Crisis was meant to come off as a mix of humor, paranormal woo-woo and romance, but I felt it didn’t meet those expectations.

Rated: 1 Stars

*Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy provided by Silver Dagger Book Tours with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.

arc-review-copy34 s Maria269 269

I was excited to read a book with a single mc over 25, but this was an overwhelming disappointment.

I know the MC is technically 40 because she mentions it every few paragraphs, but she really doesn't act someone "middle-aged." She acts a teenager whose parents are out of town with how ill-prepared she is for every scenario.

The book was pretty cheesy in a Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (Melissa Joan Hart version) kind of way, with silly side characters (who only hangs out with their coworkers) and dumb dialog, but when we got to the "reveal" about her husband I realized this MC is just an idiot.

You haven't had sex with your husband for most of your 15-year marriage and didn't ask him about it? Just decided it was your fault?

This is the issue with Boomers writing Millenial characters without understanding their behaviors and thought processes. No non religious childless Millenial would put up with that. This is a post Sex and the City generation. There's no way she wouldn't have told her friends about her dry spell at some point, and they wouldn't have encouraged her to get counseling or talk to him.

And the husband being gay is a horrible twist. He loved her so much that he wasted her most fertile years, but it's OK because now he's going to play Casper the matchmaker? Dumb.22 s1 comment Dew728 56

Addlepated

This book ends on a cliffhanger, which is even more annoying since the first 60% of the book is filler. It isn’t until more than half way through the book that the female protagonist, Daisy, stops dithering and being a general dimwit and the plot of the book starts to get going.

As it is, I don’t know how many adult women scream inanely in their own houses and run through their own house screaming. I can honestly say that I have never jumped on top of my kitchen table for any reason other than cleaning off the light fixture that hangs over it. Maybe this is something that happens at 40? Instead of having more knowledge and greater ability to cope with life, one just starts screaming?

Another problem is that the author uses every possible pejorative for mental illness while getting the book started. Whack job. Crazy. Cray-cray. Loony. Lunatic. Psycho. Bat$#*+, et al. Even as Daisy is talking aloud to herself about the movie The Sixth Sense, at no point does she ever feel curious about what is going on. She doesn’t speculate that she’s having hallucinations or consult a therapist or speak to her family or friends about any of it. It’s hard to find Daisy likable.

While Daisy is a weak and not particularly enjoyable character, the world-building of the AU makes no sense at all. Daisy starts getting inexplicably younger. She goes out for a quick jog and runs a marathon. The ghosts she sees are all rotting corpses that are literally falling apart - whether they died 2 weeks ago or 2 years ago, they are all equally decomposed. Sometimes the bodies are corporeal and sometimes they’re not. The author never explains any of it.18 s ??Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer)3,228 720

I’ve listened to Peterman’s Shift Happens series and her new series did not disappoint. Humor, engaging characters and an interesting paranormal gift quickly pulled me in.

Daisy, a thirty-nine-year-old widow, and paralegal loves working with her friends. However, Clarissa the owner’s daughter is a terror. When the firm hires a sexy new lawyer, Clarissa calls dibs and forces Daisy to work from home. Which at the moment is fine, since Daisy has been seeing ghosts. In fact, some are living with her and hogging the TV.

A mix of humor, paranormal woo-woo and romance held me spellbound. Peterman creates relatable characters and weaved in some adorable animals you’ll enjoy. Karen and Donna the Destroyer added to the tale and have some unique skills. From ghostly limb issues, the hot sexy lawyer who might just be able to see her ghostly roommates.

From the romance to the unique storyline, I soon found myself fully invested. It looks the story ARC and romance will unfold throughout the series and I am looking forward to seeing Daisy hone her skills.

Fans looking for friendship, paranormal cases and a touch of romance should run not walk to grab It’s A Wonderful Midlife Crisis. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer11 s I.73

Pandemic living has reduced my ability to successfully write many book this year, but this story was sooo upsetting that I had to pull what little brain power I had left to drag the hell out it.

As a fan of urban fantasy, I desperately wanted to love this story. I thoroughly enjoyed the humor and interactions among the various characters, but all that potential was squandered by the author. Peterman was so non cohesive with the world building and character motivation that the story felt some mid-tier fan fiction found on some 90’s tween’s LiveJournal account.

How a 40 year old woman, despite being a competent paralegal, could grow up lacking such simple basic communication skills is beyond me. I’ve seen some reviewers refer to her as Ditzy Daisy, but that is probably a far more complimentary description than she deserved.

No detailed explanation needed before she gladly accepted her role as “death counselor”. Automatic convenient acceptance of whatever plot device came her way, but zero self awareness in her interactions with the other major players in the story. It was she fell out of the dumb tree and hit every branch on the way down.

What Daisy’s friends and the unrealistically gorgeous love interest in this story saw in her is beyond me, maybe they all have a soft spot for humans that remind them of the dumb puppy that craps everywhere and rolls in it’s own feces for fun.

Too many books out there to waste reading mediocre crap this. Only reason why it’s getting 2 stars is the humor, everything else about this was atrocious.10 s Jenni Bishop4,140 45

Robyn Peterman It's A Wonderful Midlife Crisis: A Paranormal Women's Fiction Novel: Good To The Last Death Book One is a Paranormal Women's Fiction that is perfectly divine, original and quirky. I laughed so hard that I literally cried as I took the journey with Daisy who has a new job and has absolutely no idea how she got so lucky and just as much no idea what to do except for needing a constant box of superglue. Learning that she has inherited the position and all it entails comes as something as a shock but one she is bound and determined to make her own. I loved it. Robyn has a way with words that just pop off the page and right into the imagination to bring it to life. She and the other group of authors that have banded together to bring brilliance of women over 40 a new lease on life. Hail the Fab 13, I have never read anything it and I can’t wait for the next installments from them.


10 s Susan1,089 40

Need more!!

If Robyn Peterman writes, I read! She’s done it again with Daisy and the rest of the crew in It’s A Wonderful Midlife Crisis. So fun and quirky, you won’t be able to put it down until the end. Can’t wait to see what happens next! 10 s Roxcell242 6

This could have been great!!!
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