Ladies' Night: A Novel

Thanks MKA for the good read. Loved the characters and the down to earth stuff Ladies Night went through together. Have no idea why some readers rated with less than 5 stars. Perhaps they want more reality. I like the fun and the subtle humor .. I also liked the tenacity and spirit of the women characters. The characters were made of "good stuff" and stuck together to fill in each others strengths and weaknesses. While Ladies Night differed from some of the earlier books (The Fixer Upper was my first MKA read), never did the book lag for me .. loved the introduction of "sweetie" the cute little dog and Arthur the landlord. Good people doing the right thing in most cases and offsetting the not so good people. Again, thanks MKA for a great read .. I'll look forward to the next one. Chain yourself to your desk and start working! No more having fun and shopping!

I love Andrews. I first read her after a trip to Savannah, because before and after I travel to a place, I read all I can about it, and that includes fiction books set in that area. I fell in love with her easy going and fun writing style, as well as the dream worthy locations they took place in. I have read just about all of her books; that being said, I think Ladies' Night is my favorite. I think it dealt with a more serious issue that most of her other books. Grace is a famous lifestyle blogger, with a beautiful home with beautiful linens and tableware and husband, Ben. Or so she thinks, about her husband. When one night she finds him schtupping her assistant, she goes berserk. After driving his expensive car into their pool, she heads home to her mother, to her childhood homeplace, above a bar in a marina. What happens next is horrible. Her estranged husband locks her out of her gated community, her home, her bank accounts, and her income. His paramour takes over Grace's blog, and Grace finds herself powerless to change her circumstances. The judge at their first divorce hearing orders Grace to an anger management therapy class, and does not award any of Grace's assets back to her. even though she was the maligned and hurt party. Grace goes to the class, and finds that everyone there, except one, is female. All have gotten the shaft from the same judge. What the heck is the deal with this judge? Does he hate women? Grace and the others soon become confidantes, and learn some disturbing facts. The only man in class is Wyatt, the owner and manager of a run down jungle theme park called Jungle Jerry's. He also has a father who seems to have a memory loss at sundown, an assortment of animals, and shared custody of his young son. His estranged wife is just as bad as Ben, if not worse. Grace attempts to get her life together, starting a new blog and a new major project, but Ben, and his girlfriend J'Aimee, cause some pretty disturbing and deplorable problems for her. I think this book more than Andrews' other books, dealt with more serious topics. The trouble the character's ran into was kicked up a notch, a little darker than her previous books. Grace is made of tough stuff however, and fights back. This book also did have its cute parts too, it wasn't all serious. The relationship that develops between Wyatt and Grace, and the one that Grace develops with a dog that she rescues bring brightness and light to the story. And you know I love that Andrews' advocates for animals! All in all, I really loved this book.

Couldn't wait to purchase the latest book by Mary Kay Andrews as I had read the first two chapters as a teaser. MKA is so current and it shows through in Ladies Night! I love that it is set in Florida; finding it fun to relate to familiar sights and such. The plot is entertaining, the characters are fascinating, and I couldn't put it down. I read more than thirty chapters the first night and the plot is thickening. MKA you are an excellent writer...the way your characters seem weak, then fight back with a punch, and your spunk flow through this book. I'm always sad to end! Buy this book and you will not be disappointed!

It's become tradition for me to purchase Mary Kay Andrews' new novel each year to take to the shore for my vacation. This year's installment to my Andrews library did not disappoint. In fact, I found it to be even more enjoyable than the books she's released over the past couple of years! Our heroine, Grace Stanton (Davenport), is a bit infuriating at the start. The details surrounding the beginning of her divorce are rather infuriating and I wanted to shake her at times. But very quickly she bucked up and the story moved on. The divorce dealings almost became an afterthought - mere catalysts to keep the heart of the story moving. I liked that. It was fluffy. It was romantic. It was rowdy, suspenseful at times and fun. In short, it was everything a quick vacation read should be.

Any woman who's endured a divorce, even one with a minimum of acrimony, will empathize with the women Andrews creates in this sometimes wacky, only occasionally scary, story about what happens when a judge in cahoots with a not-so legitimate "divorce counselor" orders four women and a men into divorce therapy after they have allowed their rage to get the better of them. My favorite of those initial actions was driving a $175K car into the swimming pool. Had the author stuck with the main character's growing relationship with each other and not become side-tracked by the attempt of one of the women to kill (literally) her ex's now-pregnant girlfriend, I would have LOVED this book. That section slid the bloom off this story, even though it ended well.

I really enjoyed this book (as did my mom) having spent a lot of time in the area where it takes place. I even worked at Jungle Gardens back in the 1980's so I could clearly picture that setting and knew the family history of the place, which is pretty accurate in the story! Lots of real local restaurants featured in it as well. I I lived in Sarasota and frequent that area every year, and it's one of the reasons I picked up the book, upon a friend's recommendation. It is a fun read, and the characters are very sassy and easy to relate to. The plot is a bit over dramatic and exaggerated in parts, but you will be rooting for the heroine with all your might. by the end. A great book to read in the winter, if you want to escape the cold and be in tropical Florida for a little while.

I just love all of the books by Mary Kay Andrews

( Warning Paragraph 4 contains some spoilers) I started this book on audio and had to switch to the book because it was making me crazy that it was going so slow. Not the story, just listening to it. Once I got the actual book, I really enjoyed the story. My only quibble; for a smart person, the heroine was a bit of a doormat after she caught her hubby Ben "being assisted" by her assistant J'Aime. My aggravation level dropped once she got divorced and had to start rebuilding her life. Grace loses everything, her husband, her blog, and her lifestyle after catching her hubby in the act and then destroying his car in a hissy fit (LOL). While she is licking her wounds, he is neatly taking everything away from her and even sabotaging her efforts to recoup her life. She ends up in a touchy feely anger management group with a bunch of other divorced people who had the misfortune of having their cases heard by the same judge. The best part of the story takes place from this point onward as Grace discovers a way to get her self-esteem and even her career back on track. I like that she realizes that she doesn't need all of the expensive and fashionable things which defined her life and even her blog before the divorce. Grace gets back to her essential self and rediscovers the joy in rehabbing a small vintage house not a mcmansion. She meets Wyatt in her divorce group and they make a real connection after some false starts. He has also been taken for a ride by his ex, but he has a child involved, which makes it worse. The members of the group start to figure out that there is something fishy going on with their so-called therapist and the judge that heard their cases. The ways that the group investigates the situation add some real humor to the book. There are also parts that show just how toxic divorce can really be if the parties don't work hard to prevent that from happening even after the court hearing is over. I have to say that Ms. Andrews is a nicer person than I am because I think that Ben and J'Aime don't suffer enough in the end. But, that is really the lesson that we learn in a divorce. I remember reading in a book something about the anger you keep in your heart leaving less room for love to come in. Grace learns that lesson and is the better person for learning it. PS... Now that I have read the book, I am going to re-listen to it because the narrator really did a good job. It wasn't her fault that I was too impatient to wait and enjoy the book.

I have always enjoyed Mary Kay Andrews books. It is like it is written as a perfect summer novel. Find a lounge chair and settle in. This book is just a great diversion and will leave you cheering on the group that meets for Ladies' Night.

I am a fan of Mary Kay Andrews. You don't get too many surprises with her plot lines but the characters are always well drawn and I love the Southern backdrop with so many references to familiar places and things. A real treat when you are by the pool/on the beach.

Loved the book, it is an easy read with lots of warmth and humour, A light hearted book which flowed well. Will check out more of the Authors books

Good read.

Ok, Not her best, but a nice summer read.