The Roxy Letters

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of The Roxy Letters and to NetGalley for a digital copy, in exchange for an honest review.

The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry was just what I needed to get some of this quarantine funk out of my system. It is being marketed as a cross between Bridget Jones' Diary and Where'd You go, Bernadette. Full disclosure: I have not read either of those books and this is not a book I would typically go for. But Simon & Schuster sent me an advanced copy of The Roxy Letters last September and I was invited to an author event. I was honored to meet Mary and listen to her talk about her book. She is ah-mazing and as sweet and fun as Roxy, herself.

The Roxy Letters follows Roxy, a spunky, late 20's Austin, Texas native who loves her pets, friends, and local Austin hangouts. She is single and striving to find the right man to fit into her life. Roxy works at Whole Foods and, while she is proud of the businesses Austin roots, she is tired of working the deli counter and barely making ends meet. While leaving work one day, Roxy spots her once favorite old school movie rental store, turned into a Lululemon. Roxy despises gentrification and corporate greed in her neighborhood and vows to make change happen.

The story is told in letter format, which Roxy writes to her ex-boyfriend, turned temporary roommate, Everett. The letters initially start out as Roxy setting ground rules for Everett and demanding his overdue rent, but quickly turn into diary entries where Roxy chronical her romantic and money woes, lack of motivation for her artwork, and strives to find herself in the process.

The Roxy Letters is witty, endearing, and hilarious. Roxy is one of a kind and such a likable character. I was hesitant at first because she was giving me "Hazel" vibes from Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating. Which, I enjoyed that book, but the whole lead female character is a hot mess is overdone and not for me. Roxy is far from that. Parts of her life are in shambles, but she owns it. I also loved the female friendships depicted in the book. This book is a love story, but not your typical love story. The relationships that shined the most were those between Roxy and her best friends, Annie and Artemis.

Overall, The Roxy Letters hovers between a 4/5 and 4.5/5 for me. It is cute, quirky, relatable, and fun, without being pretentious. Mary knocked it out of the park with this one! If you are looking for something on the lighter side, give this one a try.

Happy reading,

Mel