Allison Winn Scotch

I feel like I am drawn to the middle-aged women’s fictional books that touch on complex yet easy-to-poke fun at topics; Cleo McDougal did not disappoint.

Set in Washington D.C. and Seattle, Senator McDougal is a single mom raising an appropriately moody teenage boy. The senator, through no real desire of her own, finds herself traveling down a path to correct her list of regrets; one of which was her ex-best friend, another the man who is unknowingly her son’s father. Through the usual twists and turns that make a novel good, Cleo McDougal was a smooth read and quite enjoyable. Nothing was of real surprise, but the writing style made up for any potential shortcomings.



… (mere)

Bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch can always be counted on to deliver an entertaining story. Her books often appear, at first blush, to be light, breezy romances with happy endings and clever, innovative premises that elevate them within a saturated genre. But as her stories progress, it quickly becomes evident that she is intent on exploring much more than simply how a couple meet, fall in love, perhaps lose each other, and then find their way back together. And Take Two, Birdie Maxwell is not an exception.

Readers might be surprised to learn that Scotch found Take Two, Birdie Maxwell difficult to write. In fact, she says she “burned down my first four drafts, deleting them nearly entirely.” There is no evidence of her struggles in the fast-paced, crisp narrative that flows with seemingly no effort at all. The story was inspired by a real-life event. Like Birdie, her lead character, she received an anonymous love letter in the mail years ago when she was at home from college during the summer. She did not attempt to discern the identity of the writer – she found it “more alarming than romantic.” But that experience was the impetus for a story that once again begins with an unusual premise and, with the addition of inventive plot twists and a cast of quirky, empathetic characters, becomes a touching meditation on the importance of communication in relationships, learning to be brave, loyalty to family, and daring to craft a life on one’s own terms that brings genuine happiness.

Birdie Maxwell is now known as Birdie Robinson and she is the beloved queen of the United States box office. Having started in a string of successful romantic comedy films, she is known as “America’s Sweetheart.” Until, that is, she blows up on the set of her latest movie and the details are leaked to TMZ. The reason for her emotional implosion? The mistreatment of women by her co-star, Sebastian Carol. Sebastian is known for being “handsy,” leering, and luring actresses to his trailer with promises of movie roles and associated perks. Birdie felt “she was defending the honor of women everywhere.” But so far, the public is on Sebastian’s side, and not even the “apology video” she reluctantly released at the insistence of her agent and publicist has helped stop the freefall into which her career has careened, once again demonstrating the ongoing disparate treatment and perceptions of men and women by both the media and the public. Birdie was aware, when the studio insisted on casting Sebatian, of his proclivities, in part, because she was enmeshed in a clandestine relationship with his brother, Miles, for five years. But she couldn’t tolerate it for one more moment, spoke her mind, and now the studio has ceased production on the film.

In an effort to escape the paparazzi and stress, she has escaped to her hometown of Barton, “a speck in the middle of California,” for the first time in four years. No one will look for her there, in part because she has claimed for years to be from Oregon. She didn’t bother to warn her parents (professors at a nearby state university); younger sister, Andie; or Mona, her best friend, the proprietor of a local dive bar who set out to be an astrophysicist, but dropped out of college and returned home when her parents needed her. She ended up staying, but her twin brother, Elliot, has traveled the world as a highly respected and well-known journalist and correspondent. Birdie has been in love with Elliot since his family moved to Barton when Birdie was twelve years old. Seven years ago, Birdie elieved her chance to have a romantic relationship with Elliot had finally arrived. But she was disappointedly, devastatingly wrong and they haven’t seen each other since one horrible, heartbreaking night they spent together. Elliot “emotionally decimated her” and she blames herself for allowing herself to think that she would mean more to him than she evidently did. Elliot has always been a handsome and charming womanizer.

Birdie’s relationship with Andie has been troubled, but she is not prepared to have Andie slam the door in her face. Had she read her emails, she would have known that her parents have embarked on a year-long sabbatical in Spain and Andie is packing up their belongings in preparation to sublet the house. Her requests for assistance from Birdie went unanswered, so she has boxed up Bridie’s remaining belongings. “Anything you want, I suggest you salvage it now.”

So, Birdie begins sorting through boxes of memorabilia, one of which contains a letter startlingly addressed to “Birdie Maxwell Robinson.” Only a few people in the world would address such a letter to her in Barton — and Birdie can’t remember whether she confessed the truth about her upbringing to any of her old boyfriends. The postmark is faded and only partially legible. Type-written, bearing no return address, and signed “X,” the letter must be several years old. It says, in part:

I regret everything.
All of it.
And I would have done it all differently.
. . .
If you have the same regrets, the same what-ifs about where we went wrong when everything could have gone right, come find me. Consider it?
Consider me again.

Letter in hand, Birdie proceeds to Mona’s bar to ponder the identity of potential letter-writers with her best friend. She is already determined to learn who sent it, plotting how documenting and publicizing the search can revive her career. “I’m thinking maybe that will help remind people that I’m likable, that I’m just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.” The suspects include Elliot, of course, as well as a world-renowned chef, a tennis pro, and mabye even Miles. Before she and Mona can finalize plans for the search, Elliot himself strolls into the bar. No one knows that his career is in trouble after an unfortunate ethical breach – he paid for information he needed to break a major story, although ultimately getting the facts right.

Mona enthusiastically suggests that Elliot write the story of Birdie’s search for the author of the letter. And Birdie and Elliot set off in Mona’s dilapidated Winnebago to track down and meet with her old flames, intent on remaining incognito as Birdie confronts her former lovers to see which of them regrets the demise of their relationship. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and as they travel together, they find themselves simultaneously getting reacquainted and revisiting their pasts, especially their mistakes and regrets. As the story proceeds, Scotch gradually reveals their history – how Birdie and Mona became best friends; Elliot’s high school years as the school’s star athlete, and most popular and desired boy on campus; how they ended up attending the prom together; and all that transpired seven years ago, culminating with their fiery and, so far at least, irrevocable breakup. Along the way, Birdie fights with her agent and publicist, as well as Elliot, and contemplates how events in her life led her to her current ridiculous professional and personal predicaments. Elliot is still harboring secrets that, if revealed, could again destroy his rekindled relationship with Birdie. He is also fighting to save his career. His editor has authorized him to write Birdie’s story, but only with strict ethical constraints that he finds himself straddling as he learns a great deal about Birdie’s past relationships, gains a deeper understanding of her, and contemplates how he will react if they find the author of the letter. . . and Birdie reconciles with him.

Scotch deftly keeps readers invested in their efforts to solve the mystery. In addition to providing snippets of her characters’ pasts that provide insight into how their current troubles developed, her characters that are at once lovable and sympathetic, and completely exasperating. They are flawed, their lives messy, and they are very relatable in a number of ways. Birdie is a small young woman from a small town with a big talent that she managed to parlay into a wildly successful career. She has always approached life as though it were a movie or play – she “always found difficult moments easier to digest if she simply pretended she was acting out a scene; this meant she could be vulnerable on the surface but not so vulnerable that she risked emotional decimation.” But now she is forced to confront reality – her usual defense mechanisms will not serve her in her current circumstances, and she has to develop a more honest, transparent, and straight-forward way to cope. Secrecy has made her personal life chaotic, and she is tired of it. But is she ready to risk revealing the truth and face the potential fallout? Underneath her love of the spotlight, bravado, and quick wit, she has always been and still is insecure, searching for validation, frightened, and very vulnerable. Especially where Elliot is concerned. Elliot is well aware of his public persona – talented, attractive, confident, and desirable. But, like Birdie, secrets have brought him to a crossroads in his life, and he has to decide if he has the strength and courage to speak his truth and clear the air. He recognizes that there is no other way to move forward toward what he has really wanted all along. Mona also figures prominently in the story. Both Birdie and Elliot love her dearly, and would never do anything to hurt her. She has been a loyal, steadfast, and unwavering supporter to both of them . . . and they are about to find out how deeply their best friend and sister cares about their happiness.

Scotch again demonstrates that she is a master at creating characters who engage in sharp, at times sarcastic, and frequently hilarious banter. Her characters’ verbal jousting injects the perfect balance of humor and emotional resonance into the crackling story as they find themselves in increasingly ridiculous situations, even as their deeply buried emotions are surfacing.

With Take Two, Birdie Maxwell, Scorch has crafted a delightful tale that is a combination of I Love Lucy-esque comedy and a journey for her characters of reflection, self-examination, and personal growth. If they can learn to communicate with each other freely and fearlessly, they stand a chance of saving their careers, creating a meaningful future for themselves individually and, perhaps, remaining in each other’s lives this time. And yes, Scotch eventually reveals who wrote and mailed the letter, and why, in a plot twist many readers will never anticipate.

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.… (mere)

This was one of those rare books that, although I didn’t particularly hate anything about it, I just could not force myself to continue. I could not connect with any of the characters in any way, and none of them were interesting, except one fringe character, a 13 year old boy who exploits his father’s death in the 9/11 attack with a sort of cynical pragmatism. Even the plot was uninteresting, because who cares about developments in relationships between boring characters?

DNF at 40%. Audiobook, purchased via Audible, based on a recommendation from Books on the Nightstand, who seem to be hit and miss for me. Christina Traister does try to infuse some liveliness in the characters.… (mere)