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What would you do if you could literally rewrite your fate—on Facebook? This heartwarming and hilarious new novel from the authors of The Perfect Life follows a woman who discovers she can change her life through online status updates.
Kate is a thirty-five-year-old woman who is obsessed with social media. So when her fiancé, Max, breaks things off at their rehearsal dinner—to be with Kate’s close friend and coworker, no less—she goes straight to Facebook to share it with the world. But something’s changed. Suddenly, Kate’s real life starts to mirror whatever she writes in her Facebook status. With all the power at her fingertips, and heartbroken and confused over why Max left her, Kate goes back in time to rewrite their history.
Kate's two best friends, Jules and Liam, are the only ones who know the truth. In order to convince them she’s really time traveled, Kate offers to use her Facebook status to help improve their lives. But her attempts to help them don’t go exactly as planned, and every effort to get Max back seems to only backfire, causing Kate to wonder if it’s really possible to change her fate.
In The Status of All Things, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke combine the humor and heart of Sarah Pekkanen and Jennifer Weiner while exploring the pitfalls of posting your entire life on the Internet. They raise the questions: What if you could create your picture-perfect life? Would you be happy? Would you still be you? For anyone who’s ever attempted—or failed—to be their perfect self online, this is a story of wisdom and wit that will leave you with new appreciation for the true status of your life. The Status of All Things
In this day and age, who hasn't perused Facebook status updates and wondered if your own life measures up, and perhaps tried to edit your own life to appear just a little bit better than it is? THE STATUS OF ALL THINGS is about this concept. Kate, a successful professional woman, is stunned when her fiance leaves her at the altar. But a magical chance encounter lets her go back in time to fix everything that went wrong with her man (if she can figure out what it is) with this awesome convention-- everything she writes in her Facebook status comes true. Soon Kate's using her power to influence not only her own life, but the lives of her friends and enemies. The question is, will her life go right this time, even when she can control every quirk of fate-- and will she want it to? A modern fairy tale with smart observations about the downfalls of social media. Fun and fast-paced.
Also, this makes me want to take a loooong social media break. No offense, Facebook. Liz Fenton A special thank you to Atria Books/Washington Square and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Real life BFF razor-sharp and talented contemporary authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke bring new meaning to “girls just want to have fun”, blending their own passion with their characters, Kate and Jules-- in their latest witty, chick-lit with a touch of whimsy, social media obsession, with a dose of reality versus perfection THE STATUS OF ALL THINGS-- A life lesson for today’s world of appearances.
With humor and insight, these clever gals will keep you engaged, and laughing out loud, from the first page to the last. From the stunning front cover to the honest insights, this dynamic duo captures the essence of today’s social media world where everyone has come to expect perfection from our lives, food, fashion, entertainment, families, relationships, image, and lifestyle; hiding behind a mirage of facades. I am betting these two friends had a blast writing this hilarious novel.
Kate, is obsessed with social media, and Facebook. She lives for perfection. Everything has to be perfect. She cannot recall a time when she had ever written something negative, instead always focusing on the positive things. A score, a new account, a fabulous new restaurant, humor, or anything to let her friends know she is living the life—quite different than the Debbie Downers of the world; the ones who have actual problems in their lives. The ones who are not afraid to highlight unpopular opinions or rant about the kids. The people who do not fear judgment the same way she does.
However; in hindsight, could the Debbie Downers of the world possibly be on to something? Maybe it was time for Kate to be real. She had always tried to make her own life look like a Norman Rockwell painting and where did it get her?
Blindsided and feeling stupid, Kate has missed the signs. Left at the altar of her wedding, by Max, the man she had hoped to build a future with, a shared condo, dreams, family and worst of all he thinks he is in love with her friend and co-worker! It is time for a do over. A time machine. Possibly people’s lives are not always as perfect as the filtered photos or edited statuses they post on Facebook. But, wouldn’t it be nice if they were? Kate soon realizes she has been so wrapped up in herself she did not notice what was really going on around her.
Jules, Kate’s friend is married. The ideal marriage is always hanging over her head. Marriage is hard, there are expectations and worry. Does any marriage live up? Are there any guarantees? Is she satisfied with her marriage, or should she have an affair if her husband is not paying her enough attention.
I loved the other supporting characters, the mom and how she had allowed her husband’s actions to define her, and Liam, her friend, as each of the cast learn to embrace their imperfections on this journey we call life.
Fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sarah Pekkanen, will devour THE STATUS OF ALL THINGS with its take on modern relationships. Would highly recommend their first book, Your Perfect Life if you have not had a chance to read. Looking forward to more from these two--with a thumb on today’s hot topics, friendship, relationships, social media, trends, and issues we tackle in each of our daily lives. Do not forget to add this one to your beach bag - a perfect beach read for endless hours of entertainment!
JDC Must Read Books Liz Fenton Unfortunately, this one was not a favorite for me; I was not expecting a masterpiece, but I thought it would make for a fun, entertaining, light summer read. The idea is pretty cute, I think: main character Kate, who is “obsessed with social media,” discovers that she can type a particular outcome as her status on Facebook and it will become true. There are times when that might be nice!
I can usually overlook some predictability in an easy read, but I’d already predicted what I thought would happen within the first few chapters of the book and then it felt like it took forever to get there; I was also a little annoyed with Kate’s desire to “fix” everyone else in her life, only to discover that she was complicating things for herself.
This would have been a quick read, had I not been so bored with it and put it down so many times; I wish I could report a better outcome, but I feel like there are just too many other great books this summer on which to spend your dollar. It might be just the book for your summer reading list, but it wasn't for me.
Liz Fenton “That the status of all things in my life would have to first get messy in order for them to get better.” Liz Fenton 2.5 Stars
I almost did not finish this one, which was terribly frustrating because there was so much potential here. It could have been a breezy, fun romp through time and social media. But nooo! The main character couldn't see the reality in front of her all along and would have benefitted from a firm smack on the back of the head! All in all, it was intriguing enough to finish but not to recommend. Liz Fenton
http://www.chicklitcentral.com/2015/0... Liz Fenton Absolutely loved THE STATUS OF ALL THINGS - such a treat! I was honored to receive an early copy of the novel and simply couldn't put it down. Such delightful characters (many of them, anyway!) and a unique, fun storyline about the power of destiny and the importance of friends. Be sure to check it out when it arrives in 2015! Liz Fenton I frequently use social media. I'm on facebook, instagram, goodreads (obviously), pinterest, sometimes twitter... you get the picture. And aside from those awkward venting rants floating around, I pretty much see everyone's best moments: the proud moments, the vacations, the special occasions, the I love you's. It's easy to forget there are real-life struggles on the other end of those smiling selfies.
In the women's fiction novel: The Status of All Things, authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke use a topic as light and frivolous as facebook to discuss a number of issues that I personally found very relevant. The main character: Kate learns important lessons about being careful what you wish for, unplugging long enough to nurture real relationships, giving up a little of your own happiness to make someone else's happen, pushing beyond your fear even though you might get hurt, and recognizing that sometimes your mistakes turn out to be your biggest blessings.
Overall, I liked this book. It had a touch of magical realism that was both creative and annoying in my opinion (see spoiler for details). But for some reason, I could not put this book down. Despite it's predictability, I desperately wanted to see Kate's story play out to the end. Maybe it was just the right book at the right time. Maybe I was just in the mood for some brain candy. Maybe it was just a really clever book. Whatever the reason, I remained fully engaged from start to finish. I could easily see The Status of All Things adapted to a Hallmark Channel movie, and yes, I would watch it :) It's simple, fun, and delivers a message. Check it out!
My favorite quote:
“What I'm trying to say is people lie, people cheat, people leave people.” His eyes lock with mine. “And sometimes you have to accept you can't edit life the way you do online. This isn't facebook. It's the real world for Christ sake. Sometimes you just have to let your arm look fat in the picture.” Liz Fenton I got to read an early copy of THE STATUS OF ALL THINGS. A delightfully quirky book about a woman trying to change the course of her history after she gets left at the alter, Fenton and Steinke are carving a space for themselves with their women's fiction novels that have a touch of magic to them. Fans of Allison Winn Scotch's will especially enjoy this book. Liz Fenton
DNF
I am wondering why this book is getting such high ratings. Many of them 5 stars. Is it because the reviewers received an ARC and they feel like they can't write the truth. Heck, I don't know!!! All I know is, this book irritated the heck out of me. I was constantly stopping to do status updates (how ironic) of how it was bugging me. Don't get me wrong, the storyline did sound interesting but the execution was a big fat FAILED attempt for me! It wasn't the supernatural aspect. I love supernatural books. It was the fact that Kate had the opportunity to relive her past and what does she do?? She ask for things that just complicates her life even more and for stupid things like tighter abs for her friend. How is that helping her relationship with Max? One of the big issues I had with this book was, the fact Kate knows the outcome of how her rehearsal dinner plays out and when she goes back in time to relive her past she changes herself to please Max. I said to myself, knowing his betrayal that eventually comes, I could NOT degrade myself to make him happy just because he didn't pick me and in hopes that he won't fall for another women. You're fighting a losing battle there buddy! I wanted to know the outcome after she relived her past so I just jumped to the end and found out what happen. Glad I DNF'd it! Liz Fenton