Book Review: Rachel, Out of Office by Christina Hovland

Single mom Rachel Gibson seriously needs a break. Between an absent ex-husband, rowdy twin boys, and running her own work-from-home business, her candle isn't just burning at both ends, it's a full-blown puddle of wax. She's the go-to girl for other entrepreneurs, handling all the tasks they dread. Social media posts? She's got it. Website updates? She's on it. Light bookkeeping? She loves it.

Thank goodness Rachel’s about to get a reprieve, as her former in-laws plan to whisk her boys away for a summer of fun at the family lake house. But when her ex backs out at the last minute, she finds herself in a pickle. Even though she's drowning in to-dos, she's horrible at saying no—especially when it comes to providing some stability for her kids.

Once Rachel arrives at the lake house, she struggles to keep up with work and balance the demands of family, all the while fending off pesky new feelings for her ex-brother-in-law. Which makes her wonder...is falling for her ex-husband's brother just one more messy complication added to the dumpster fire of her life? Or is anything possible when she's out of office…?

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My Review:

Wow! This book is fun and funny and made me take a closer look at my own life. As a fourth-generation perfectionist, it was very easy for me to sympathise with all of Rachel’s control freak tendencies. Looking in from the outside, it was also really easy for me to see all the ways they weren’t working for her. The family and client dramas added extra layers of difficulty to her already over-loaded plate and made my heart break for Rachel at the same time as I wanted to smack her for letting things get so very out of hand. Travis was sweet and charming, and I hurt for him every time we saw somebody judge him for who he used to be rather than the man he had become. I think I’ve gone and fallen in love with this whole family and all their friends and I’m desperately hoping there will be more books with them in the future.

I received a complimentary advanced copy of this book from the author through NetGalley.