I haven’t yet read Libby Hubscher’s debut (although it’s on my TBR) because, quite honestly, it sounded too big and emotional for where I was in life/pandemic when it came out. So I jumped at the chance to review her sophomore release, If You Ask Me, which sounded just as deep, but I decided I was up for the challenge.
I am oh-so-glad I took the chance on this book. I almost don’t even know where to start. This book is both well-written and wise. Sweetie’s advice columns begin as sweet, turn a little rage-y, and then gain wisdom as Violet does. It’s a work of art and my heart grew with Violet’s as I watched her both struggle and grow and realize both were beautiful in their own ways.
Hubscher has a gift in the way she captures all the emotions that go with being hurt and starting over – anger, fear, betrayal, and then eventually hope and healing. It’s beautiful to watch all of this play out through Violet’s experiences. Hubscher does it with respect and a lightness in places that manage to bring hope to the page over and over again. I laughed out loud with Violet, I cried with her, and I wanted to keep reading long into the night because I came to care about her and cheer for her.
I haven’t enjoyed a book this thoroughly in a long time. I’ll be diving into Hubscher’s other work soon and she’s cemented herself as an auto-buy for me.
About the Book
Violet Covington pens Dear Sweetie, the most popular advice column in the state of North Carolina. She has an answer for how to politely handle any difficult situation…until she discovers her husband, Sam, has been cheating on her. Furious and out of sensible solutions, Violet leaves her filter at the door and turns to her column to air her own frustrations. The new, brutally honest Dear Sweetie goes viral, sending more shock waves through Violet’s life. When she burns Sam’s belongings in a front-yard, late-night bonfire, a smoking-hot firefighter named Dez shows up to douse the flames, and an unexpected fling quickly shows potential to become something longer lasting.
A lot of people want to see the old polished Violet return—including her boss, who finds her unpredictability hard to manage, and Sam, who’s begging for another chance. But Dez appreciates Violet just the way she is—in fact, he can’t get enough of her. The right answers don’t come easily when Violet finds herself at her own personal crossroads. But maybe, by getting real, Violet can write her own happy ending.
