Chrissy’s Review: Surviving the Rachel by Aven Ellis

Surviving the Rachel
written by Aven Ellis
published by Soul Mate Publishing

find it here: (affiliate links) Amazon, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: I really did! I loved Surviving the Rachel.

Bree is young and trying to find her footing after an unexpected start post-college. After moving home, she finds a friend in her neighbor, Jack.  I love their chemistry. They make great friends, and more.  There were a few times that I wanted to smack each of them and ask them what they were thinking, or why didn’t they ask the other one very pertinent questions! It was a good frustration. I was invested in their stories, in their lives. I loved watching Bree come into her own in her new profession.

On top of that, there were quite a few swoon-worthy moments, giddy moments, sweet moments. And fireflies! And the end! Wonderful.

Another aspect of Ms. Ellis’s books that I really like is that they are all connected in some way. They all use Connectivity. Avery and Deke from Chronicles of a Lincoln Park Fashionista show up in Surviving the Rachel. You feel like you are in the same community. These aren’t sequels or books in the same setting/series. But they all fit together. Oh, and the Friends references were perfect! It is one of my favorite TV series of all time. I’ll say it again: wonderful.

Would I recommend it: Absolutely! Ms. Ellis is a must-read author for me and she should be for you as well!

About the book – from Goodreads: Life after college graduation is not at all what twenty-one-year-old Bree Logan expected. Unable to find a professional communications job, dumped by the guy who was THE ONE, and stuck with a pricey city apartment she can’t afford, Bree ends up moving back home with her parents in the suburbs and working as a cocktail waitress at a posh Chicago hotel.

In a desperate attempt to get a fresh start, Bree goes to a hip salon and requests that the first available stylist chop off her long dark hair. Alarmed when the stylist suggests “The Rachel,” after the famous haircut from the show Friends, Bree is hesitant, but decides to go for it when she is assured it will be a “fresh, modern adaptation” of the infamous 90’s cut. Unfortunately for Bree, it turns out to be exactly the same cut, but with horrific heavy bangs added to it. Hideous doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Bree is convinced nothing will ever go right when she meets neighbor Jack Chelten, a twenty-five-year-old German translator. Not that Bree is looking to date anyone, but there’s something quirky and intriguing about his freckle-splashed face and blue eyes. And suddenly Bree finds herself seeking out different opportunities and challenges . . . as well as the boy next door.

In her new adult life, Bree learns that sometimes you have to go through crises to get to where you need to be. And if you can survive The Rachel, you can survive anything, right?