Just a Name Review: As Hilarious And Witty As Expected
The best thing to have happened to me after getting a Kindle is Becky Monson. The best thing about subscribing to Kindle unlimited is also Becky Monson. No, I’m not being paid to promote Kindle. But I just cannot contain my gratefulness over finding so many good authors through the e-reader. For the longest time, I have been purchasing books that are popular on BookTube or Bookstagram. I only wanted to read what everyone else was reading because my FOMO was in full force back then. A nice big pile of unread books lying on my shelf jolted me back to reality and made me see the obvious which was the fact that I cannot always like what someone else does. I have posted a ton of images on Instagram, of books I own, but haven’t read as yet. After spending a month under a self-imposed book buying ban my hands were itching to read something new so I subscribed to Kindle unlimited and I discovered so many underrated authors who I simply love. Becky Monson is one of those authors whose writing has me in splits. The thoughts in the head of her protagonist resonate with me so much that I’m glad someone out there is as crazy as me.
Since I absolutely loved the Spinster Series by Becky Monson, I just had to read her other books and that how ‘Just A Name’ landed in my digital library. Just A Name is a chick-lit rom-com consisting of a lot of trademark Becky Monson one-liners and absurd opinions. In this book, Holly Murphy speaks and behaves a lot like Julia from the spinster series which is what I love most about her.
Just a Name by Becky Monson
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Holly Murphy has a penchant for plans. She likes to plan every single thing related to her life. Her wedding and honeymoon are perfectly planned and in place when her long-time boyfriend decides he has had enough and calls off the wedding. To add to her woes, her team at work hate her and refuse to co-operate with her. Holly’s life in now into a tizzy but her boss wants the best for her. She suggests Holly take a relaxing and rejuvenating vacation. Her friends too second that idea and to add more excitement her bestie Quinn has Holly sign up for a reality show in which she travels to Europe with an unknown guy hoping to fall in love during the trip. From disoriented to completely chaotic Holly’s life turns in ways she never even imagined. But in the end, all is well where there is love and Holly’s true love eventually makes his way to her against all odds.
I LIKE ‘Just a Name’ Because,
…Holly is hilarious. Okay, she is not as funny as Julia (Spinster Series) but she has her share of wacky moments that made me laugh. Holly’s hilarious monologues are what I truly love about Becky Monson’s writing. She is just plain funny. Her one-liners are sharp and extremely amusing. It’s like she speaks your minds in the funniest way possible. Holly is a very real character. More real than any character I have ever read and that’s precisely the highlight of Monson’s writing. Reality mixed with humour is served in such good doses that the book thoroughly entertains the reader.
…because I loved the unexpected love angle in this book. Without giving spoilers I just want to say that Holly’s love interest in this book took me by complete surprise. I simply loved Holly’s love story in this book. I thought nothing could surpass my OTP Julia and Jared but this one came really close to it.
I Do NOT Like ‘Just a Name’ Because,
…she gets over her ex-boyfriend Nathan Jones, whom she was supposed to get married to, too easily. If Holly wanted to be married to Nathan it means she was in love with him. But when they break up she gets over him like as if he never happened to her. I’m not saying that I wanted her to pine over him. Its just that he disappears a tad bit easily from her life.
…this book also dealt with a reality show. I’m not totally against the reality show angle in the book but this storyline was used in ‘Thirty-three Going on Girlfriend’ and something similar is done in this one too which did not work for me this time.
Favourite Quotes in Just a Name
“Knock, knock!” a voice says from outside my door. Oh, yay. Tiffany. I’d sell my soul to anyone who could magically zap me out of my office, I swear it. Just tell me where to sign, Satan. I’m yours for the taking.”
“After meeting with Marie, I had no choice but to call Quinn and tell her I’d do the trip. She was ridiculously excited, as I would have expected. She told me she owed me her firstborn, which I told her I didn’t want. Then she got all annoyed that I wouldn’t want her firstborn, especially because Chris Hemsworth was going to be the father. She was going to name the baby Thor, and how could I not want baby Thor?”
“I really hope I’m never required to lie for a life-saving reason. I’d surely die.”
“I’m not impulsive. I’m not a ride-or-die kind of girl. I don’t want to ride or die.”
“You know that saying “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? Well, right now life is giving me lemons. And I don’t want to make lemonade with them. I want to squeeze the juice into someone’s paper cut.”
“Dear Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to not slap people. “What seems to be the problem?” I ask after taking in a nice, calming breath. Which doesn’t work at all. “I just don’t understand why they changed the script,” she says. Dear Lord, grant me the serenity . . . I take another deep breath and will my eyes not roll to the ceiling as they are dying to do. It’s like a magnetic force is drawing them there.”
Final View: Becky Monson’s protagonist will always show you how to take life’s tragedies with a pinch of humour. When life threw a lemon at Holly Murphy she unwittingly made lemonade. If you wish to have a fun read then do pick ‘Just A Name’. If you loved Becky Monson’s ‘Spinster Series’ you will like this book too. If you haven’t read the Spinster series yet then I don’t know what is keeping you from doing so. Please go and read my favourite book series now!!!
You can check out Amazon.in for a discount on this book.
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