Book Review: Designer You by Sarahlyn Bruck

DESIGNER YOU by Sarahlyn Bruck

Crooked Cat Books, $12.99

I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I couldn’t help myself with this one—it was delightful to open up every night. Designer You is like getting a real behind-the-scenes peek at your favorite HGTV personality (pick one, any one).

Husband and wife team Nate and Pam have built their lifestyle brand together from the ground up. But, Pam comes home one day to discover Nate has mortally wounded himself while working on their deck. Now widowed, Pam must take over the reigns of their empire by herself to keep the business going and continue to support herself and their teenage daughter. Overnight, Pam becomes a sole proprietor and a single mom.

With humorous forays into online dating profiles, terrifying product presentations in front of hundreds of fans, and equally terrifying confrontations with her grieving and acting-out teen daughter, I thoroughly enjoyed Pam’s self-depricating and wry navigation into her new life. She’s funny and smart, and I wanted to hang out with her at the end of our respective long days. Bruck sets all this against the backdrop of Pam’s lifestyle business, which felt informed  and believable. If you’ve ever enjoyed a design show, you’ll enjoy the way Bruck’s characters talk shop. The overall pacing could have benefitted from a little bit of trimming, but I was happy to have extra time to hang out with Pam.

DESIGNER YOU is a delightful and smart starting-over novel that will make you an instant fan of Sarahlyn Bruck and I’m looking forward to what comes next from her.

Intern Brontë gives DESIGNER YOU three out four paws