Love & Other Chaos
Author: Jackie Walker
Publication Date: December 17, 2020
One of the things I love most about reviewing books for my blog is finding new authors. I am usually very skeptical when it comes to reading a new series by an author I have never heard of, mostly because I feel comfortable with the writing style of familiar authors and have already formed an emotional attachment to the characters and the universes they have created.
After seeing my review of the latest book from of my favorite go-to authors, Pippa Grant, I was offered a review copy of a debut novel from an indie author, Jackie Walker.
Love & Other Chaos is a teacher/parent romance, but also features a few other sub-plots that move the story along. The title is actually appropriate for this story, because there is A LOT happening, so much that the first half of the book really had me guessing as to how this story was going to end (yes, I realize most romance novels end with a happily ever after, but I try not to anticipate anything because the last time I did, one of my writer friends killed off her main love interest and I was in tears for 3 days).
Here's an excerpt from Love & Other Chaos, which is what had me interested from the start:
"Damn my best-friend and her manipulation tactics. She just dared me to kiss Brody while she films it for a social media challenge. She knows I can't resist a dare, especially when coupled with reverse psychology. I'm weak like that. Plus, I'm a little buzzed right now. Fricking margaritas. I'm going to do it, aren't I? I'm going to kiss my best guy-friend, who also happens to be my son's teacher. What could possibly go wrong?"
Unless you're living under a rock, you've seen this social media challenge on Tik Tok, which usually features a girl surprise kissing her guy friend, who usually takes a moment or two to realize what is happening before he reacts and kisses her back. Most of the videos I have seen show a positive reaction, and was for me, an interesting premise for this story.
However, Love & Other Chaos doesn't stick to the same old script, and adds in a lot of other real life shenanigans that most of us can probably relate to, including being a single mom dealing with an autistic son, taking care of elderly grandparents, as well as a sprinkling of revenge after Cara experiences some workplace harassment.
For me, this book had a lot going on, almost too much, in the beginning. I did not feel as connected with the story or the characters until I hit Chapter 11, when the friendship between the main characters is tested by the social media experiment Cara's friend Helen dares her to carry out on an unsuspecting Brody.
Other than that, I enjoyed the depth of characters Walker put on the page, especially enjoying the relationship between teacher Brody and Cara's son, Miles. Walker didn't skip over details when talking about what it can feel like when a parent is learning to cope and help a child who is autistic. Miles is shown first as a fourth grader during the prologue, and then aged up to current day, but he is colorfully written and has his own story told alongside his mother and his teacher.
I can see how this book could be the start of a series, as Cara's brother and friend Helen are relied upon to help the sub-plots move forward, and I am interested to see what stories Walker will craft for them.
If you are looking for a new read, you can find Love & Other Chaos for free if you have Kindle Unlimited.
Here's a few other places you can interact and follow the author to find out what she has coming out next:
A copy of Love & Other Chaos was provided by the author for review.
