I poor house rental review results in a dispute between the renter and the rentee who's lives become entangled. Who is the enemy goes from one main player to another in this psychological drama. Very contemporary with the use of social media and home sharing apps and reviews. It did hold my attention. ( )

So far, the two main characters, Dawn and Miranda, are embroiled in a personal battle of wills over who is right.

I work in customer service, and Miranda reminds me of when good customer service goes wrong. The number one rule is that the customer is always right. Even when they are wrong, they're right. You don't argue with your customers over anything. They are way more likely to spread that bad talk than to tell everybody about that good. Miranda proves that with her worry over her 1 bad review vs her 27 good ones. People want to know who's being honest. I do. I'm guilty of looking at negative reviews, and even giggling at a few, before reading the glowing praiseful ones.
It's true, a lot of negative reviews are people venting, but nine out of ten are giving honest feedback.
This tale of two different women, one young and one not so young, reminds me of how two different people can suddenly become exactly alike. They are both so sure they know exactly what type of person they other woman is based on their vent-filled email and text exchanges. And they are both equally stubborn and refuse to believe they could have made a mistake. Which makes them exactly a like.
There are a few supporting characters, Dawn's passive aggressive husband, Miranda's secretly manipulative husband, and Miranda's drug abusing son, that had me asking questions throughout.

Overall, I think it was a good novel. ( )

I'm going to be honest here, I really didn't like this novel. I will admit, I wasn't expecting any kind of crazy thriller. But this was just a little more preposterous than I could handle. The story is told from alternating points of view and each woman gets her chance to tell her side. I didn't like either woman. They've got so many issues and they really just never think things through. Their self-centered attitudes and belief in their own righteousness drove me crazy. By the first 70 pages, I could see myself getting bored as the story started to pull away from this dispute and start to focus on other areas of their separate lives. And again, I didn't really care about what else they were going through, or what their past was like. Both of these women were married but I couldn't take either of their marriages seriously. Dawn's marriage seemed very juvenile and lacked any substance. Miranda's marriage was like something out of the 1950's, where the husband is always right and it is the wife's job to look pretty and cook nice dinners. This really bothered me because I like females to have a stronger role than that in the novels I read. I had figured out the ending by the halfway point; it was not as thrilling as one might expect. At the end, I was just wondering why this novel was even a good idea. It really didn't have that much to do with the renting idea that it started with and it just got more and more ridiculous the further you read it. Also, the ending, while technically making sense, didn't actually work. Overall, this novel failed for me because it's story lacked the thrills I was seeking and the characters were very unlikable. For those reasons, I'm giving this a 1/5 stars. ( )

A psychological story about two women, enemies in their minds due to a very small issue -- isn't that always the way? Each feels wronged and can't let things be. The book is well written and slightly suspenseful. I love reading new books and this one is different and well done because the author is a marriage and family therapist and writes from experience. I'll be interested in the author's other books.

The older woman is married with a wayward son and often-absent husband. The younger woman is married, finishing a college degree, and has a dark past. They have more in common than they realize, both with somewhat troubled pasts and marriages. The story reveals how they became enemies and all that transpires after the initial incident. Some good twists near the end. Well worth your time if you enjoy this kind of book. ( )

So, have you ever stayed in a Bed and Breakfast or booked a few nights in an Airbnb? Ever have any problems? Well, a problem with a rented stay is the the starting point for Holly Brown's new novel, This is Not Over.

Dawn looks forward to her 'getaways' with her husband Rob. A weekend rental in a luxurious home is a chance to imagine what life might be like for them. It's also a large financial outlay for them. So, when their latest 'host' Miranda deducts $200.00 from their deposit to 'replace the stained sheets', Dawn sees red. She knows that they did not ruin the sheets. And the rental was not perfect......

And so begins a war of sorts. Escalating nasty emails and texts, online stalking and more that threatens to consume each woman and their lives. Neither can let it go. They are each adamant that they are right and neither will back down. This is not over....

Each woman has a voice and as readers, we become privy to the details of their lives. We're observers, along for the ride, as the misconceptions compound and the resentment grows. I use observer as that was what I felt like as I read. I didn't become invested with either character as they are not likeable in any way, shape or form. I felt a bit like a rubbernecker, driving by an accident, unable to turn away but wanting to know what happened. I was curious as to where Brown was going to take things from that initial set of emails.

I had my suspicions about the ending as things progressed and I wasn't far off. I do feel the back and forth between the two women went on a bit too long in my opinion and could have tightened up a bit. And some of the plot devices need to be taken with a grain of salt. But that being said, I can absolutely see how this would happen. Social media has become the public ring for battles of all sorts.
Brown is a practicing therapist and her descriptions of Dawn and Miranda's thinking and 'logic' benefits from her expertise. In the acknowledgments, Brown writes: "Thanks are also due to my 'host', who shall remain nameless. Sometimes inspiration comes from the most unlikely of places, and I am so grateful for that." ( )