I really enjoyed Holly Banks Full of Angst by Julie Valerie so I was very excited to receive an advanced copy of The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks. I love created towns and The Village of Primm where Holly lives is charming, fun, and living in it is the most creative, funny, and endearing characters! In The Peculiar Fate of Holly Banks, Holly continues her film making career, deals with cat doula mom, Greta, and continues her love-hate relationship with Mary-Margaret, the PTA president. Then there’s a decades old mystery unearthed by Struggle, Holly’s ore sniffing lab.

This second book of Ms. Valerie’s, Village of Primm series was just fun! Light hearted, easy, warm fun! It reminded me a lot of Mary Kay Andrews books which I adore!

I want more so I hope there’s a third book to come. Thank you to #netgalley and #lakeunionpublishing for the advanced e-copy of #thepeculiarfateofhollybanks!

Holly Banks is on a desperate mission to have it all, but nothing in life goes according to plan. She’s quickly learning that keeping up with the Joneses is a full-time job, especially when the women of Primm, her new neighborhood, seem to have it together all the time.

I have not read the first book to this series. But I really loved this novel.!

I enjoyed the small town life. And the characters are really lovable..
I fell in love with Holly and her role she played.

I would totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good quirky cute book!

I liked this book better than the first. Couldn't put it down. A must read for those who can relate to the normal events in a mothers world. As usual Holly Banks give us laughs, is related and is a must read

Everything is going wrong for Holly Banks. She’s new to the Village of Primm and trying to adjust but it seems like she’s the only one with a messy life. When her dog gets out and digs up a yard, exposing a decades-old mystery, the ever-watchful homeowner’s association issues a chastising note. Her spirited five-year-old daughter fails a pre-pre-reading kindergarten test, causing concerns. As the story keeps rolling along, Holly and her husband overcome obstacles, triumphing in the end. I enjoyed reading this fun frolic through small town life and rooted for Holly, a young mother finding her way in a new community and struggling with her identity after sending her daughter to school. The fact that Holly is a filmmaker made the book more interesting. The perfect ending was filled with hope and tied up loose ends while leaving threads to unravel in future books. What I didn’t like: In the last part of the book, I enjoyed reading the first three or four life lessons/inspirational messages but by the seventh one, it felt preachy and like too many were packed into the last 100 pages. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really could not get to grips with this book to start with; it is far too 'American' in it's vocabulary' I haven't read any others in the Holly Banks series and it just seemed so twee. However, I persevered, I never like to give up on a book when the author has gone to so much trouble, and I'm glad I did.

About a third of the way in I realised that Holly was starting to grow on me. I enjoyed the authenticity of the characters' speech and the underlying thoughts which often ran parallel.

Now I am sad that I have finished this book as I want to know more about Ella and Greta and whether Jack finds a job. But I am still uncertain about the enclave in which they live and their sometimes incredible (unbelievable?) neighbours.

My thanks to Netgalley for my introduction to Holly Banks via Julie Valerie.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC. Second book in the Village of Prim Series. The first book I reviewed this past December. Holly Banks continues to live in the Village of Prim trying her best to keep up with the Jones'. I didn't feel like this one was as entertaining and slap stick as the first one. The characters that were loved and developed in the first book took a backstage in this book. However, Holly's story ended on a good note of self acceptance. #thepecuilarfateofhollybanks #julievalerie #Nov2020

As a first time reader I must say that I truly enjoyed this book. It took some time to get into the story, but then as it progressed it really made you think about what is important in life. Highly reccomend reading as it was a great story.

This was a fun cute read! It had nice comedy and I liked the setting of small town. I didn't realize this was a sequel and still found it enjoyable.
Holly is an easy to relate to and seems to authentic.

I like learning about the Village of Primm. It was a great escape during such a crazy time!

Didn’t really get on with this book. The reason being I hadn’t read the first book it’s well written though and enjoyable

A warm and charming book. I don’t read very much American fiction but the cover & description of this appealed to me. I’m so glad I read it. In one way it reminded me of a fable, similar to DE Stevenson’s Miss Buncle’s Book in its observations of village life. Although it is a sequel (to Holly Banks Full of Angst) it stands very much on its own - I haven't read the first book in the series.
Holly Banks and her family have recently moved to a new home in the village of Primm. Her young daughter is enrolled in school and Holly is trying to set up her own film business, whilst sorting out a new house and other problems as well as dealing with a Labrador who gets involved in searching for “buried treasure”. The book is about how she does all of this and how she fits into village life. The author pokes gentle fun at the politics of village life and describes very well the people and homes in Primm. There are some wonderfully funny place names and some great film references. I also love the email correspondence with Psychic Betty! The mother-daughter relationships in the book are finely drawn and realistic - I found myself nodding in agreement a couple of times. Well worth a read.

The cover is fabulous and eye catching. However I wish I had read the first book as I did feel disconnected from the story

I loved the premise for this book and the cover is fabulous and eye catching. However I wish I had read the first book as I did feel disconnected from the story and with Holly Banks. From the reviews it sounds like this author writes great books for her readers so I wish her all the best.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced read!

Another great book following the chaotic life of Holly Banks as she navigates her new little community of Primm. This time, Holly gets roped into a community wide treasure hunt after her wild dog ran out of the front door and dug up a valuable item for the city. As Holly lets her dog go on the city wide treasure hunt for more valuables, she encounters family drama, her house literally falling apart all while trying to launch her video production company. Leave it Holly to succeed and pull it all together amongst the community madness!

I absolutely loved this book. The story was so original, the characters were loveable. I'm so glad I read this book, I flew through it in a day!

The second in the Village of Primm series picks up where Holly Banks Full of Angst left off. This time Holly is trying to be the perfect wife and mother whilst struggling to be a good neighbour and friend. He self-doubts and flaws made her truly relatable and it's great to see a very 'human' heroine.
This is a perfect light read with some great laugh out loud moments. It''l make you feel better when you feel you're failing whilst everyone else is perfect.
It'll certainly help if you've read the first book but it'll still be a great read if you dive straight into this one.

Holly is an anxious mother just trying to fit in with that being said i found myself wanting her to succeed! This was a very light but fun read for me and i found comparable things between myself and Holly-i mean everyone tried the bullet journal thing right?
A highly enjoyable book with an intriguing plot and i found myself invested in all the characters!

I loved this one, so much fun to be back in the Village of Primm to see what Holly Banks is up to now. I really enjoyed that this took up right where the first book left off and still has fun, over the top characters. Stuck at home during this pandemic, I needed this little escape and the laughter it provided!

While I didn't fall in love with the first book in this series, I certainly have with this one. Classic example of how sequel can be way better!

"The Peculiar Fate of Holy Banks" is a really fun comedy dealing with the issues of motherhood and people-pleasing in a small town setting. We follow our familiar Holly Banks as she tries her best to be a good mother, wife, friend and neighbor while looking over her own needs in the picture-perfect Village of Primm. She is a super relatable character, especially with her insane quirkiness and flaws, which is something we simply need to read about in the era of instagram 'perfection.'

This book is a perfect light, laugh-out-loud read for anyone craving to just relate to someone who "sucks" when everyone else seems to have a perfect life. Holly is just incredibly lovable, and I can't help but wish we could be friends in real life.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it!! I really liked the first book and the second was just as good if not better. Definitely one to read for the summer.

A fun read, this second book about Holly and the Village of Prim begins just where we left off. Though not 100% necessary, I would recommend reading the first installment first to get the most out of this story. Of the two, I preferred this story. Holly is settling in and we see her develop through her relationship with Jack, her mom and the other residents of Primm. A nice read.