I feel bad, but I just didn't love this one. Going into it, the premise sounded great. I liked the feminist voice it started with, and the fight against misogyny both in the workplace and in the bedroom. It was just so scattered, I think it could do well with a really good edit. The bones are good.

Jessicaca has been on my TBR list for several years at this point, and I don't think I'll ever finish it. Sorry! I'm sure some people will love this, but it was just not for me.

My first read by this author and I think I missed the point of this read. I didn't really enjoy the characters and didn't find this very funny. But it was listed in the Humor genre. HMMMM.

Thought this would be funny and cute, but sadly found it anything but as the main protagonist was really hard to like and the story just kept being pulled through, almost sounding forced. Did not get into it and frankly ended up disliking Jess the more I read

Jessicaca is funny and engaging. Showing a woman with a boring job who likes to go out after work drinking with friends. What they get into you will have to read the book to find out. Laugh out loud at times! First book I have read by this author.

The premise sounds brilliant however sadly I couldn't get in to it. I didn't really care about the characters so decided to put it to one side & chalk it up to a not my cup of tea kinda book.

This was a fun women's fiction about a woman finding her voice at work and in her friend group. As we glimpse her attempts at relationships and watch as she seals with difficult situations at work the reader enjoys some fun laughs and some very relatable situations.

One of my favorite things in this story was the strong female friendships between Jess, Soo, and Lucy that weathered several storms. the male friendships between Steven and his roommates was also really lovely to read especially when they were such a diverse and welcoming group of young men.

I would not call this a romance as the reader does not get a traditional happily ever after.

The premise of this book was brilliant, however I did find the way in which the story was told somewhat disappointing.
The story didn't feel as though it had much depth or drive throughout, and the characters were rather forgettable and lacked any individuality.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me.

Great book with a story that was easy to follow. It was one that I could not put down. Definitely add this one to your to be read list.

When heard that Jessicaca was being compared favourably to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine I was hooked and couldn't wait to read this having loved that book . Unfortunately this wasn't funny or even anything remotely like Eleanor.
I loved the cover and that was the only good thing about this.

This really wasn’t for me, based on the synopsis I thought it would be really good, but it just wasn’t sadly. It wasn’t funny, although it tries constantly, but that’s worse because it’s just trying too hard and makes it less so. There was so much unnecessary discussion, waffle and it just felt all over the place. Not for me at all

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

A good book with a strong female characters. It shows women in a good light being able to go out and have drinks after work and a good evening with nothing to be ashamed of. The age gap between the two was discussed well and I felt that the connection between Steven and Jess was very well written.

Positives: A genuine character that cares about her friends, it discusses the sex lives of women positively and counters sexism in the workplace highlighting multiple instances of where its different to be a woman. There were some sweet scenes and Steven was written nicely in a refreshing way for a male romantic lead to be written. He was respectful and checked in just because he could. I think the ending could have been refined as I had some issues with it as well as the opportunity for further exploration on topics.

Negatives: Some things were not handled well, there was much more opportunity to delve into the issues in the work place. <spoiler>I would have preferred there to be a better resolution at the end for dealing with the boss and Tom as if this was to be extended it would probably show that neither of them grew form the experience which was missed.</spoiler>Other reviews mention a salad, which I agree becomes very fixated on, the exact same salad for lunch each day in the book. Some topics were not broached as well as they could be.

Thank you to #NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

I think the biggest issue with this book is the marketing. This book was compared to Eleanor Oliphant and, while I see some characteristics in the main character, Jessica, I didn't see any of the depth that the previous book had. I think the writing leaves a lot to be desired.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

My funny bone was a-tickling so I started browsing the Humor section in hopes of finding something I could laugh so hard my eyes cried and my sides ached. The title “Jessicaca” called to me for obvious reasons and after reading the synopsis I thought, “This sounds like a good one…” Well, I was dead wrong. And I have some real regrets.

Synopsis

Jess isn’t having a great time lately. She has the most boring job in her company, her boss tries to place blame on her every chance he gets, and she’s just had to sack one of her best friends. As for the men in her life, they all seem to be morons, cavemen or serial womanisers. Then she meets Steven. Mature, handsome and ever so enticing, Jess starts to think he might be the solution to a lot of her problems. The only issue is he’s younger. MUCH younger.

Review

My first peeve about this book is that there was no humor in it. There are scenes where you can feel it’s trying so hard to be funny but it isn’t genuine which leads to some major cringe. The whole book I was cringing in my seat because Caca is entirely clueless, and not in any cute, silly way. Her friend calls her “Caca,” which she believes is a term of endearment, and apparently neither one of them knows that it literally means poop.

That was cringefest #1. I figured this must just be a plot point then, and it will be funny when the truth is revealed later. Well there wasn’t anything funny about it. The characters themselves are laughing and having a great time but the way it’s written it’s impossible for us as the audience to be amused in any way. We’re just left watching and cringing, waiting for it to be over. I swear, I NEVER EVEN SMILED ONCE reading this book.

My second point is that the character Jess is written as if she’s an octogenarian. I couldn’t figure out her age at first because her friend/coworker Soo (who gave her the unsightly nickname) is in her early 20s and she’s “so much younger” than old, ancient Jess. Jess literally calls Soo “So Young” (insert cringe here). Jess goes on and on about how old she is and the pressure she feels to be married and settled down by now. Like chill, Caca. If you wanna go out and get drunk on a Thursday then live your damn life.

Aside from not knowing that her name means a steaming pile of crap, Caca has also never heard of a furry before. Neither has Soo. This is supposed to be another hilarious joke, and goodness, the characters roll around and split their seams in laughter. But again, just because the characters are laughing doesn’t mean the audience is. I mean, was Caca raised in a glass bubble? I remember seeing True Life: I’m a Furry on MTV in the fifth grade and you can’t possibly have been on the internet in the last twenty years without having encountered a few. It wasn’t funny, it was again a very cringe moment.

The one saving grace of this book was a very steamy sex scene, described in so much detail it made me wonder why the author wouldn’t use that sort of talent on the rest of the plot? When the synopsis states that Jess has the most boring job in the world, IT’S TRUE. Every part of the book about her job was just a snooze fest in between scenes when she saw her young boyfriend. Basically every man in this book that wasn’t the love interest Steven or the father of twins that Caca grinded on one time was a complete ape. Do men really whoop and holler when they see a picture of a hot girl? Seriously cringe, who are these people?!

That sex scene almost brought the book up to two stars but no, the rest of the book just didn’t let it. There’s not much to say about Jessicaca except that it is truly a steaming pile of Caca.

Thank you Netgalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

The premise of the book was great and I was excited to start this one. After reading this book, it was just "OK" for me. The main character, Jess, I someone that I had a hard time relating to. I feel she didn't act as mature as she could have for her age - especially since this day in age, there are plenty of career women who are still finding love in their early 30's. I found Jess a bit neurotic at times, but did like her a lot better toward the end of the book. I loved her friendship with Soo, as I found this more realistic.

Jessicaca by Suzy Blackledge was at first glance a fluffy chick lit book. But, it quickly devolved into graphic sexual scenes that did not advance the plot. Jessica was a heroine that was just a mess.

This book had a few enjoyable characters with sometimes laughable and sometimes heart wrenching side storylines. But the character arcs, and storytelling was poorly written outside of any steamy scenes.

At the end of the book I was just disappointed fully in the loss of plot, storytelling and most aspects as it all fell apart.

I was provided a free advance reader copy from Books Go Social in exchange for my honest review on Net Galley. The opinions shared in this review are my own.

This book was just ok. It took a while to get into the writing style and I had to force myself to finish reading it. There were some funny moments mostly in Jessicaca’s conversations with her BFF Soo. I couldn’t figure out if Jessica was just really dense or just had a weird sense of humor. I’m absolutely shocked she never knew what her nickname meant. Maybe she was living under a rock, Also the end was such a let down and felt like the author meant to write an epilogue but decided to just stop writing before she could wrap up the outstanding story elements.

This sounded like it was right up my street but in reality it was not. Such a shame as I was really excited to read and review it.

NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off ok, mediocre at the most and slowly went downhill not only story line wise, but writing wise as well. The author waffled with unnecessary details and conversations that I really didn't care for.

This book could have been so much better had the author focused more on important issues like sexism and mental wellbeing in the workplace as Jessica was an HR Executive; but there were more 'pressing issues' like how to make a chickpea and pomegranate salad.

Wanted to love this one, but sadly I couldn't even finish it. The premise sounded great but the writing was far from great for me. I couldn't connect to the story or Jessica at all, in fact I found her to be a bit annoying and her decisions annoyed me. Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. Thanks for allowing me an ARC to read and review.