I found the book to be just okay. The writing was fine, but didn't really spark for me.

There were a couple of things that I found distracting. I'm not a big U2 fan and the letters/journal entries throughout felt like they diverted from the story. Just me, but maybe starting the chapter with the entries would have been better or felt less repetitious.

Also, Zoe uses a lot of nicknames for people, switching back and forth, so that it became hard to keep track of who was who.

Having said that, it was interesting to read about Zoe's progress from the abortion and divorce in the first chapter to the ending. The ending was rather open ended, but not necessarily unsatisfying.

Thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this book could be called timely or politically disastrous. It begins with Zoe’s abortion, at the end of an unhappy marriage. Sure, abortion is certainly a most important topic, but rather than pointing towards choice, it points to so many arguments that anti-abortion activists use.

So, honestly, I found this book thought provoking, but definitely making me question some of my own beliefs. I didn’t especially like her writing style with her fan letters used as “journal” entries. I really can’t recommend this for a fun or inspirational read. Rather, it is painful and treats a very serious issue in a very thoughtless way.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

This book starts off with so much potential- the protagonist is facing two life altering moments, it isn't long before it spins right out of control and you lose all interest in what may or may not happen.

“My Thirty-First Year (and other Calamaties)” was my introduction to Emily Wolf, a writer who shows plenty of potential.

The novel opens with Chicago-native Zoe getting an abortion because her Prince Charming turned out to be worse than a frog. Althought she believed she was going to spend her life with her husband (who is a total jerk and a Mama’s boy), despite planning to have a child together, he decides he doesn’t want the child or Zoe.

Ironically, SCOTUS announced the reversal of Roe v. Wade just as I started reading this book. I am not about to get political, but Zoe made the choice to terminate her pregnancy and the novel follows her trying to build a life without that baby. The reader follows Zoe on this journey as she goes into therapy, toils away at a law firm where her direct supervisor is a total douche, and navigates a return to dating. What keeps Zoe going is the fantastic support of her friends and family.

I really liked this novel because I identified with finding yourself and switching life paths in one’s early thirties. The writing was light-hearted and funny in places. Zoe has a lot of friends and I sometimes had difficulty telling the different characters apart, but I really was rooting for Zoe. Some of the interesting touches Emily Wolf added were Zoe’s letters to the band U2 (which she writes in journal form) and the footnotes (which I found a little annoying, only because I kept having to scroll back and forth on my ereader). Overall, I found Zoe’s plight somewhat relatable and am curious to see what this author will produce next.

Three and a half stars.

Thanks go to the author , the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to give “an early read.

I wanted to like this book -- the premise had so much promise and is very relatable. I too am an attorney on the cusp of her 30th birthday struggling with life.

But what I couldn't get over is that the subject matter of the book and tone of the writing just weren't a good match. This book reads like a Young Adult novel, but has all the subject matter heft of a book for its target audience (30-something women). I also did not understand the point of the footnotes. They reminded me of the footnotes in Dr. Strange and Mr. Norrell, but didn't work in the narrative structure here. In the end this book just was not a good fit for me.

That being said, I would try what Ms. Wolf has to write next. This debut seemed to me too much like a debut. I think Ms. Wolf has real promise as a novelist and I expect good things from her in the future!

Thank you @netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, She Writes Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Enjoyable, fun, lighthearted.

I enjoyed this book. I liked that the author was able to take a serious subject and put a light-hearted spin on it. I’m not a U2 fan, so I didn’t understand any of the references. Other than that, it was a good read.