The Good-bye Girls by Juliet Domvile

October 5th, 2022 Kimberly Guest Post, Review 18 Comments

5th Oct

Sophia Rose is here with a review of The Good-bye Girls by Juliet Domvile a quirky, small-town debut novel you’ll want to check out.

The Good-bye Girls by Juliet Domvile
The Good-bye Girls
by Juliet Domvile
Genres: Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

The first client for two newbie funeral planners is a murdered biker. What could go wrong?

When millennial Aislin Fitzgerald’s professional life implodes, she does the only thing she can think of—she bolts for home. But, for Aislin, home is complicated. Her relationship with her grandmother Letty—her sole relative—is awkward and confrontational, and her hometown is filled with memories and people she has been avoiding her entire adult life.

It’s not all bad, though. A chance meeting with Aislin’s former best friend, Sarah, leads to a niche business opportunity. Noticing how entertained Letty is by attending funerals, they form a funeral planning business, the Goodbye Girls. But things get off to a rocky start when their first gig is for a murdered member of the local biker club, and the prime suspect disappears. While bodies stack up, tensions rise and drinks flow; Aislin and Sarah find themselves leagues out of their comfort zones.

As Aislin learns to navigate living under the same roof as her irascible and, as it turns out, lustful grandmother, she also learns to unclench, trust, and accept love in all shapes and sizes. The Goodbye Girls takes you on an entertaining adventure through the trials of friendship and love—and will have you putting the fun in funeral.

Sophia Rose’s Review

It was cover curiosity that struck me from the first and then the blurb that sealed the deal.  Funeral event-planning besties?  I’m game.  Blending quirky small town, family, friends, and finding oneself, this debut book offered up a lot.

The Goodbye Girls begins with Aislynn returning to her small town after going away to university and a big city journalism job that kept her away for years. She had no intentions of returning, but that was before a mistake destroyed it all.  A complicated relationship with the grandmother who raised her after her parents died, her habit of keeping people at a distance, and pushing off issues that need addressing all come to a head.  While starting up a quirky style of event planning business, for funerals, no less, with her childhood best friend, Aislynn must face down it all while figuring out her present let alone her future.  It’s complicated seems to be struggling Aislynn’s motto.

I knew what I was getting into when the blurb stated Aislynn was a millennial coming home to figure things out.  I did get the impression there might be something of a mystery or excitement with the first client, a biker club burying a murdered member and the killer at large, but mostly this is a far flung personal journey with relationships story that is prevalent in women’s fiction.  I can’t say that I could relate well with Aislyn, but she was a mess in the beginning and vulnerable so I wanted to see her get a bit of her own back.  She had a good heart when she discovered her former roommate was being abused and it was a tough situation that older, mature people could have easily stepped wrong as far as I’m concerned, but it was more than that which had her flailing.  She did prefer to leave issues lay rather than face them which, did eventually bite her in the butt.

There are lots of moving parts in this one and it tends to sprawl rather than stick to a tidy plotline.  It made for a meandering story that I could put down easily, but there was also an endearing quality where I still wanted to keep picking it back up and see Aislynn come into her own.  It was missing the crispness to the plot that would make it a fab book, but there was still so much to love in the small town quirks and heartwarming moments.  Pet turtle, funeral event antics, and oddities for characters were highlights.  Those who enjoy gently-paced, character-driven plots against small town setting should check this one out.

Amazon

The Good-bye Girls by Juliet Domvile is filled with small town quirks and heartwarming moments #SophiaRose #bookreview #womensfiction Click To Tweet

About Juliet Domvile

Juliet Domville grew up on a tiny, isolated island off the east coast of Vancouver Island. Her early childhood was spent in a world where books, a couple of Corgis, and a pet sheep were her constant companions. She has had a varied career that ranges wildly from counting nudists on a public beach, grooming horses for a racehorse trainer, freelance writing articles on topics for which she had no experience, to ghostwriting books, one of which is a national bestseller. She left ghostwriting in 2020 to write her first novel The Goodbye Girls

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About Sophia Rose

Sophia Rose

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

18 Responses to “The Good-bye Girls by Juliet Domvile”

    • Sophia Rose

      Ha, yes, that is a total slam dunk of a cover, Lisa. I rooted for Aislynn even while wanting it to move along down the path.

    • Sophia Rose

      That turtle gave an interesting slant to Aislynn’s character and I enjoyed it. Yeah, it could have been tighter, but I was glad it was an overall enjoyable one.

  1. Lover of Romance

    What a lovely review Sophia! I love seeing those endearing qualities pull through a story even if the story itself doesn’t fully capture my attention. I am glad that this one ended up being a likeable win for you.

  2. Wendy

    That cover sure is intriguing! It sounds like a book I would enjoy. I can’t say that I’ve ever wanted to go into the funeral planning business…