Book Blurb:
It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. When Eliza Hunt created The Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board fifteen years ago she was happily entrenched in her picture-perfect suburban life with her husband and twin preschoolers. Now, with an empty nest and a crippling case of agoraphobia, the once-fun hobby has become her lifeline. So when a rival parenting forum threatens the site’s existence, she doesn’t think twice before fabricating a salacious rumor to spark things up a bit.
It doesn’t take long before that spark becomes a flame.
Across town, new mom and site devotee Olivia York is thrown into a tailspin by what she reads on the Bulletin Board. Allison Le is making cyber friends with a woman who isn’t quite who she says she is. And Amanda Cole, Eliza’s childhood friend, may just hold the key to unearthing why Eliza can’t step out of her front door.
My Review: 4 stars
Eliza Starts a Rumor was the perfect title to make me want to know more. Who’s Eliza? Why did she start a rumor? Then I learned that the book was spun around the numerous mom’s groups all over Facebook, and I was sold.
Eliza is troubled. We don’t really know why but we accept her truth because of her crippling inability to leave her house. She’s bored, depressed and lonely. By starting a Facebook group for Hudson Valley moms to connect online, she finally has a sense of purpose. When she learns there’s a new Facebook group for the same area, she decides to post a rumor by an anonymous sender that really stirs things up.
From there the book get tangled up into many side plots that all ensued from her fake rumor. I really connected with all the other women and loved that mere strangers can bond for a common cause. Crazy that the author used all vowel names for the main female characters. Amanda, Olivia, Allison and Eliza. Got to be honest, there were moments my head was spinning trying to remember whose plot belonged to which character.
This book touched on parenting, infidelity, abuse, abuse of power, friendship, love, dating, rape and mental illness. Seems harsh but these issues were tackled and pummeled through the help of the other women. The writing was witty and face paced. Overall, this was a heartwarming book that readers will enjoy.
