Every once in a while, you get a debut novel that’s truly something special. That’s the case with Sarahlyn Bruck’s Designer You. In this novel, Pam Wheeler seems to have it all – until she suddenly doesn’t. The one thing this novel does well is remind you that everything can change in a minute, nothing is guaranteed, and it’s important to appreciate what you have while you have it – because tomorrow it could all be gone.
Pam and her husband Nate have created an empire in the lifestyle market – the Designer You brand. They have an idyllic life with their daughter. But then, there’s a freak accident and Nate dies. Suddenly, Pam is left to pick up all the pieces and put them back together. Sarahlyn Bruck does a great job of developing the characters and keeping the reader engaged page-after-page in this moving novel.
About Designer You
• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Crooked Cat Books
Pam Wheeler checked every box: Happy marriage? Check. Fantastic kid? Check. Booming career? Check.So when her husband dies suddenly and their DIY empire goes on life support, Pam must fix the relationship with her troubled and grief-stricken daughter and save the family business. Pam and Nate were a couple who just couldn’t get away from each other, sharing not only their bed, but also a successful lifestyle empire as DIY home renovators, bloggers, podcasters, and co-authors. When Nate dies in a freak accident, Pam becomes a 44-year-old widow, at once too young and too old—too young to be thrust into widowhood and too old to rejoin the dating pool. Now the single mother of a headstrong and grief-stricken teenager, Pam’s life becomes a juggling act between dealing with her loss and learning how to parent by herself. On top of all that she also must reinvent herself or lose the empire that she and Nate had built so carefully. It is time for Pam to seize the opportunity to step up as a mother, come out from behind Nate’s shadow, and rise as the sole face of the Designer You brand, and maybe, possibly, hopefully, find love again.
Praise:
‘‘Designer You [is] a brilliant, different story of grief, recovery, and change.” ~D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
‘‘A tenderly written story of a mother and daughter’s struggle to move on after loss, with characters so authentic you find yourself cheering and laughing.” ~Kelly Simmons, international selling author of ONE MORE DAY and THE FIFTH OF JULY‘
‘Sarahlyn Bruck’s touching debut is a beautifully written novel about love, grief, redemption—and the art of personal and professional recreation. This is a tender mother-daughter story that will stay in your heart long after you turn the final page.” ~Dawn Ius, author of ANNE & HENRY,OVERDRIVE, and LIZZIE
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound
About Sarahlyn Bruck
Sarahlyn Bruck writes contemporary women’s fiction and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. She is the author of Designer You, published by Crooked Cat Books on August 31, 2018. Sarahlyn teaches writing and literature at a local community college and also coaches writers for Author Accelerator. Designer You is Sarahlyn’s debut, and she is hard at work on her next book. Want the latest updates? Follow along for news, events, and announcements at sarahlynbruck.com. You can sign up for her monthly newsletter there, too. Connect with Sarahlyn on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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