Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! Today, we will be discussing a thriller by Sarah Strohmeyer called We Love To Entertain and, as always, no spoilers will be given away. This book was a nice change of pace from the previous ones I just finished by Mary Kubica because it was actually good lol. BURN! Yes, this book was simply riddled with typos to the point of being ridiculous. However, I liked the story line and did not see the grand reveal coming at all. It held my attention to the very end and the same can’t be said for my recent Book Club reads. Before we begin, I will be placing a trigger warning on We Love To Entertain for disturbing content and general violence. Now, let’s get to it:
Erika has been plain unlucky throughout her life and is nothing short of thrilled when she receives an offer for her dream job. She will serve as a personal assistant to sweetheart Holly and hunky Robert – a power couple starring on the popular competitive renovation show, To The Manor Build. Holly and Robert will be transforming a property in Erika’s hometown of Snowden, Vermont and she will be there every step of the way. Yes, the experience is great. But, spending time with the handsome Robert is even better in Erika’s eyes.
For months, Erika has been helping Holly and Robert renovate an expansive mountainside retreat that was seized from the former owner for not paying his taxes. Zeke Strickland, put his heart and soul into his old home to raise his twin boys with his wife. However, after suffering from a traumatic brain injury, their money dried up and Zeke’s injury subjected him to violent rages. It’s no matter to Holly and Robert, though, because they got the property for a song and he is nothing but a blip on their radar. That is, until they begin receiving threatening letters from who they can only assume is Zeke.
Not only are Holly and Robert competing on To The Manor Build, but they are also getting married! They will be livestreaming their wedding and everyone is ecstatic. Well, everyone but Erika anyways. Being the loyal assistant that she is, Erika rolls through the punches of the wedding day and returns to her mother, Kim’s, home in a sour mood. Later that night as Erika pouts in her room, she has an unexpected visitor – Robert. Maybe he realized marrying Holly was a mistake and he is there to profess his love?! Uh… No.
Robert is there to ask Erika to borrow her car so he can take Holly on a surprise honeymoon to Montreal. He says that there are not enough charging stations on the way for his Tesla and she can borrow it in the meantime. Although Holly and Robert just tied the knot – this is no time for a honeymoon. The finale of To The Manor Build is happening in a week and it will be a mad dash to the finish. Robert assures Erika that they will be back before they will be missed, they will be in constant contact, and that Erika will handle herself beautifully. What else can Erika say except “bon voyage”?
The producers of To The Manor Build are very displeased at Robert and Holly for their getaway, but the show must go on. There are decisions that only the newlyweds can make, though, and no one can seem to get in touch with either of them. Erika blows up their phones to no avail and metaphorical fires for the renovation are popping up left and right. As days go by with zero contact, a missing persons report is filed and the law is taking their disappearance seriously. And, it’s not Zeke Strickland who they suspect, but Erika – the lowly assistant with a massive crush on Robert. Will Holly and Robert be found dead or alive? Is Erika guilty of this crime? Read We Love To Entertain to find out!
I thought We Love To Entertain was an insanely creative read. Not only was it suspenseful, but it was also pure fun. As you can guess, To The Manor Build is an HGTV style show and it was amusing to read about the ins and outs of the production, design, and the people assisting in the renovation. I also really enjoyed how after every few chapters, there would be a blog post by Holly or Robert along with comments on Reddit threads from the show’s fans. This book read like reality TV drama and I was so there for it.
Unlike Mary Kubica, who couldn’t craft a likeable character to save her own life, that was not the case whatsoever for Sarah Strohmeyer. I adored her cache of quirky characters and that enhanced my reading experience even more. It was nice to finally form an attachment to the people I was reading about after two duds in a row. I was rooting for Erika, who was so tragically out of her league. I also really liked her mom, Kim, and Kim’s coworker named Doreen who was an absolute hoot. Holly’s mom, Tammy, also played a fantastic role and I loved how her, Kim, and Doreen banded together at the end of the book.
As you all know, I am a big stickler for typos and We Love To Entertain was quite possibly the worst book I have read in that regard. Guys, it was so bad. I’m not talking a handful of errors, I’m talking an error every few pages. This will absolutely effect my star rating, but it didn’t take away from the fact that it was still a good book. We Love To Entertain was fast paced, it was “hand me my popcorn” worthy drama, and it was HGTV from hell happening before your eyes. While I find the amount of typos inexcusable, I was a fan. *shrugs*
I am going to rate We Love To Entertain with a six out of ten stars. If it weren’t for those pesky errors, it would have been a seven and a half, for sure. I still recommend this book, though, and I think you will have a blast reading it like I did!
What are you currently reading? What should I read next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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