Guest Book Review: Deathbed Dimes

By Michelle Drodge

When the opportunity to read a book penned by a writer in my city arose, I jumped at the chance. For whatever reason, it’s rare to come across a writer from Toronto reaching out to Chick Lit Central for a review. Hailing from Toronto my whole life, I was excited to see what our local talent could do.

I am here to report, us ‘Torontonians’ do not disappoint.


Naomi Elana Zener’s novel, Deathbed Dimes, was a fun take on what can happen when life throws you lemons. The novel starts out with Joely coming home to find her apartment empty at the hands of her fiancé, who has up and left her (and wants the ring back!). At the advice of her best friend Coco, a fellow lawyer whom she’s known since law school, she throws herself back into her work, only to be repeatedly ‘sandbagged’ by her nasty colleague, Chip – one who must have bribed the professors into granting him his law degree. Upon a sudden decision by the partners at her firm, Joely walks out and must make a new life for herself.

Fleeing to her parents in LA (famous Hollywood actress mom Sylvia, and washed-up TV director Armand), Joely has a chance encounter with Etsy, the niece of her former client who was entitled to a hefty inheritance, but whom no one could locate – until now.

With the help of Coco, and her other long-time lawyer friend Ethan, who come to her side in her time of need, they develop a plan to open their own firm and represent Etsy to get her the money was supposed to inherit. Unfortunately, proving that the questionable second Will executed Aunt Ivana’s nurse Mandy, which conveniently left Etsy nothing and Mandy everything, complicated matters.

Of course, no chick lit novel would be complete without a knight in shining armour, but this love triangle is best left for the reader to enjoy, as the triangle of affairs is rather complicated and will keep you guessing where Joely’s loyalties lie. In addition to her own love life, someone close to her reveals a secret that will keep you laughing throughout the book, but also make you shake your head at the capabilities of some (albeit fictional) characters!

On the whole, Deathbed Dimes was an entertaining, light read, and I am proud to say that Naomi Zener has done us Canadians proud – I definitely look forward to reading more from my fellow Torontonian in the future!

Thanks to Naomi Elana Zener for the book in exchange for an honest review.


Michelle Drodge is 29 and lives in a small town north of Toronto in Canada with her daughter, who is five going on fifteen. She works in Restaurant Development during the day, but moonlights as an aspiring writer after her daughter goes to sleep. One day she hopes to see her own book on the shelf alongside her favourite Chick Lit authors!