Book Review: Dear Internet: It's Me, Avery

When newspaper reporter Avery Fowler discovers her husband is having an affair, the online help site HowTo.com is where she turns to navigate this challenging stage of her life.

If the Internet is Avery’s information god, then HowTo.com is her Holy Grail. Its live chat option is like having a virtual life coach for the low, low price of $14.95 a month:

“When I joined HowTo.com, it assigned me ‘Clementine’ as my advisor, based on my choice of ‘British female’ in the Preferences panel. That way, I can pretend that a Maggie Smith or Judi Dench type supplies the wisdom, tinged with a sassy touch of malt vinegar. (In reality, it’s most likely a bored, seventeen-year-old boy labouring in a New Delhi call centre.)”

Add into the mix a new boss, Victoria, whose managerial style calls to mind the Wicked Bitch of the West—or the Anti-Christ—and the poor girl needs all the help she can get! The stakes rise and hilarity ensues as our heroine struggles to take control of her personal life and topple her boss after she learns Victoria’s guilty secret.

With Clementine (virtually) in tow, our heroine tackles such tricky questions as dating after divorce, sex once nothing points north anymore, and how to cover attempted murder scenes (despite a paralyzing fear of blood) as the new and improved Avery Fowler 2.0. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Sara Steven:

Dear Internet: It’s Me, Avery is pure genius, from start to finish! I felt like I had a front-row seat into Avery Fowler, a topsy-turvy natural-born comedienne who can still find humor in even the most depressing of situations, including the impending splitsville from her two-timing husband. Where was this book when I was going through my own divorce? It’s fun to read about her experiences jumping back into the saddle (ahem) with potential love interests, or dealing with obnoxiously stuffy, perfect co-workers (who she discovers has a lot more to offer her than she’d ever bargained on). Of course, there’s also the terrible, no good, very bad new boss, who intends to make Avery’s life a living hell.

The greatest character trait (flaw) about Avery, is that she’s a lot like the rest of us. We can relate to her because she is the quintessential woman of 2015. She believes by consulting the internet, or more accurately, HowTo.com, she can solve all of her problems and find answers to anything and everything. Her cell phone has become her best friend, navigating her through the random how to’s and what’s that for’s of life. Problem is, Clementine can only do so much. She’s on her own!

Avery is filled to the brim with the perfect blend of humor and self-deprecation. She’s just a normal person who has been scorned, and painfully so. There’s no amount of secrecy or hidden behavior here, it’s an honest look at the lengths someone will go to, to get over the hurdles thrown in front of us, one swipe of the screen at a time!

Melissa Amster:

Tess Woods first recommended this book to me, and given that I enjoyed her book, I trusted her judgment. She was definitely correct in knowing that I would love "Dear Internet..."

Avery is such a fun and lovable character. She had me laughing and cringing in sympathy (especially during her embarrassing moments). I could easily see her becoming best friends with [Whitney Dineen's] Mimi Finnegan. Everything was easy to visualize without needing a lot of description, allowing me to enjoy the dialogue and action even more. Avery's nemeses are just really awful and you can't help but wish for them to receive their karma. Especially her boss, Victoria.

While some aspects of the story were predictable, given the way romantic comedies usually turn out, there were still some surprises in store. I know there's another book coming out in this series and I can't wait to read it!

Dream movie cast:
Avery: Reese Witherspoon
Victoria: Kate Bosworth
Raj: Raza Jaffrey
Ryan: Chris Messina

Thanks to Jennifer Ammoscato for the book in exchange for an honest review.