Review: The Roxy Letters

The Roxy Letters by Mary Pauline Lowry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Roxy isn't a complicated lady. She's just your average pet owning vegan currently single who works at the deli in Whole Foods instead of working on her true passion--her art. In this tale, she's spending her free time writing letters to an ex, although in the beginning, that ex is still living in her house with her. Through these letters you get to meet Roxy's friends, neighbors, and family.

A big win for this book is that it has that over-the-top fun ridiculousness that makes you want to keep reading, even when it gets so ridiculous you kinds start hating the main character either because she obviously keeps making the wrong choice or because she's completely oblivious to how self-centered she is.

That will make you want to keep reading. However, the biggest distraction is the tactic of writing the book as a series of letters. It is a huge distraction for a couple of reasons. First, Roxy is writing these letters to her ex Everett who happens to be her roommate--in the beginning. He soon moves out, so the letter situation no longer makes any sense, because Roxy makes the point every few chapters that she is not sending these letters along to the recipient, but instead making it as a journal.

The second reason it is so distracting is because while writing it in this form, the reader loses out on a lot of detail. Roxy is addressing someone that already knows things about her and her situation, so there are obviously certain elements left out. And when Roxy gets to the point where she is writing about things that Everett is actively participating in, she skips a ton because he doesn't need a rehash when he was there himself.

The letter writing makes you lose sight of Everett--do readers ever really get to know him at all? This book without the letter writing would have be a much more entertaining read.

*Book provided by NetGalley