“The Memo” is the Blueprint to Success in Thoughts-Bending Rom-Com

The Memo by Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling

What’s It About?

When you might rewrite your life story, would you dare? That’s the query on the coronary heart of this humorous, sharp and propulsive debut novel about love, life, and a lady discovering herself and what it means to be glad and profitable.

When you had been provided a do-over, not restricted to clothes, hair or make-up, reasonably a chance to erase the previous 15 years of your life historical past for an opportunity to relive your previous, would you make that alternative? There could be strict guidelines, phrases and situations as a part of this Faustian cut price. You would wish to comply with specific instructions exactly as dictated with out wavering. 

Take into account the implications: relations, individuals you recognize and love (or merely tolerate or dislike), your job, pursuits, house; the whole lot right down to your toothbrush and favourite sweater would possibly vanish without end. The replacements could be provided in accordance with detailed tips present in The Memo which is now figuring out your future. Nevertheless, you’d have wealth and affect past your wildest goals by following this tailored blueprint for fulfillment. 

Jenny Inexperienced — should you really feel your life isn’t pretty much as good correctly and also you don’t measure as much as your closest buddies whenever you make comparisons — this unique, one-time-only, once-in-a-lifetime alternative to rewrite your life story is coming quickly however gained’t final lengthy. 

Various Actuality Romantic Comedy

Collaborators, former work colleagues and good buddies Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling, each established writers and editors, dreamed up The Memo throughout Covid lockdown whereas remotely juggling work and educating their youngsters at house. This progressive, darkly humorous novel is a singular mix of different actuality/quasi-sci-fi and romantic comedy that coincidentally has debuted in time for their very own 25^th faculty reunions. The authors ask, “Why are class reunions so terrifying?”  

Their protagonist and narrator Jenny Inexperienced is actually dreading her personal upcoming 15^th reunion. She managed to keep away from her 10^th however Geeta and Leigh, her two extraordinarily profitable greatest buddies, are pressuring her to attend and won’t take no for a solution. She is satisfied all of her former classmates are “residing their best possible lives” whereas she is hanging on, a hairsbreadth away from residing in her automobile. 

Actuality shouldn’t be a lot worse than her nightmares as “house” for the previous 12 months has been a spacious however shabby loft in downtown Pittsburgh lent by a pal of her beautiful however serially dishonest boyfriend Hal. It retains the climate out however their vegan health teacher neighbor could also be doing greater than mixing morning smoothies for easy-going Hal after Jenny leaves for work. 

Jenny had been a prime scholar in her elite non-public college with a ardour for studying and a substantial expertise for baking. She graduated from faculty with honors in addition to secured a prestigious culinary fellowship that started with a summer season paid internship in a historic, 150-year-old artisanal bread bakery in a small city in Italy. 

It was a heavenly studying expertise full with a romance with one of many native hunks till by way of carelessness she precipitated the bakery to burn right down to the bottom. Her goals of being the youngest baker to obtain a James Beard Basis Award had been successfully shattered. Worse but, the workers had been left jobless, the townspeople had been with out their bread and her culinary arts scholarship was cancelled. Making her shame full, she even needed to pay her personal airfare house. After these humiliations, Jenny doubted she might ever get a job within the quick meals trade not to mention a connoisseur restaurant or upscale bakery.  

Solely not too long ago has Jenny begun baking for buddies and colleagues. Her job supplied little satisfaction as she was a self-described skilled beggar; the important thing relationship officer for the philanthropic feminist-oriented Aurora Basis whose mission was to supply grants to help women’ golf equipment and girls entrepreneurs all through the USA.

The Government Director, Alice, was an independently rich alumnus of the identical faculty, a few years older than Jenny. The work had initially appeared worthwhile with a powerful objective and important goals nevertheless it didn’t take her lengthy to appreciate Alice used donor’s funds for questionable pet causes and private extravagances resembling fetes, concert events, dinners and journey all ostensibly in the reason for fundraising, after all. The spotlight of the week was Tuesday night time when Jenny met up with a fun-loving group of a capella singers known as “Looney Tunes” in Desmond’s Tavern. Singing and attending to know Gabe, a candy not too long ago divorced dad was additionally a nice anticipation.

School Reunion and Mysterious Messages

Not lengthy after arriving on campus for the reunion weekend, Jenny started to obtain odd textual content messages and emails giving her a second probability at The Memo which mysteriously was not delivered the primary time it was despatched earlier than faculty commencement. Curious and jealous of the presumably fabulous lives different alumnae are main, Jenny clicks and opens succeeding apps to disclose her revised previous and future potentialities. 

The Scientific Consortium has taken her on as an experiment and assigned the duty of bringing her into the fold to Desiree LeBlanc, a former college profession counselor, to be information and mentor. The following few weeks are dedicated to demonstrating the advantages of becoming a member of the sisterhood of The Memo recipients. Jenny wasn’t positive if she was peering out of a quickly swirling kaleidoscope or stepping onto the uneven flooring of a carnival funhouse. Time shifted quickly from current to previous and future, backwards and forwards in an exhilarating maelstrom occurring in unfamiliar environment. Clear but vastly totally different situations performed out together with some recognized buddies and completely totally different conditions that might or may very well be Jenny’s revised life as she struggled to maintain up with the contributors who had been all consultants within the recreation. 

The glitz, glamor, and trappings of an A-Checklist movie star influencer might hardly compete with the splendor she witnessed. Among the luxurious objects resembling artwork, fashions, vehicles and mansions may need been a tad pretentious and positively all meals was fussy, barely recognizable as meals and gluten-free. The selection for this previously down-to-earth lady who liked to sing and lived to bake was hers to make. With buddies and fellow adherents gathered in a Sante Fe resort to rejoice, the lever could be pulled on the “wayback machine” on the precise second Jenny’s 36^th birthday dawned. She was wearing austere white robes as a novitiate and was poised to completely alter the space-time continuum.

Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling have crafted a must-read novel exploring what actually issues in life: household, friendships, house and coronary heart offering their readers a hilarious and joy-filled expertise. The Memo is keenly clever and insightful in addition to humorous. Allow us to put aside the “what-ifs” by accepting, embracing and celebrating what we’ve got and our personal private awakenings.

Publish Date: 6/18/2024

Style: Fiction

Writer: Rachel Dodes and Lauren Mechling

Web page Depend: 336 pages

Writer: Harper Perennial

ISBN: 9780063319356