Book Review: Eternally 21

Hey guys!  I decided to do a different sort of blog post today due to being off waiting in line for a CD that comes out once a year in our area (more on that tomorrow) and then to an OB appointment before coming into work.  So, I thought I'd give you a book review of a book I read this summer that I think some of you would get a kick out of!

The book is called Eternally 21 (A Mrs. Frugalicious Shopping Mystery) by Linda Joffe Hull.  I would describe it as kind of a fluffy sort of mystery.  It's a very entertaining read - and I'm not one who usually likes mystery or suspense.  This book has just enough of those elements while still being overall fun.

We're introduced to Maddie, a 40 something mother of twins whose husband is known as "Frank Finance" on a local news program.  Frank has lost all of their money in a ponzi scheme, but asks Maddie to help keep up appearances that everything is normal so he does not lose his job.  One way she does this is by starting a bargain blog and using the alias "Mrs. Frugalicious."

The book begins around back to school time and Maddie is heading to the mall to scope out bargain shopping tips for her readers.  She stumbles into an "Eternally 21" store (total play on Forever 21 I'm sure) and ends up accused of shoplifting by the store's very cranky manager after disagreeing over some coupons. Things get worse then when the manager ends up dying in front of Maddie and other staff members.  Before she knows it, Maddie finds herself being brought in as a potential suspect - and ends up sneaking around the mall questioning other employees to try to prove her innocence.  Of course, this all comes to a head right around the time her husband has an opportunity at a new television deal that could solve all of their financial woes - so she has to keep her problems under wraps at home which leads to some sticky situations there as well.

All throughout the book she gives her "Mrs. Frugalicious" tips which just made me laugh because of all the thrifty bloggers I know.  You'll all think she's preaching to the choir - and in fact I think we could teach her a thing or two about thrifty shopping.  Besides that though, she's a likeable character and you'll find yourself hoping beyond hope that she is found to be innocent.

Again, it's mostly fluff, but I think it has just the right amount of intrigue to keep it somewhat suspenseful and page turning!  I highly recommend it!  There are going to be other books to follow in this series, so I'm anxious to check those out as well!