Turds in the Punch Bowl: A Story of No Ordinary Friendship

by Jen Ashton

Turds in the Punch Bowl is not your ordinary tale of friendship. Though unconventional in its material, this story is both hilarious and sweet. Meet Joe, the author’s quirky best friend, sidekick and, quite literally, partner in crime. A stunning mix between Seth Rogan, Alfred E. Neuman and Cosmo Kramer, Joe takes the author on a series of wild adventures spanning the last decade, from losing his dignity to finding his dad in a swinger’s club. Chock-full of irreverent wit and banter, this book is a laugh-out-loud narrative filled with unexpected moments of honest endearment within a friendship that anyone would count themselves blessed to have, but most aren't lucky enough to find.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2011

Reviews

[Tom Dwyer]

I love Jen Ashton. Funny and entertaining as hell. Such ENERGY! Buy this book and thank me later.

Big Daddy.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, fast funny read!

[Tami · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't received the book yet, just received notice I had won. 9/1/11
Received in the mail yesterday, need to finish my current read but hope to start soon. 9/15/11
Started Saturday and finished yesterday. 9/18/11

Jen and Joe are best friends. They didn't start out that way but sure ended up that way. Everyone should have a Joe in their life, Jen claims. Even though he never fails to say the exact wrong thing and likes to brag about his "accomplishments", he would do anything for her, including breaking up with her boyfriends for her.

I loved the title and figured this book would be a fun read, I wasn't wrong. It is hilarious. Probably more so because a few friends and I have had our own share of outrageous circumstances that have all happened in Vegas. Not nearly as off the wall as Jen and Joe's, but we didn't put ourselves into some of the circumstances that they did. I thought when I had won the book, that it was going to be a novel, not a memoir, but that is okay. It was funny, heart-warming and gross all at the same time.

[Giddy Girlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, this book needs a lot of editing help. LOTS of misspelled words and typos. Secondly, this story could use a little story-editing. The stories themselves can be funny (it's basically wild tales of 2 best friends up for anything) but they're... hmm... think of that lady at work who tells a rambling story that seems to go nowhere for 15 minutes and then has a funny punchline? It's like that. The punchlines are great, but the build-up is a let-down. If they had a proper build-up they could actually have a lot more impact.

Also, the author seems unable to decide how much of her personal life to reveal in these stories, so she talks about crazy madcap adventures and then suddenly drops in "oh yeah, and my son was there" which actually caught my eye and made me stall on the sentence -- if she wants to talk about being a mother, okay, but if not, then maybe leave him out? It really is, legitimately, something that makes readers stop and worry that they've missed something. Same with the ex-husband. He drops in suddenly in a story, too, and it seems out of place.

[Rob Ballister · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jen Ashton's GIRLS DON'T POOP is at times entertaining, and at times borderline a bit disgusting.

The author happily relates her blossoming from a tomboy into a young female (didn't say lady, and did that on purpose), including all the trials and tribulations of puberty, sexual experimentation, and young love. Her writing style is smooth and relaxed, and there are some definately funny moments. Just not sure I really needed to read every anatomically correct or hygenically accurate detail.

Some of the stories were a bit hard to take, and that lessened the overall enjoyment for me. Grant, I am a guy, but not sure I would want my daughter to read this until she was at least eighteen...

If you don't find this review helpful, please leave a comment as to why so that I may continue to improve.

[Brittiany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't one of those books I'd tell just anyone about. It's a story of a girl and her best friend... and the wild and crazy situations they've come to be in. It literally had me laughing out loud... especially when Joe and Snowflake went skating... You'd have to read it to see what I'm talking about...

And in the end, I definitely fell for Joe... if I weren't already married, I'd definitely have "applied" lol!

[Melissa Summers · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this book had great ratings on goodreads and Amazon, I found myself rushing through the book just for the sake of getting it finished so that I could start another.
Jen's memoirs of life are filled with many adventures that are fueled by alcohol and odd friendships. The phrase " Don't go there.." is simply not in their vocabulary.
The book offers a voyeuristic peek into young lifestyle...it just simply wasn't my type of reading.

[Sarah Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of this book is what drew me to read it.

The author has a male friend who is like a brother to her...except that they get along better than siblings.

The situations that these two get in are crazy and sometimes unbelievable, but still humorous.

There was quite a bit of adult language, humor, and adult situations, which might turn some readers off. I have a warped sense of humor, however, and this book made me laugh several times.

[Courtne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was not too impressed with this book. It was a nice idea, and the relationship she has with her friend is commendable, given their poor social skills. It boils down to the fact that it sounded a lot like Chelsea Handler's "My Horizontal Life," only with a male roommate, and poorly written.

[Shelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some funny moments but not enough to make the book good. It was crude beyond. Nicknamimg someone poop because they are black?!?! At that point I wanted to put the book down but I only had less then 10% to go.

[Beth F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Lawillett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Somewhat along the lines of a Chelsea Handler. Funny stories.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Puerile, uninteresting. I felt like I was the third wheel in a protracted inside joke. It wasn't funny or interesting.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great title. That's about it. Blah retellings of an obviously fun group of friends. Guess you had to be there?

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok for a good laugh

I enjoyed taking a break from "serious" readings with this book. Be open minded and enjoy it. Not the best book, but it is worthy taking the time to read it.

[Louise Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny

I liked the characters and found myself laughing out loud. Just what I was hoping the book would be humorous. Quick read.