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The Return of Jonah Gray
Despite being attractive, intelligent and friendly, Sasha Gardner knows no man wants a phone call from her. Because Sasha is a tax auditor for the IRS. Every job has its downside. Auditing may interfere with her social life, but it's orderly. It makes sense. And she's very, very good at it. But when unexpected complaints draw her into the tax return of a man she's never met, nothing seems to make sense anymore.
Using the information in Jonah Gray's return, Sasha begins to assemble his life story: a rising career as a respected financial reporter, a house in a posh seaside village, weekends sailing the coast--it all reads like a life Sasha herself had dreamed of living, down to the guy's itemized deductions. So why had he left it behind to cover school-board meetings in a one-newspaper town?
What begins as a welcome distraction soon becomes a search for answers. Sasha knows it's ridiculous--she's never even laid eyes on him--but she wouldn't be the first woman to fall for a man who looks good on paper--.
Using the information in Jonah Gray's return, Sasha begins to assemble his life story: a rising career as a respected financial reporter, a house in a posh seaside village, weekends sailing the coast--it all reads like a life Sasha herself had dreamed of living, down to the guy's itemized deductions. So why had he left it behind to cover school-board meetings in a one-newspaper town?
What begins as a welcome distraction soon becomes a search for answers. Sasha knows it's ridiculous--she's never even laid eyes on him--but she wouldn't be the first woman to fall for a man who looks good on paper--.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
4 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
November 3, 2009
This is difficult to rate.
I bought the book because I love the name Jonah. Yes, that was the sole basis for my purchase---that and the fact that it was on sale.
I almost put it down after the first few pages. I appreciated the characterization Cochran was going for in Sasha, but it was forced and that made it painful to read. But I kept going because I liked the idea, and I figured I'd give it a chance to settle down, to see if it became more natural---and it did.
Since Sasha is our narrator, it felt like she was being self-conscious and defensive---and not in good-characterization type ways. But once she got into it, a lot of that fell away and then the story was picking up.
Once she got her first phone call, berating her for "pestering an honest, upstanding, hardworking man," I knew I was going to be reading to the end and enjoying it.
See, Sasha is an IRS auditor. She's very good at her job. But recently, she's been losing the love for the numbers, falling way behind in her audits. Until she starts getting these phone calls, which she discovers concern one of her upcoming audits---Jonah Gray.
She researches her auditees anyway, but this case takes on more meaning, as it seems that Jonah is just about perfect for her on paper. And there's the mystery of why he left his cushy life and career to write for a tiny newspaper and give gardening advice online.
It's fun when her mom gets on Jonah's site for advice.
Sasha does get a little obsessive, and there are times when it's a little painful to read, but most of the time it was relatable.
What I found interesting is the timing of their first meeting. On one hand, it really was interesting and different from most books like this. On the other, it was disappointing. I had been expecting...more.
And I had been expecting more beyond where the book ended, and yet, at the same time, I think it ended at the perfect time. It's a weird way to feel about a book.
In the end, I want to rate it a low 2 for quality, but a 3 because it is enjoyable if you're in the mood to let some of the painful writing moments slide.
I bought the book because I love the name Jonah. Yes, that was the sole basis for my purchase---that and the fact that it was on sale.
I almost put it down after the first few pages. I appreciated the characterization Cochran was going for in Sasha, but it was forced and that made it painful to read. But I kept going because I liked the idea, and I figured I'd give it a chance to settle down, to see if it became more natural---and it did.
Since Sasha is our narrator, it felt like she was being self-conscious and defensive---and not in good-characterization type ways. But once she got into it, a lot of that fell away and then the story was picking up.
Once she got her first phone call, berating her for "pestering an honest, upstanding, hardworking man," I knew I was going to be reading to the end and enjoying it.
See, Sasha is an IRS auditor. She's very good at her job. But recently, she's been losing the love for the numbers, falling way behind in her audits. Until she starts getting these phone calls, which she discovers concern one of her upcoming audits---Jonah Gray.
She researches her auditees anyway, but this case takes on more meaning, as it seems that Jonah is just about perfect for her on paper. And there's the mystery of why he left his cushy life and career to write for a tiny newspaper and give gardening advice online.
It's fun when her mom gets on Jonah's site for advice.
Sasha does get a little obsessive, and there are times when it's a little painful to read, but most of the time it was relatable.
What I found interesting is the timing of their first meeting. On one hand, it really was interesting and different from most books like this. On the other, it was disappointing. I had been expecting...more.
And I had been expecting more beyond where the book ended, and yet, at the same time, I think it ended at the perfect time. It's a weird way to feel about a book.
In the end, I want to rate it a low 2 for quality, but a 3 because it is enjoyable if you're in the mood to let some of the painful writing moments slide.
June 18, 2009
I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed Cochran's first novel, Mean Season, very much. But this book was lacking the charm and character development that was found Mean Season, which was very disheartening.
The Return of Jonah Gray claims to be about a woman, Sasha, who works for the IRS, falling for a man, Jonah Gray, that she is auditing--falling for him on paper, that is. However, this story seems to take a back seat to the main focus of the story, which is Sasha's family: most notably, her father's diagnosis with cancer and dealing with his failing health. The theme of infidelity seems to taint her family quite a bit, too. While the story of Jonah Gray continues throughout the book, and though Cochran manages to intertwine Jonah Gray with other characters in the story in her own fashion, it leaves much to be desired.
Sasha's character never become three-dimensional and is not very relateable. The same is true of her family, friends and co-workers. And the elusive Jonah Gray only shows up at the very end of the book, which seems to defeat the purpose of the story. This is the second book I have read in the past few weeks where the actual core plot of the story only occurs at the end of the book, and I find that annoying. Why have the description of the book about a story that really is not important enough for the author to write about? It leaves much to be desired.
Had Cochran spent more time developing the main character and plot of this story, I think it really could have gone somewhere. While it was alright enough to read, I found the book lacking in any type of greatness. I wish I could say the opposite.
The Return of Jonah Gray claims to be about a woman, Sasha, who works for the IRS, falling for a man, Jonah Gray, that she is auditing--falling for him on paper, that is. However, this story seems to take a back seat to the main focus of the story, which is Sasha's family: most notably, her father's diagnosis with cancer and dealing with his failing health. The theme of infidelity seems to taint her family quite a bit, too. While the story of Jonah Gray continues throughout the book, and though Cochran manages to intertwine Jonah Gray with other characters in the story in her own fashion, it leaves much to be desired.
Sasha's character never become three-dimensional and is not very relateable. The same is true of her family, friends and co-workers. And the elusive Jonah Gray only shows up at the very end of the book, which seems to defeat the purpose of the story. This is the second book I have read in the past few weeks where the actual core plot of the story only occurs at the end of the book, and I find that annoying. Why have the description of the book about a story that really is not important enough for the author to write about? It leaves much to be desired.
Had Cochran spent more time developing the main character and plot of this story, I think it really could have gone somewhere. While it was alright enough to read, I found the book lacking in any type of greatness. I wish I could say the opposite.
October 2, 2024
Honestly, it’s hard to rate this book. I think the author made a mistake by making the book title and description look more romance-focused than regular fiction-focused.
In reality it is not a romantic story at all. This story is about Sasha and her inner circle. It deals with her parents, her siblings, her co-workers and the issues they all face together. The premise is not a bad story either since it deals with things like infidelity, terminal illnesses, and how issues like these affect every member of one’s family.
Overall, I enjoyed several parts of this book, but again, I kept waiting for a romance to happen and I was disappointed to reach the end of the book without getting any closure. So I’d say, go in without the expectations of a romance and you will enjoy this story a lot more!
In reality it is not a romantic story at all. This story is about Sasha and her inner circle. It deals with her parents, her siblings, her co-workers and the issues they all face together. The premise is not a bad story either since it deals with things like infidelity, terminal illnesses, and how issues like these affect every member of one’s family.
Overall, I enjoyed several parts of this book, but again, I kept waiting for a romance to happen and I was disappointed to reach the end of the book without getting any closure. So I’d say, go in without the expectations of a romance and you will enjoy this story a lot more!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2017
Read for the 2017 April TBR Challenge: Contemporary
This is tax month (and yesterday was tax day in the US), so this story about a Senior Auditor with the IRS seemed appropriate. This book is part chick-lit, part family drama, and part whimsical comedy in the vein of movies like Sleepless in Seattle, as the heroine doesn't even meet the hero in person until the end of the book. They do interact over the phone and on the internet and learn about each other from third parties and articles, but the story is told entirely from the heroine’s first person point-of-view.
Sasha Gardner hasn’t had much luck in her dating life. She’s thirty-one and attractive, and her busy-body mother would love to see her settled with someone, but as soon as men find out she works for the IRS, they quickly become disinterested. It probably doesn’t help her case that she’s usually highly focused, has an analytical mind, and a quirky sense of humor. At work, her office’s hiring manager takes bets on her knowledge of obscure facts, and a recently hired archivist with OCD becomes interested in dating her.
When Sasha starts receiving calls at work from concerned citizens who are outraged that the IRS is auditing one of their favorite bloggers, she digs out Jonah Gray’s tax return from her pile of work and becomes intrigued by the man she finds on paper. Jonah Gray is the subject of a random audit. He was a journalist who left a lucrative job with the Wall Street Journal and is now working for a community newspaper in bucolic Stockton, California. He also runs a gardening blog in his spare time and posted a copy of the notification letter he received from the IRS, which is how his readership got Sasha’s name. As Sasha observes:
“The best auditors love to unravel the story that lurks in the data, to see hidden meanings and solve the puzzle.”
Jonah Gray becomes a puzzle that Sasha very much wants to solve. Why would he leave a high-paying and challenging job for the low-paying and rather dull job in Stockton? This puzzle also offers a welcome distraction from her other problems. Her father is terminally ill, her brother’s marriage is going through a rough patch, and the half-brother her family has long ignored reappears in their lives to help with her father’s in-home care. To date, she hasn’t had much contact with her half-brother. Her mother, ever sensitive about her husband’s long ago infidelity, wouldn’t even tolerate the mention of his name in her presence, but that’s all about to change.
I enjoyed Sasha’s whimsical voice and odd sense of humor quite a bit. The funny and serious sides of life are well balanced. Sasha’s friendships and burgeoning relationship with her half-brother are well done. As she discovers more about Jonah, she also discovers some interesting parallels, but ultimately, she’s on a path of self-discoveries. She’s been root-bound by her job, her family, and her safe-dating choices. As some relationships end, new ones are beginning. This sows the seeds for a romance rather than being one. It reminded me how we’re sometimes not ready for meeting that significant other until we’ve crossed certain bridges and had certain experiences. I enjoyed Sasha’s journey and feel confident that she and Jonah are now ready for each other.
This is tax month (and yesterday was tax day in the US), so this story about a Senior Auditor with the IRS seemed appropriate. This book is part chick-lit, part family drama, and part whimsical comedy in the vein of movies like Sleepless in Seattle, as the heroine doesn't even meet the hero in person until the end of the book. They do interact over the phone and on the internet and learn about each other from third parties and articles, but the story is told entirely from the heroine’s first person point-of-view.
Sasha Gardner hasn’t had much luck in her dating life. She’s thirty-one and attractive, and her busy-body mother would love to see her settled with someone, but as soon as men find out she works for the IRS, they quickly become disinterested. It probably doesn’t help her case that she’s usually highly focused, has an analytical mind, and a quirky sense of humor. At work, her office’s hiring manager takes bets on her knowledge of obscure facts, and a recently hired archivist with OCD becomes interested in dating her.
When Sasha starts receiving calls at work from concerned citizens who are outraged that the IRS is auditing one of their favorite bloggers, she digs out Jonah Gray’s tax return from her pile of work and becomes intrigued by the man she finds on paper. Jonah Gray is the subject of a random audit. He was a journalist who left a lucrative job with the Wall Street Journal and is now working for a community newspaper in bucolic Stockton, California. He also runs a gardening blog in his spare time and posted a copy of the notification letter he received from the IRS, which is how his readership got Sasha’s name. As Sasha observes:
“The best auditors love to unravel the story that lurks in the data, to see hidden meanings and solve the puzzle.”
Jonah Gray becomes a puzzle that Sasha very much wants to solve. Why would he leave a high-paying and challenging job for the low-paying and rather dull job in Stockton? This puzzle also offers a welcome distraction from her other problems. Her father is terminally ill, her brother’s marriage is going through a rough patch, and the half-brother her family has long ignored reappears in their lives to help with her father’s in-home care. To date, she hasn’t had much contact with her half-brother. Her mother, ever sensitive about her husband’s long ago infidelity, wouldn’t even tolerate the mention of his name in her presence, but that’s all about to change.
I enjoyed Sasha’s whimsical voice and odd sense of humor quite a bit. The funny and serious sides of life are well balanced. Sasha’s friendships and burgeoning relationship with her half-brother are well done. As she discovers more about Jonah, she also discovers some interesting parallels, but ultimately, she’s on a path of self-discoveries. She’s been root-bound by her job, her family, and her safe-dating choices. As some relationships end, new ones are beginning. This sows the seeds for a romance rather than being one. It reminded me how we’re sometimes not ready for meeting that significant other until we’ve crossed certain bridges and had certain experiences. I enjoyed Sasha’s journey and feel confident that she and Jonah are now ready for each other.
August 9, 2016
THE RETURN OF JONAH GRAY is a gentle love story, a visit with a dysfunctional family and seeing how much a career affects your personality all rolled into one. A play on words, Jonah is the recipient of an audit by Sasha Gardner. Jonah left his high profile job in Virginia as a journalist to work for a small-town paper in California. Add to this mystery he now blogs on the internet about gardening. Loved by all his followers, there has to be something wrong with him, right?
Sasha has a career working for the IRS. Just how much the job affects her personal life is seen in her relationships with boyfriends and family. I empathized with Sasha; how do you turn off your job when you are around someone new? And now the mysterious Jonah Gray enters her life on paper. What's a person to do?
Audit....Return....Gardening....Gardner. A contemporary romance without graphic sex, a slice of life among multiple characters; this book has it all. If you are unfamiliar with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) you'll take a peek at a couple of characters with the symptoms. Funny but not so funny since people really do suffer from this. And if you think your family is a little crazy wait until you meet Sasha's. And what a family it is! Secrets surface, hurt feelings need to heal and life changes bloom. Heather Cochran did a superb job of keeping me interested.
I don't really think of this as chick lit since there is so much depth within the story. I would recommend this book to the 35(+) age group for women. Call it a contemporary romance with a healthy dose of drama and peppered with some funny moments. The surprising part is when and how Sasha and Jonah finally meet. This is a keeper because it works!
Sasha has a career working for the IRS. Just how much the job affects her personal life is seen in her relationships with boyfriends and family. I empathized with Sasha; how do you turn off your job when you are around someone new? And now the mysterious Jonah Gray enters her life on paper. What's a person to do?
Audit....Return....Gardening....Gardner. A contemporary romance without graphic sex, a slice of life among multiple characters; this book has it all. If you are unfamiliar with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) you'll take a peek at a couple of characters with the symptoms. Funny but not so funny since people really do suffer from this. And if you think your family is a little crazy wait until you meet Sasha's. And what a family it is! Secrets surface, hurt feelings need to heal and life changes bloom. Heather Cochran did a superb job of keeping me interested.
I don't really think of this as chick lit since there is so much depth within the story. I would recommend this book to the 35(+) age group for women. Call it a contemporary romance with a healthy dose of drama and peppered with some funny moments. The surprising part is when and how Sasha and Jonah finally meet. This is a keeper because it works!
August 8, 2011
I like the wordplay of the Return of Jonah Gray being his tax return. The book is supposedly a tale of "love at first audit." But really, much more of the book is devoted to the main character's family.
Tell me I'm going into a book that's a love story and I wait for that to take place. On that level, this book is a letdown.
Go in with no assumptions? I'd have enjoyed it much more.
SPOILER AHEAD
See, I'm the kind of person who feels cheated by movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" or "'Til There Was You." If we spend the whole movie (book) knowing that the two will eventually get together and yet all we see of it is the final scene (line), I feel cheated.
It's sweet vs. stress.
Passages where Jonah and the protag interact? Sweet.
Passages where she's still with her boyfriend who turns out to be a tool (like one of her brothers)? Stressful.
I want my fiction to be sweet and not cause me stress.
Tell me I'm going into a book that's a love story and I wait for that to take place. On that level, this book is a letdown.
Go in with no assumptions? I'd have enjoyed it much more.
SPOILER AHEAD
See, I'm the kind of person who feels cheated by movies like "Sleepless in Seattle" or "'Til There Was You." If we spend the whole movie (book) knowing that the two will eventually get together and yet all we see of it is the final scene (line), I feel cheated.
It's sweet vs. stress.
Passages where Jonah and the protag interact? Sweet.
Passages where she's still with her boyfriend who turns out to be a tool (like one of her brothers)? Stressful.
I want my fiction to be sweet and not cause me stress.
February 17, 2010
I enjoyed the story, but I didn't love it. No threats were made to stop reading before I reached the end, and at no point did I get bored with the story. It clipped along at a nice even pace.
I found the ending to be appropriate, and cute even, yet at the same time a little abrupt. I would have liked the last scene to have carried on a little longer, but on the other hand, it was fitting to end as it did.
I found the ending to be appropriate, and cute even, yet at the same time a little abrupt. I would have liked the last scene to have carried on a little longer, but on the other hand, it was fitting to end as it did.
April 23, 2019
This was a good pool-side read: developed enough to keep my interest and easy enough to come back to in between other activities.
The attraction Sasha feels towards Jonah before she even meets him made me wonder of this happens in real life!
The attraction Sasha feels towards Jonah before she even meets him made me wonder of this happens in real life!
April 25, 2019
Cute story
August 11, 2020
Interesting story - not quite what I had expected. While it started out amusing, it got pretty intense for most of the story. Then it ended with just a phone call....
September 25, 2020
Sweet love story about loss, grief, forgiveness and finding your way through it all.
Colour reading challenge-gray
Colour reading challenge-gray
October 29, 2024
Quick read….bad read….
First half seemed like a really great story. Then the story repeated 20x. Not sure why the word “love” is In the title.
Had potential but failed.
First half seemed like a really great story. Then the story repeated 20x. Not sure why the word “love” is In the title.
Had potential but failed.
December 27, 2013
The Return of Jonah Gray is one of the worst books that I've read all year. It was not only boring, but I oftentimes found myself falling aslee in the middle of a sentence. Cochran's obsessive talk of people honing in on Sasha Gardner's supposedly strange name was not only irritating, but unrealistic; she would make it seem as though everyone knew that Sasha was commonly a boy's name in Europe, and everyone would think that somebody whose last name is Gardner would be a gardener. Cochran's writing, more so at the beginning than end, usually gave someone some minor character a job, and then Sasha would proceed to dissect how the IRS would react to this job, or that job. In all honesty, I think someone who claims to be as unfulfilled by their job as Sasha was would not have thought so much about it outside of work. It seemed instead a way for the author to say, look how thorough my research about working for the IRS was!!
July 12, 2010
The depth of this book surprised me...I found a kindred spirit in Sasha Gardner, who believes that no information is useless--"It just depends what you need it for." (If I knew half the information she spouts off, I'd be the best Reference Librarian in Louisiana!)
This book was a journey of laughter and tears, learning about the amazing complexity of life along the way. There's so much I want to say about this book, but I don't want to ruin it for other readers. Let's just say I'm happy that Sasha finally got that "elusive tenth caller" and it was worth the lunge.
I'm still thinking about the story long after closing the book.
This book was a journey of laughter and tears, learning about the amazing complexity of life along the way. There's so much I want to say about this book, but I don't want to ruin it for other readers. Let's just say I'm happy that Sasha finally got that "elusive tenth caller" and it was worth the lunge.
I'm still thinking about the story long after closing the book.
March 28, 2014
I expected this book to be cheesy (hello, read the title) but I was immediately drawn in, at first by the subtitle (yes I actually just admitted that) and then by the book itself. It's a wonderful story of coming to understand who you are and what you want out of life. The characters are all extremely realistic (this was a welcome change because I recently went on a super-cheesy-unrealistic romance binge) and a handful a downright charming. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. No exceptions, no qualifications. This was a fantastic book and I definitely plan to read the other book this author has produced.
May 1, 2007
This is a fun read about the fine art of cyber-stalking from an author who cleverly balances Chick and Lit. The protagonist is an IRS agent who likes what she sees in a guy's tax returns and becomes mildly obsessed, even using her nephew as a pawn to get near said auditee. I have been audited by the IRS (no change) and it was nowhere near as pleasant. I also liked Cochran's first book, Mean Season, when a friend who knows her brought it to my attention. (See, that was full disclosure, but I would have thoroughly enjoyed it anyway.)
January 11, 2017
What a fun read this was. The author has a delightful sense of humor and tells a tale that keeps the audience interested along the way. This is the story of a young woman who works at the IRS and seems to be caught in drudgery of audits and relationships that seem to lead nowhere. Her family is a mess and becomes messier as the story progresses. Although this is a book filled with humor it is also a book with sadness and folly. Read it because it is a good read and because it really ends where it might have begun!
June 28, 2010
This story was easy enough to digest during a plane trip, though to call it "engrossing" or even "interesting" would be an overstatement.
Following the family dramas and dating disasters of an IRS auditor, "The Return of Jonah Gray" is full of predictable plot points, run-of-the-mill characters and not-so-surprising twists. Serviceable, at best.
Following the family dramas and dating disasters of an IRS auditor, "The Return of Jonah Gray" is full of predictable plot points, run-of-the-mill characters and not-so-surprising twists. Serviceable, at best.
May 31, 2011
I'm a huge fan of romance and the subtitle on this caught my eye - 'an unconventional tale of love at first audit'. Unfortunately, the romance was a minor subplot. I found myself pushing to the end to get through the family drama to find the romance. Not a bad read as long as you're not looking for romance.
June 4, 2008
This book was really fun. I enjoyed and actually thought a lot about it during tax season and wished I'd hung on to it to reread it during that time. Plus who can't relate to a job that sucks or at you're not right for?!
November 6, 2008
This novel was ok but not great. The story was fun but the writing was clunky. I noticed several times when the writer had made mistakes in writing the plot. Some things just didn't make sense.
This book would be good for anyone who has dated a mailman or been audited.
This book would be good for anyone who has dated a mailman or been audited.
August 30, 2009
Light quick summer read with a good number of laughing moments until the book got bogged down in Sasha'a father's illness. A bit far fetched but fun and I even learned something about the IRS. (Did you know that the start of your social security number identifies where you were born?
May 29, 2011
lightweight family drama/romance. would probably make a decent movie, it's kind of formula like that; good dialog and one liner jokes. fun if you don't think about it too much. it helped that i identified with the over-logical accountant heroine. :) touches a bit on the concept of web community.
July 16, 2012
I think I liked the title more than the book itself. It was well-written, and the characters were interesting. It's just that not much happened in an emotionally charged way. Almost all the characters in the book are reticent, and that doesn't make for compelling reading.
February 7, 2016
I almost abandoned this book because some of the reviews were mediocre but I am glad I finished it. I liked the writing very much. Great metaphors and similes. Nobody's family is perfect and sometimes you find love where you are not expecting it.
June 1, 2007
please, someone, stop me from buying crappy chick-lit in airports, it makes me feel dirty.
October 21, 2007
Better than average chick lit. And the perfect Tax Season Widow read.
March 10, 2008
This is an example of why you don't read books simply because the title suggests something having to do with the degree you're seeking.
March 2, 2008
I feel like such a dork reading about the romances of an IRS agent!
This book was really cute, heartwarming and unconventional. I really enjoyed it.
This book was really cute, heartwarming and unconventional. I really enjoyed it.
May 23, 2008
this was nice light reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews