Relatively Crazy

by Ellen Dye

When it comes to crazy everything is relative. Unfortunately for Wanda Jo, they're all hers... On her fortieth birthday housewife Wanda Jo Ashton is expecting her husband's standard gift of an E an E from T-that being Elegant and Expensive from Tiffany's. However, what she gets is the news that her formerly successful, dependable, corporate attorney husband is leaving her to pursue the rich life of a kept man. Left with nothing, she has no choice but to escape the San Francisco area, with her sixteen-year old daughter in tow, and head toward the mountains of West Virginia and the quirky family she left behind twenty years ago. Here Wanda Jo must carve out a future, complete with career and home in the midst of family feuds, computer phobias and the occasional homebrewing explosion before she finally figures out life can indeed began again at forty.

314 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2010

About the author

At the age of nine, Ellen decided she was going to be a writer after she found her Aunt Nettie's trunk of True Confession magazines and spent untold hours reading the lot, a bag of Munchos potato chips and a frosty RC Cola at her side. Then she became lost in the pesky business of growing up and forgot all about it. Many years later she spotted a confession magazine on the grocery store shelf and began tapping out her own stories which were a joy for her to have published. Ellen now spends her day creating happily ever afters for The Wild Rose Press.
Ellen currently makes her home in the mountains of West Virginia with her son and their large extended family of kitties. A city transplant, Ellen is constantly amazed at the solitude of the woods, the complete lack of neighbors and the incredible variety of wildlife, that she'd previously only glimpsed in nature films, strolling by her very own deck.
When not writing, Ellen enjoys reading, cooking, gardening and is hopelessly addicted to Lay's Classic potato chips.

Reviews

[Amrita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanda Jo Ashton is stunned when on her fortieth birthday, her husband, Reed, leaves her penniless and goes off with a much-older but much wealthier woman. Wanda spent twenty years of her life trying to be the best wife to Reed, but she has nothing to show for it. The only option left for her and her daughter is to go back to the one place she tried so hard to leave behind all those years ago – home.

Wanda finds that a lot of things have changed in the time she was away, including her. But some things are the same – her friendship with Vic, and of course, her gorgeous neighbor and childhood friend, Sam Branson. And maybe, life may just give her a second chance at her happy forever after.

After devouring a couple of dark, intense psychological thrillers one after the other, a witty, fun, entertaining read was just what I was looking for. I loved the fact that this was not a typical boy-meets-girl romance, but more a story about friendship, family, and believing in yourself. If you are looking for a pick-me-up, you cannot go wrong with this book!

*Received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Despina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for a honest review

Relatively Crazy was a fun, light, quirky story, that was a bit more chick lit than romance but I still liked it, I just would have loved it if there was more romance. This story starts out with Wanda Jo getting dumped by her husband for an older woman, so she runs back home. It took me a few chapters to start to like Wanda Jo but as soon as she started to realize a few insights about her life and stop having a pity party I really enjoyed her and her story. This story had humor and interesting character's I'm looking forward to seeing what else this author comes up with.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I'm very partial to this one----I wrote it!!!!

[Sherry Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where do I start. Poor Wanda Jo leaves her home town with plans for a better life. Taking with her a self help book called 'Marrying Up' that she plans will change her life. 'Marrying Up' paves the way out of the home town and a better life for awhile.

After being married for 20 years in what she thinks is the perfect marriage to the perfect man. Poor Wanda Jo . . . that is now going by Ashton's world is turned upside down when her husband of 20 years leave her for another woman. A woman that is his senior by 15 or more years! Not only does he leave her; he tells the world on national television.

O.K. so he's a bit of a jerk. O.K. so he thinks he's getting back at her because of the whole 'Marrying Up' scheme.

But 'Hello' the two have a 16 year old daughter!

Wanda Jo aka Ashton and their daughter returns to her home town almost penniless.

Hello again. What a jerk. It was hard for me to get past all the jerkiness. Man she should have been happy to be rid of him!

Ashton's return home is anything but simple. She returns to
a quirky family and a bit of romance.

Relatively Crazy is a crazy ride that keeps the reader turning the pages all the way to the end.

I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more!

I received a complimentary copy.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a great story that keeps the reader entertained until the end. Filled with quirky characters and truly laugh out loud moments, it's a great book to read over a weekend.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wanda Jo Ashton grew up in a small town in West Virginia with one goal in mind: to get as far away from her penny-pinching life as she could. Twenty years later, on her 40th birthday, Wanda Jo, who now calls herself Ashton and lives in San Francisco, is expecting an expensive birthday gift from her attorney husband, Reed, only to be rejected by him on a popular TV talk show. Reed, choosing to assume the role of boy toy to a wealthy elderly woman, leaves Wanda Jo destitute and desperate. With her 16-year-old daughter in tow, Wanda Jo returns to her hometown and eccentric family, where she tries to figure out what to do with her life while expecting her husband to eventually rescue her. But what Wanda Jo thinks she wants may not be what she actually gets.

Relatively Crazy is, as we say in the South, a hoot and a half. Filled with fun characters and witty dialogue, it starts off with a bang and doesn’t let up. This humorous tale of a woman’s journey as she deals with a broken marriage while beginning a new and completely different life than the one she led is heart-warming and thoroughly entertaining. There’s a touch of romance, which spices up the story, along with a refreshing dose of camaraderie among some of the women characters. A book readers will truly enjoy (and not want to put down).

[Stella Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Relatively Crazy is a laugh out loud chick lit story.

Wanda Jo (Ashton) left her small home town hoping to escape her low income lifestyle by Marrying Up. 20 years later, on her 40th birthday, Wanda Jo is dumped by her husband on a talk show no less! To top it off, he’s dumping her for a wealthy, older woman (15 years older than Wanda Jo), and he leaves Wanda Jo with no money! He’s Marrying Up himself!

Desperate, Wanda Jo and her 16 year old daughter return to her hometown to try and figure out how to move forward. Wand Jo thinks her husband will come to his senses and come get the 2. I was getting annoyed with her reliance on her husband and throwing herself a fairly long pity party. But she snapped out of it, and I started to enjoy her story as she determines a new and different path than she had envisioned for herself and her daughter.

I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[poppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun read.It had me laughing out loud at times and once Wanda Jo stopped feeling so sorry for her self I really started to like her, her husband was a complete ass and her and her daughter were better off without him.I am looking forward to trying more from Ellen