Eliza Starts a Rumor, by Jane L. Rosen

After a month of mostly average reads, I was on the hunt for something cozy and refreshing. Cue Eliza Starts a Rumor, by Jane L. Rosen. I accidentally stumbled upon this one on Amazon and it sounded like a good palate cleanser, so I picked up a copy and got to reading.

Eliza Hunt is the founding admin on an FB group page called The Hudson Valley Ladies’ Bulletin Board. She’s also agoraphobic and rarely, if ever, gets out of her house now that her twins have gone off to college. Her bulletin board is her baby, her lifeline to the outside world. When she catches wind of a rival group board spilling all the tea and gaining all the members and comments, Eliza decides to start a rumor on her board to shake things up a bit and gain some engagement. But her little lie snowballs into something bigger than she ever could have anticipated and sets off a chain of events she never would’ve imagined.

What a perfect read to start my month! Oh, how I loved this book. It started off as a really lighthearted, easy kind of a read, but developed into something with a lot of emotion and substance as the story was told. I had no expectations going into this book and love the way it all unfolded. I thought maybe it would be pretty fluffy and simple, but it turned out to have a lot of depth. So pleasantly surprised!

The story is told from four different POVs and tbh, was a bit much to keep straight at first. Once I settled into the story and learned more about the characters, I loved the alternate narratives…kept things moving and made it that much more compelling. This is a plot driven story that is equal parts heartwarming, serious, witty, engaging, and thought provoking. At it’s core, a story about friendship and sisterhood. I LOVE a good story with those themes!!!

Eliza Starts a Rumor truly was a perfect palate cleanser after all the darkness in last month’s reads, lol. A warm, sisterly hug. I think this would make an excellent book club read…so much to discuss! While this book is such a fun read, it touches on some heavy subject matter, too. Empowering and uplifting with a sprinkling of secrets and scandals to boot. I would absolutely recommend this one, especially if you’re a fan of books like Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere.

3.9 out of 5 stars

TW: depression, sexual assault, adultery