I am always proud to bring you books on tour by Suzy Approved Book Tours, and they never disappoint. But friends, I need to tell you up front right now, The World Came to Us by Molly D. Campbell is in a league of its own, and I need you to keep reading to find out why.
About the book:
Tommy Poole and her mother Meg have decided to become recluses together. Not forever; only for a year. And not at night when the dog needs to be walked. But in the midst of their grief over the loss of Tommy’s other mother, Sam, shutting themselves off from the outside world seems like the only viable path to recovery.
However, while they have decided to step away from the world, the world has not made the same decision. Soon, Tommy’s best friend is living with them. And the crotchety neighbor is making his presence felt far more than anyone appreciates. And when a teenaged girl with a troubled past and an indignant future enters their orbit, life might be as full for Tommy and Meg as it has been in years.
And that was before the wedding . . .
Book Blurbs
“Molly Campbell’s Crossing the Street is a funny, warm, and charming novel. It was such a pleasure to get lost in this world, and in Campbell’s capable hands.”– Julie Klam, New York Times bestselling author of The Stars in Our Eyes
“Crossing the Street is a compelling story about all the different people in our lives who become family. Campbell draws us into her characters with heart and humor and with a unique voice that will stay with me for a long time. I can’t wait to read her other books! – Camille Di Maio, author of The Memory of Us and Before the Rain Falls
“I am crazy about Molly Campbell’s writing. Her characters are funny and real. Her storytelling is fresh and poignant. She breaks the rules and looks fabulous doing so. Crossing the Streetis a surprising and unpredictable, thoroughly enjoyable read!” – Amy Impellizzeri, award-winning author of Lemongrass Hope and Secrets of Worry Dolls
“A humorous coming-of-age story where secrets of the past collide with the present and family bonds are stretched to the limits of forgiveness. Quirky, hopeful, and wonderfully original.” ―Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt on Keep the Ends Loose
My review
This book, it kinda sorta saved me from a slump. Not a real slump but the book I was reading wasn’t pulling me in and I felt I was drifting off here and there. I’d start daydreaming while reading and there just wasn’t that “pull” that we all love.
I knew I needed to read this book for a tour for Suzy so I grabbed it for a change of pace. Thank goodness.
The World Came to Us pulled me into it right away, so much that I didn’t want to stop reading and go to bed. When I woke up the next day it was all I had on my mind to get my cup of coffee and jump back into this story. (And that is exactly what I did). I actually lost time as I heard the clock chiming every hour while I was immersed in this book.
The World Came to Us is a simple story about nothing. Well not nothing, but the things that go on behind closed doors, the things we don’t see as neighbors, the things we all hide inside, that we keep to ourselves and don’t tell a soul. But still simple in the way that we all live them every single day, we KNOW this stuff. There’s nothing complicated to it other than the fact that we have to use every ounce of our inner strength to deal with it.
You see Tommy Poole and her mother are going to become hermits for one year. Well, there is more to it than that, see Tommy’s other mother just died of cancer and both she and her still alive mother are extremely depressed and decide that staying indoors and shutting out the outside world will be a good way to forge a path to recovery from their loss. They make a few ground rules, because you know the dog needs to go out, an emergency may arise, and they can still have friends and family come into their world so it’s not all that reclusive. As they venture into their new indoor life, trying to deal with their loss and difficult memories nature decides that Tommy and her mother never consulted her, and the outside world they are trying to avoid comes knocking at their door full force. Friends, family, neighbors, and people they don’t even know enter their little reclusive world and Tommy and her mothers way of letting go gets a total upheaval.
The book consumed me. I was there. In that house. In the yard, playing with those dogs, experiencing those childhood memories of bullying and hardship. I went on those late night walks and I sat in the room when those heart to heart talks occurred. I’ve never felt so involved and in touch with a book and its characters in my life. I can’t explain it, there are no words that I can use to explain how I experienced every moment and every feeling and every emotion of this book as if I were really there. This is why I tell you its in a league of its own. It captures the very essence of things we think and feel and how we hurt and project and just for a little while takes you out of your own life and puts you in the world of Tommy Poole. And when you leave that world, you are truly saddened by the fact that you realize that you can never go back, you will miss Tommy and the crew, and your heart will hurt so much from the loss that you just may consider seclusion yourself.
(But don’t. Just read this book and love it as much as I did, and keep on going. As Tommy says, we all have our own shit to deal with. )
Molly D. Campbell I’ve never done this before, but there is no other way. On a 5 star scale, I give you 6. I’m still struggling with a way to describe how I feel. Thank you for this story, it just took me someplace else, and thats the only thing I really ever ask from a book.
I just would like to thank Molly D. Campbell, Suzanne Leopold of Suzy Approved Book Tours, and The Story Plant Publishing (#partner) for the gifted copy of this book for my unbiased and honest opinion for review.
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About the Author
Molly is a two-time Erma Bombeck award winning writer. She hosts her own intelligent and funny blog, www.mollydcampbell.com, as well as writing for Literati Magazine on Medium.
The World Came Us, Molly’s latest novel, tells the story of Meg and Tommy Poole, mother and daughter, who decide to withdraw from the world in order to deal with their grief over the death of Sam Poole, Meg’s wife and Tommy’s other mom. Their solitude is interrupted by events that shake up their small world and help them resolve some major problems-both of their own and others. Funny and heartrending at times, it’s a story of love, coming together, and redemption.
Molly’s novel Crossing the Street, “Hilarious and full of familial honesty, Molly’s novel is a joy to read.” –Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. One eventful summer in the life of Beck Throckmorton, a burned-out writer, and her seven year old new BFF. “A gem of a novel about being open to life and its possibilities when you just don’t wanna…” –Karen Karbo, Award winning author of New York Times notable book The Diamond Lane.
Her first novel from The Story Plant and Fiction Studio, is “Keep the Ends Loose,” a wry and witty coming of age novel. Miranda Heath is a quirky fifteen year-old with cinematic dreams and a safe, predictable family. That is, until she decides to pull at the loose end that is the estranged husband that her aunt never divorced. Warm, funny, and uniquely perceptive, “Keep the Ends Loose” is an irresistible novel filled with characters you might recognize and certainly never forget.
Her short story collection began as a Twitter stream of character names that she invented in her spare time, followed by a brief description: “Loretta Squirrels beats her husband and makes moonshine.” Molly then decided to write a book about her characters. She teamed up with a fantastic artist to bring them to life. The book soon became an Amazon Pop Culture best seller.
Molly lives in Dayton, Ohio, the home of Erma Bombeck. Molly makes regular pilgrimages to Erma’s grave–for inspiration and spiritual renewal. Molly also spends time petting her five cats and plugging her ears. Her husband plays the accordion.
Molly likes cake. She doesn’t get to eat it much, because she has a slight pot belly.
Author Contact/Social Media
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