*Cosmopolitan Must-Read*
*InStyle Book Club Pick*
*Glamour Book Club Pick*
*#1 May read on POPSUGAR.COM*
*Featured on NPR*
*Featured on HuffPost Live*
This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world . . . and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts
Evie Rosen has had enough. She's tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. She's over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides it's time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her underwear—she's done that too!)
And that's when she discovers a fresh start for real conversations, fewer distractions, and living in the moment, even if the moments are heartbreakingly difficult. Babies are born; marriages teeter; friendships are tested. Evie may find love and a new direction when she least expects it, but she also learns that just because you unplug your phone doesn't mean you can also unplug from life.
*Cosmopolitan Must-Read*
*InStyle Book Club Pick*
*Glamour Book Club Pick*
*#1 May read on POPSUGAR.COM*
*Featured on NPR*
*Featured on HuffPost Live*
This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world . . . and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts
Evie Rosen has had enough. She's tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. She's over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides it's time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her underwear—she's done that too!)
And that's when she discovers a fresh start for real conversations, fewer distractions, and living in the moment, even if the moments are heartbreakingly difficult. Babies are born; marriages teeter; friendships are tested. Evie may find love and a new direction when she least expects it, but she also learns that just because you unplug your phone doesn't mean you can also unplug from life.
Reviews-
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March 15, 2015
An Internet-addicted New York City woman quits cold turkey and relearns how to exist in the world sans smartphone.Evie Rosen's dependence on technology is starting to take a toll on her life. First, she humiliates herself at a friend's wedding when her hidden BlackBerry tumbles out of her underwear. Then she loses her position as a corporate attorney seconds away from being made partner when her firm uncovers the staggering volume of personal emails that she's sent on company time. By the time she discovers on Facebook that her unattainable and anti-marriage ex-boyfriend, the famous chef Jack Kipling, has just tied the knot, she's certain that she needs to change the course of her life. After destroying her laptop by vomiting directly on it when she learns of Jack's marriage, she dumps its remains in the Central Park Reservoir and decides to take a hiatus from the Internet. Leaving Facebook, Twitter, and her slew of dating profiles behind isn't easy, but eventually Evie discovers a world beyond the computer, and she is determined to make connections, find a job, and hopefully snag a husband the old-fashioned way. Evie follows a thoroughly predictable course, yet she still manages to flail spectacularly along the way. The novel relies heavily on stock characters who stubbornly refuse to stray from their assigned roles: Grandma Bette, the meddling grandmother who reminds Evie of her pending mortality while questioning her about marriage prospects; Dr. Edward Gold, the handsome and brilliant doctor chosen by Bette to perform her lumpectomy and hopefully fall in love with her granddaughter; Aunt Susan, a sloppily dressed aging hippie with body odor and Birkenstock sandals; a plethora of friends who inhabit the various niche roles of Manhattan's elite. A timely premise feels tired in Friedland's debut. -
May 1, 2015
Friedland's entertaining debut follows New Yorker Evie Rosen as she rediscovers herself after abandoning the trappings of modern-day technology. At 34, Evie is a high-powered corporate attorney whose personal life is constantly interrupted by the demands of her job, delivered courtesy of an ever-present BlackBerry. Poised to become partner, Evie is blindsided when her firm unceremoniously fires her after uncovering thousands of personal e-mails sent from her work account. To make matters worse, she stumbles upon the wedding photos of a supposedly marriage-averse ex-boyfriend. After her computer is irreparably damaged, Evie decides to give up the Internet, much to the astonishment of friends and family. Thus begins Evie's year-long hiatus from the webone that is not without complications, particularly when her beloved grandmother is diagnosed with cancer and her friendships become increasingly strained. At the same time, Evie's electronic exile begins to yield unexpected possibilities and new relationships, including one with the handsome, earnest doctor in charge of her grandmother's care. Friedland's zippy tale offers a lively take on life and love in the age of social media.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.) -
Cristina Alger, author of The Darlings
"A witty, wonderful, and thoroughly modern love story. Friedland's writing is sharp and funny, tender and true. I couldn't put it down." — Cristina Alger, author of The Darlings
"Wholly irresistible—smart and poignant and laugh-out-loud funny." — Sara Houghteling, author of Pictures at an Exhibition
"An extremely fun reminder that we can all survive without emoticons. #greatread!" — Erin Duffy, author of ON THE ROCKS and BOND GIRL
"Part modern girl-power moxie manual and part cleverly twisted old-fashioned love story, Elyssa Friedland's sublime debut was a delight to devour." — Jill Kargman, author of The Rockstar in Seat 3A and star of Bravo's Odd Mom Out
"A delicious and timely novel. Friedland takes a look at how our addiction to social media brings us together while keeping us apart." — Molly Jong-Fast, author of The Social Climber's Handbook
"Funny, fast-paced, charming, and totally relatable, Friedland gives us a brilliant love story and reminds us it's nice to pick up a smart book instead of a smartphone for a change." — Jennifer Belle, bestselling author of High Maintenance and The Seven Year Bitch
"a funny and fresh take on working and dating in the age of social media. Readers will root for the flawed but lovable Evie Rosen as she fights to separate who she is from how she appears online." — Susan Gloss, author of Vintage
"Love and Miss Communication is a cut above standard chick lit fare. [...] it's a smart, funny and sweetly old-fashioned love story." — Examiner.com
"Friedland's Love and Miss Communication challenges our mind-set with a thought-provoking what if. And Evie's story promises an enjoyable experience with a happy ever after." — USAToday.com Happy Ever After Blog
