The Advice Columnist by Janie Emaus

The Advice Columnist Reviews

• 
  Tina

  Who hasn’t wanted to have a word with their younger self to prevent life-altering mistakes? Author Janie Emaus turns that premise on its head, offering us a 60-year-old advice columnist who suddenly is getting pearls of wisdom in the form of texts, emails and phone calls…from her much younger self. Charming and insightful, The Advice Columnist is a wonderful read, and a book for your keeper shelf!
• 
  Avis Adams

  Janie Emaus’ The Advice Columnist combines contemporary romance with magical realism in her lovely new novel. As she does in so many of her novels, Emaus adds a flair of fantasy to enhance relationships and explore the longevity of a marriage.
  Imagine what might happen if an advice columnist got laid off by a manager half her age? What happens to Joanie almost immediately is she meets her younger self, who becomes the wise sage to her older self! Another really fun aspect of Emaus’ story is she mashes Joanie’s life from 1979 with the present day and shows us the moxie and mischievous side of a woman who has lost her job, her youth, and perhaps her sanity all in one fell swoop.
  Each chapter of this masterfully crafted story mixes Joanie’s past with her present, and after she realizes it isn’t a hoax and that she isn’t insane, she embraces her wise, younger self and goes on a period of self-exploration. What else does one do when one loses a job they loved?
  Her best friends Sarah and Claire come to her rescue. They remember her younger self, and they help her relive some of the excitement with good food, excellent wine, and wonderful company. Before long, the trio is re-hatching a road trip plan to reenact the one they took in the 70s. One thing after another postpones their trip, and life seems to be unraveling around Joanie.
  The next-door neighbor, an Italian hunk and successful travel writer begins a flirting session that almost bags Joansie Bones, and when her husband of thirty-something years hides texts and calls from some woman named Amanda, Joanie’s green streak grows a mile wide. Why shouldn’t she have an affair with Luca if he’s having one?
  Her daughters keep her grounded in the reality of her life as they place demands on her that only a mother can bear, and she longs for the freedom of her younger self. Emaus weaves a tale that will suck you in and delight all your sense. This is the exploration of a strong, older woman who is still beautiful and very much alive, who has lost her job, and stands to lose her marriage if she’s not careful.
  Readers will love this intelligent and sassy romance with twists that will have your head spinning. Emaus portrays a “real” woman who finally gets the recognition she’s always deserved, but in a way she never expected. This book is a five-star read!
  
• 
  Susie Black

  The idyllic life of newspaper advice columnist Joanie Simmons suddenly gets turned on its head when she is let go by a younger boss and replaced by a woman half her age. Adrift and not knowing what to do with herself after a robust three-decade career, the addition of a Pandora’s box of family and friendship challenges shake Joanie to her core. Should the advice columnist take the same recommendations she gave readers who found themselves in the same circumstances? What to do, what to do? Turns out, “Joansie,” Joanie’s younger self improbably comes to the rescue by showing up via the internet and cell phone messages and reminding her older self what matters most.
  Author Janie Emaus has written a cleverly plotted tale that deftly weaves ribbons of fantasy into a taut plot driven by love, loss, trust, family ties, the bonds of friendship, and the inner strength one must summon to face adversity created by both human fallibility and fate. With the brilliantly crafted mix of going back and forth from the past to the present, Emaus keeps readers turning the pages to see if one’s past can save one’s future.
  Part romance, part redemption with a second chance at life and love, The Advice Columnist will capture the imagination of readers who enjoy a midlife crisis story fueled by a mixture of fantasy and reality and believe that things are not always what they appear to be. This terrific book is a veritable manual for how to deal with life-changing issues that come with aging. Women of any age should read this incredible book. The Advice Columnist has more than earned the five-star rating this reader has given it.
• 
  Avani ✨

  4.5 stars
  
  The Advice Columnist by Janie Emaus, totally took me by surprise. I was completely hooked from the very first chapter until the very end. Joannie Simmons, who has worked at The Valley News for the last 30 years was lay-off from her position as an advice columnist.
  
  I loved the concept of how we get to read about the conversations from the thirty year old Jonsie, her own younger self as she is bombarded with emails, texts and calls. We all have at least once or more than once asked ourselves this question of what would my younger or older self do?
  
  And who thought an advice columnist herself would also be in need of some advice for her own self. I loved the premise, I loved the character and I loved how smooth the author's writing style was. I don't think so I have no complaints from this book so far!
  
  Apart from this, Bill and their daughters Rachel & Lauren (one more lol), did a brilliant job at making the perfect side characters in their own way. It was super relatable, entertaining and funny at the same time. I suggest reading this book hands down without fail.
• 
  Lynne Spreen

  Newly fired from her career as an advice columnist for her local newspaper, Joannie isn't sure what she wants to do with her life. Her husband, the owner of a popular local restaurant, might be having an affair. Her daughters are high-maintenance. The boomer guy down the street has never looked cuter, and her longtime girlfriends want to go on a palate-cleansing roadtrip. Her brother keeps avoiding her, and her dad seems to be getting dementia, increasing the pressure on her mother. Through all of this, Joannie is coached and encouraged by the magical presence of her younger self, whose messages turn up in the form of texts, answering machine messages, faxes, and other supernatural-type means of communication that only she can see. This is the story of a midlife woman trying to figure out what's next, and I found it relatable, funny, and entertaining.
• 
  Sandra Young

  The Advice Columnist is a lovely women’s fiction story of past colliding with present. Joannie, the “mature” protagonist struggles with job loss, marital disenchantment and concerns, aging, parental health issues, and a stressed relationship with her daughters. When she’s too bogged in the issues to find solutions, her younger self offers Zen advice through a variety of ingenious tactics, ranging from car radio to television, an old tape recorder to texts.
  Super-strong friendships with two long-time friends undergird the premise of Joannie’s former self reaching out. I particularly appreciated the well-drawn, relatable characters and evocative similes in this engaging book.
  
• 
  J.L. Sullivan

  When the Valley News lays her off after thirty years as an advice columnist, Joannie Simmons reevaluates the life she’s built and the identity she’s created. As she struggles to balance a stale marriage, demanding adult children, an ill parent, and an attractive neighbor she can’t get off her mind, Joanie’s younger self begins leaving her texts and voicemails questioning every decision she’s made, past and present. The Advice Columnist explores the complicated bonds of family and the necessity of close friendships through the eyes of a mid-life woman who thought she had everything figured out. Joanie’s journey of self-discovery is painful, touching, and beautiful all at once.
• 
  Carol Doeringer

  In this improbable story, Joannie, an advice columnist, takes her own counsel—from her younger self. She doesn’t find advice in a rediscovered diary. Instead, she converses with ‘Joansie,’ the Joannie of thirty years earlier. Their calls, texts, and emails traverse time. This is a thoughtful read for anyone who has second-guessed their youthful decisions. The book also celebrates the friends who ride with us on life’s roller-coaster, helping us navigate both past and present challenges. A fun read that makes you think!
• 
  Suzanne

  Just when Joannie, an advice columnist for a smalltown newspaper is fired, she is met with a series of challenges. Her adult daughter quits her good job and moves back home, her elderly father gets in a traffic accident, and her husband seems to be hiding something. Meanwhile, she is crushing on her younger, flirty, Italian neighbor, forgetting things, and flushing from hot flashes. Suddenly, she starts getting messages from her younger self, giving her advice. I really enjoyed this novel featuring magical realism in mid-life!
• 
  Corinne LaBalme

  After years of solving the crises of others as the "Dear Abby" at her local paper, Joannie discovers in mid-life that she doesn't know nearly enough about her own heart, her own family, her own friends and her own deepest desires.
  Just in time, a voice from her past chimes in to help out.
  The fact that that it's her OWN voice ...?
  Well... why not?
  An utterly charming read.
• 
  Susan James

  if your past is the 1970s and you’re dealing with the present this one’s for you.
  
  Joansie’s past self, keeps dinging her phone and giving her advice. How do you reconcile your now with you, then and go forward in your life. Charming books about keeping it together and making it better.