(58)The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Monday, July 20, 2015


It is the night before her wedding and Kate is starting out her night with a carefully crafted social media post.  Kate is thirty-five and has waited a long time to find her future husband, Max, and is excited for her Facebook friends to know about the perfect night about to happen.  She sees all of the posts from her friends that promote their "perfect" lives with the perfect husbands and perfect children and now Kate gets to join their ranks.   Except her perfect night turns into a perfect nightmare when Max tells her he wants to call off the wedding and might be in love with Kate's co-worker, Courtney.  Kate is devastated, but doesn't take to Facebook yet.  But when she does she realizes that anything she posts to Facebook because reality.  Kate uses her special power to her advantage in the form of a "do-over" with Max in the month leading up to their wedding. But it doesn't matter what she posts it seems to push Max and Courtney closer together.  Will Kate be able to post enough Facebook posts to save her wedding and perfect life?  Or will she realize that sometimes there is no fighting fate?

Facebook has become such an integral part in how we connect with our family, friends, and people from our past.  I found myself practically twitching this weekend when I was in the land of no WiFi and no cell service (aka rural South Dakota).  It was good for me to unplug and really enjoy the time with my family, but I did feel a bit disconnected from the world.  And then I started reading The Status of All Things on the way home and I realized that maybe I have something in common with Kate.   Kate looks to Facebook to validate her choices in life and that is evident in the first few pages in the book when she wants to change her wedding hair-style at the last minute because of something her Facebook friend said or did.  The power Kate discovers that she has goes directly to her head and starts posting random stuff to hurt Courtney rather than help herself.  It soon becomes evident that no matter what Kate posts there are some things she just can't change.   But, what she does realize is that she can change herself. Her behaviors, her attitude, and her life.  Even though Kate seemed like a major diva at times, I really enjoyed The Status of All Things.  I think there is an important message there that needs to be read and it is wrapped up in fun characters and a unique premise.

Bottom line - social media is one of those things that is here to stay, but as shown in The Status of All Things it can be used for good or evil.  A fun read, especially for those of us who might have a bit of a social media problem. *cough cough*

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