#BookReview: The Exes In My Glass by Lisa M. Mattson

Reviewer: Samantha

I received a review copy

Summary:

Lisa Mattson thought she’d grow up to acquire a taste for cheap beer and guys named Bubba—not spend her weekends cruising through Napa vineyards in a convertible. When she flees the rural Midwest for the big city in her twenties, she struggles with naivety, insecurity and the double standards of dating, falling for a mind-numbing string of ex-boyfriends that hone her palate and guide her destiny. Grab a corkscrew and join Lisa on her not-so-straight-and-narrow road to a fabulous life in wine country where her glass—and her heart—are always full. The witty story of her raucous journey from lust to love and beer to wine, The Exes in My Glass: How I Refined My Taste in Men & Alcohol will leave you thirsty to uncork your true potential, too.

The Exes in My Glass: How I Refined My Taste in Men & Alcohol takes Lisa from rural Kansas to South Florida’s beaches, the streets of New Orleans and the vineyards of Northern California, from naïve and love-lust while chasing pot-smoking scuba divers, waiters and models, to polished and savvy when pursued by winemakers and pro golfers. These stories of her ex-boyfriends are about much more than a young woman thirsty for worldliness and starving for love. It’s about how someone who had given up on the fairytale found the courage to face her mistakes and take a second chance at living her dreams.

Review:

I am typically not a huge fan of memoirs, but something about this one stuck out to me. The synopsis made me chuckle and I thought the cover looked intriguing, so I decided to give it a go. And it was a good decision! Each chapter signifies a man in Lisa’s life (and also what she was drinking at that time) and through her phases, we watched as she grew as person. We saw how she was able to move on from a crappy childhood and start to make something for herself. We saw her figure out a career path and find love and get burned. And throughout it all, there were humorous moments, motivational moments, and whole lot of great writing. Even if you aren’t always on a memoir-train like me, this is a good one to get your hands on.

4 stars