Deconstructed: A Novel
- Downloads：7394
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-05 08:21:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Liz Talley
- ISBN：B08VJ6XH7Y
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
julie malnar
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Loved it！If you want a feel good book this is for you。 I enjoyed reading it。 It has some twists and turns。
Katie
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AdorableExactly the right amount of revenge and friendship I needed to start the new year。 Liz， we want more of Ruby！
Cynthia Houser
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ReconstructedWow！ What a good book！ This is my first time reading this author and I look forward to reading more of her books。 This book made laugh， cry and made me angry。 I didn't want to put it down。 The characters are fabulous， interesting and engaging。 ReconstructedWow！ What a good book！ This is my first time reading this author and I look forward to reading more of her books。 This book made laugh， cry and made me angry。 I didn't want to put it down。 The characters are fabulous， interesting and engaging。 。。。more
Beth Honea
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First off I love that the book took place in Shreveport Louisiana。 Such a fun book to read about strong women characters。 Cricket and Ruby each find themselves forming a friendship to help each other over lives difficulties。 Through a cheating husband and a broken family they form a strong bond that helps them move forward in life。
Tonya Love
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Liz Talley tells a great story！！！！ As the first book I've read in 2022 I may have done myself a disservice as its going to be very hard to beat！！！ Its a very well written book with extremely awesome characters that I would absolutely love to see turn into a series。。。。。 So many directions Ms。 Talley could take her fabulous characters that I am so not ready to let go of。 That's the only issue I have with this book。。。。。。it leaves me wanting more。。。。。a whole lot more。 Happy Reading 😉 Liz Talley tells a great story！！！！ As the first book I've read in 2022 I may have done myself a disservice as its going to be very hard to beat！！！ Its a very well written book with extremely awesome characters that I would absolutely love to see turn into a series。。。。。 So many directions Ms。 Talley could take her fabulous characters that I am so not ready to let go of。 That's the only issue I have with this book。。。。。。it leaves me wanting more。。。。。a whole lot more。 Happy Reading 😉 。。。more
Shelley Futrelle
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This Was a Fun ReadI loved that the book was in the point of view of two different women， who are very different than each other。 This had a fun story line and I loved the justice at the end！
Thea
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3。5Predictable and silly—fun few hours of reading
Anne OK
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NOTE: jANUARY 2022 Amazon Prime First Read （freebie）
Karen
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Fun read which I really need in these crazy timesDefinitely not a literary novel but then again it was a romp。 And I'm a fan of books with southern sass。 Fun read which I really need in these crazy timesDefinitely not a literary novel but then again it was a romp。 And I'm a fan of books with southern sass。 。。。more
Susan Hume
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Thoroughly enjoyableA fast fun entertaining read， with interesting characters， lots of feel good moments， especially for someone who has been there！
Stephanie Symons
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Vicious and Hilarious This book was a hoot。 The two main female characters have been done wrong and they aren’t going to take it。 The character Cricket runs an antique business。 She hires ex con Ruby as her assistant。 Cricket is old money， married to a banker。 Her husband is a cheater and a crook。 Ruby and her fringe dweller family assist her in giving her husband a well deserved comeuppance。 Ruby is also a talented designer who used couture clothes in creative fashion by deconstructing and rede Vicious and Hilarious This book was a hoot。 The two main female characters have been done wrong and they aren’t going to take it。 The character Cricket runs an antique business。 She hires ex con Ruby as her assistant。 Cricket is old money， married to a banker。 Her husband is a cheater and a crook。 Ruby and her fringe dweller family assist her in giving her husband a well deserved comeuppance。 Ruby is also a talented designer who used couture clothes in creative fashion by deconstructing and redesigning。 。。。more
Penny Ramirez
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What a fun romp！I adored meeting Cricket and Ruby！ What a great tale of friendship and learning how to lean on others， not just yourself。 I appreciated Cricket's ingenuity in uncovering her lying， cheating snot of a husband。 And oh， Griff - there needs to be a whole 'nother book about Griff！ I really liked Ruby's feel for fabric， too， and the way she could take apart and reconstruct vintage fashion。 I loved this line: "As I lifted the dress， it made a soft swish。 Like a sigh。" Glad she made the What a fun romp！I adored meeting Cricket and Ruby！ What a great tale of friendship and learning how to lean on others， not just yourself。 I appreciated Cricket's ingenuity in uncovering her lying， cheating snot of a husband。 And oh， Griff - there needs to be a whole 'nother book about Griff！ I really liked Ruby's feel for fabric， too， and the way she could take apart and reconstruct vintage fashion。 I loved this line: "As I lifted the dress， it made a soft swish。 Like a sigh。" Glad she made the right choice in the boyfriend department， too！Reading this book was a fun way to spend the last day of Christmas break！ 。。。more
Rose Grabowski
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Cricket Crosby is an antiques shop owner whose life is about to make a major change。 Her husband is up to no good and she finds support and friendship from her employee Ruby。 Cricket needs to rebuild the perfect life she thought she had， and Ruby needs to reconnect with her family after she had a major issue with them。 Their paths come together in a heartwarming way。 This was a really good story that was difficult to put down。 It's expected publication date is February 1st and I highly recommend Cricket Crosby is an antiques shop owner whose life is about to make a major change。 Her husband is up to no good and she finds support and friendship from her employee Ruby。 Cricket needs to rebuild the perfect life she thought she had， and Ruby needs to reconnect with her family after she had a major issue with them。 Their paths come together in a heartwarming way。 This was a really good story that was difficult to put down。 It's expected publication date is February 1st and I highly recommend you put it on your TBR。 。。。more
Perrin Larton
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This book was SO MUCH FUN！Cricket doesn't know what to do when she finds out her husband is cheating on her， moving all of THEIR money out of the country， and is involved in a shady business deal。Ruby works for Cricket and when she finds out about the cheating， Ruby is in all in to help。 Ruby has some not so good background， and has tried to put everything behind her。 Now she finds she needs her erstwhile relatives to help Cricket get out of her marriage and to help her get her money back！ If t This book was SO MUCH FUN！Cricket doesn't know what to do when she finds out her husband is cheating on her， moving all of THEIR money out of the country， and is involved in a shady business deal。Ruby works for Cricket and when she finds out about the cheating， Ruby is in all in to help。 Ruby has some not so good background， and has tried to put everything behind her。 Now she finds she needs her erstwhile relatives to help Cricket get out of her marriage and to help her get her money back！ If they can crack the shady business deal， more the better！This book just rolled along。 Laugh out loud funny， tragic， and。。。you need to read this book。 。。。more
RedRedtheycallmeRed
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There wasn't much that appealed to me in this month's Kindle First books， but I'd enjoyed this author before。 I was looking for more of a thriller， but this was a little grittier than I expected and I liked that！Over the course of the book Cricket and Ruby morph from employer/employee to friends， even though they're from different walks of life。 Cricket is an old-money "worries about appearances" type， and Ruby has tattoos and a criminal background。 Of the two， I liked Ruby better， I appreciated There wasn't much that appealed to me in this month's Kindle First books， but I'd enjoyed this author before。 I was looking for more of a thriller， but this was a little grittier than I expected and I liked that！Over the course of the book Cricket and Ruby morph from employer/employee to friends， even though they're from different walks of life。 Cricket is an old-money "worries about appearances" type， and Ruby has tattoos and a criminal background。 Of the two， I liked Ruby better， I appreciated her bluntness。 Toward the end， Cricket got annoyingly Karen-esque with her elitist "the money doesn't matter to me" attitude。 If it doesn't matter， maybe give it away to a worthy charity？ She also tended to put her blood lust where her husband was concerned ahead of her daughter's well-being。 Really， neither of Julia-Kate's parents were thinking much about her， poor kid。There were some good humorous moments， as well as some poignant ones。 Ruby's storyline， with the themes of family and forgiveness， seemed to have more emotional heft。 。。。more
Michael Wells
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Ruby runs an antique store and Cricket is her assistant。 Ruby thinks she is happily married but finds out different。 Ruby and Cricket are very different but facing similar problems。 Thye two get together to find out about Ruby's husband but find much more。 The plot is very good and provides both humor and emotion。 Cricket needs to reconnect with her family and Ruby needs to reconstruct herself。 Cricket's family provides the answer both Ruby and Cricket ne4ed。I recommend this book for readers loo Ruby runs an antique store and Cricket is her assistant。 Ruby thinks she is happily married but finds out different。 Ruby and Cricket are very different but facing similar problems。 Thye two get together to find out about Ruby's husband but find much more。 The plot is very good and provides both humor and emotion。 Cricket needs to reconnect with her family and Ruby needs to reconstruct herself。 Cricket's family provides the answer both Ruby and Cricket ne4ed。I recommend this book for readers looking for a good story with love in it。I received this book form the author， but my thoughts and opinions are my own 。。。more
Diane
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Fun ReadNot my usual genre but I enjoyed something different for a change。 Nobody died and yet， I still liked it！
Sheri P
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Part southern charm， all southern sass-this book was everything I hoped it would be！ Cricket is dealt quite a blow when she discovers her husband has been cheating。 Her employee， Ruby， has been dealt some low blows in her own life so she doesn't even blink as she conspires with Cricket to take down the cheater。 What follows is a charming tale of two women who come from very different upbringing and become unlikely friends as they take charge of reconstructing their lives。 Themes of friendship， f Part southern charm， all southern sass-this book was everything I hoped it would be！ Cricket is dealt quite a blow when she discovers her husband has been cheating。 Her employee， Ruby， has been dealt some low blows in her own life so she doesn't even blink as she conspires with Cricket to take down the cheater。 What follows is a charming tale of two women who come from very different upbringing and become unlikely friends as they take charge of reconstructing their lives。 Themes of friendship， forgiveness and love shine through along with a good dose of quirky southern families。 I smiled at the 80s pop culture references， Cricket's overbearing momma， and Ruby's lovable gran。 I could say so much more about this gem of a story， do yourself a favor and read it！ 。。。more
Gwen Castle
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A surpriseI had not expected this wonderful ride but I enjoyed every minute of it。 Please give me more wonderful rides 。
Trina
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greatRead about Cricket who overhears about her husbands affair。 Cricket naturally devastated goes about trying to find proof for a divorce。 Laugh and cry as she discovers her inner self while seeking retribution
Nursebookie
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TITLE: DeconstructedAUTHOR: Liz TalleyPUB DATE: 2/1/2022 an Amazon First Reads GENRE: Women’s Fiction; Friendship FictionAn unlikely friendship between Cricket， owner of a vintage shop， and her new assistant Ruby， who is a budding clothing designer。 Cricket finds out through the rumor mill that her husband Scott is cheating on her with their daughters’ tennis coach， Stephanie。 I’m trying to catch them in the act， Cricket along with Ruby turn into sleuths in a series of hilarious antics while dee TITLE: DeconstructedAUTHOR: Liz TalleyPUB DATE: 2/1/2022 an Amazon First Reads GENRE: Women’s Fiction; Friendship FictionAn unlikely friendship between Cricket， owner of a vintage shop， and her new assistant Ruby， who is a budding clothing designer。 Cricket finds out through the rumor mill that her husband Scott is cheating on her with their daughters’ tennis coach， Stephanie。 I’m trying to catch them in the act， Cricket along with Ruby turn into sleuths in a series of hilarious antics while deepening their growing friendship。 In their sleuthing they find out more than they bargained for in an ending that is worthy of a standing ovation！ A fun and cozy read that had me doubling over with laughter。 。。。more
Tonya
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There are so many things I love about this book。 First and foremost， Liz Talley's writing style is fun， easygoing， and feels like a chat with your best friend。 Cricket and Ruby are both fierce women， and their friendship is strong， with them truly being there for each other when it mattered。 I particularly loved Ruby -- her background， her personality， her style and fashion designs。 I wish I could see those designs in person or a drawing of them！ No spoilers here， but her love interests and how There are so many things I love about this book。 First and foremost， Liz Talley's writing style is fun， easygoing， and feels like a chat with your best friend。 Cricket and Ruby are both fierce women， and their friendship is strong， with them truly being there for each other when it mattered。 I particularly loved Ruby -- her background， her personality， her style and fashion designs。 I wish I could see those designs in person or a drawing of them！ No spoilers here， but her love interests and how they turn out are perfect。 Yellow carnations -- nice touch。 As for Cricket， her journey to catch her husband cheating is a wild， and enjoyable， ride （for the reader， not her！）。 Along the way， who can blame her if she wants to get to know Griffin better。 My only complaint with the book is the little jumps forward between chapters （a week， a month near the end）。 I wanted more time to know everything about these characters！I received a free ARC from the author and Netgalley but I was not required to write a review。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
patt
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This is my favorite book from Liz Talley to date！ What a great story with so much depth。 Relationships， life in the south， crime， some pretty amazing humor， really great characters and more。 I love Cricket and Ruby！ They remind me of Bebe and Weezie in the Savannah Blues series by Mary Kay Andrews with their “do anything for you” crazy friendship。 Underneath all of this is the lesson not to judge others on background or appearances until you truly know them。 I think this one will be a huge hit w This is my favorite book from Liz Talley to date！ What a great story with so much depth。 Relationships， life in the south， crime， some pretty amazing humor， really great characters and more。 I love Cricket and Ruby！ They remind me of Bebe and Weezie in the Savannah Blues series by Mary Kay Andrews with their “do anything for you” crazy friendship。 Underneath all of this is the lesson not to judge others on background or appearances until you truly know them。 I think this one will be a huge hit with readers！ 。。。more
Susan Peterson
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Deconstructed features two strong women， Cricket and Ruby， who couldn’t be more different—employer and employee; country club wife and a young woman whose family is on “the fringe”—but they come together at a time when they each need support and friendship。 I loved watching the relationship between these two women grow， watching each of them enter the other’s world， gaining each other’s trust and support。 When Cricket discovers that her husband is having an affair， she enlists Ruby’s help to fin Deconstructed features two strong women， Cricket and Ruby， who couldn’t be more different—employer and employee; country club wife and a young woman whose family is on “the fringe”—but they come together at a time when they each need support and friendship。 I loved watching the relationship between these two women grow， watching each of them enter the other’s world， gaining each other’s trust and support。 When Cricket discovers that her husband is having an affair， she enlists Ruby’s help to find evidence and get some revenge。 At the same time， Ruby is finding her way back into the world， and Cricket is able to help her in return。 This book had me laughing out loud so many times; but just as many times I felt my heart aching for both women。 I felt myself getting angry for both of them， and I was 100% cheering them on！ Deconstructed is as poignant as it is funny， and any book that can make me laugh and cry is truly special。 In the end， this is a story about characters who hurt and heal， who grow at a time when it would be easier to disappear。 As Cricket says， “…without the deconstructing， you have no history。 It’s the deconstruction that matters。 Without understanding who you are and accepting all the good and bad parts of your past， you don’t know the things worth keeping and you can’t get rid of the things that need to be tossed。 You can’t remake yourself。” 。。。more
Jeff
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More Amusing Than Timing A Centipede Across The Kitchen。 Yes， the title here is actually a play on a line from the book。 So sit down， grab some popcorn （Michael Jackson meme style）， and get ready for a funny yet poignant cross between Mark Twain （as another Goodreads reviewer noted， which I found appropriate） and the 2014 movie The Other Woman （the one with Cameron Diaz， Leslie Bibb， and Kate Upton's boobs）。 This book has a solid look at "well， maybe the grass *aint* so greener on the other side More Amusing Than Timing A Centipede Across The Kitchen。 Yes， the title here is actually a play on a line from the book。 So sit down， grab some popcorn （Michael Jackson meme style）， and get ready for a funny yet poignant cross between Mark Twain （as another Goodreads reviewer noted， which I found appropriate） and the 2014 movie The Other Woman （the one with Cameron Diaz， Leslie Bibb， and Kate Upton's boobs）。 This book has a solid look at "well， maybe the grass *aint* so greener on the other side" as we see two women from different sides of the tracks - one an ex-con， the other a respected banker's wife who owns her own antique shop - realize that they actually have quite a bit in common and quite a lot to offer each other as they develop a solid friendship。 And this is a world that feels like this particular book does a good job setting up。。。 and which could be fun to come back to in a loosely coupled series that maybe looks at some of the other characters introduced here while having many of the primary characters "drop by" in those future stories。 Who knows， I've suggested similar in reviews before and the author later ran with it， so maybe Talley will too。 :D Overall truly a fun book， and a solidly relatable dose of humor set in the Southern US， but relatable to most anyone。 Very much recommended。 。。。more
Robin
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Wow ，great what a great quirky read。 Cricket and Ruby are total bookends of the social ladder。 Together they work well and become great friends besides being boss and employee。 Not what I expected， it was more。 Fun read， curl up and make a warm beverage， great way to spend the cold weather。（ or cool beverage/ warm weather，lol！）
Jennifer Lara
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Deconstructed by Liz Talley is a story of tearing down to rebuild something better。 Catherine “Cricket” Crosby is an antique store owner whose seemingly perfect life is about to turn upside down。 After overhearing a gossipy conversation， she learns that the rumors about her husband Scott’s affair are true after all。 She sets a plan into motion: hire a private investigator， find an attorney and， with the help of her assistant， make her husband pay。 Ruby knows all too well how quickly life can cha Deconstructed by Liz Talley is a story of tearing down to rebuild something better。 Catherine “Cricket” Crosby is an antique store owner whose seemingly perfect life is about to turn upside down。 After overhearing a gossipy conversation， she learns that the rumors about her husband Scott’s affair are true after all。 She sets a plan into motion: hire a private investigator， find an attorney and， with the help of her assistant， make her husband pay。 Ruby knows all too well how quickly life can change。 Trying to leave her dicey past behind her， she is determined to build a better future by working for Cricket and establishing herself as a designer of deconstructed vintage haute couture。 Cricket is determined to use her newfound sleuthing to find the truth， no matter how hurtful or dangerous it gets。 Can Cricket repair the life she had or will tearing down and rebuilding lead to the life she always wanted？ Deconstructed caught me by surprise。 At first， I wasn’t sure I would like Cricket。 She seems like a typical stuffy high society lady who doesn’t want to rock the boat。 But as she digs deeper into her husband’s secrets， she dries her tears and feels the anger burn。 She’s ready to rock the boat。 She goes from uptight lady to the sassy Southern woman I have come to love in movies and books。 I loved Ruby who helps Cricket embrace her inner woman scorned and helps her along with her plan as she recruits a couple of less than savory cousins。 I laughed with them as they planned and plotted to make sure her husband Scott gets his comeuppance。 I cheered alongside Cricket when she finally confronts Scott。 Deconstructed is a great book with fun， relatable characters。 It’s The First Wives Club （1996） meets Steel Magnolias （1989） with its sassiness， comedic moments and camaraderie between Cricket and Ruby。 I highly recommend Deconstructed。 Deconstructed will be available February 1， 2022 in paperback， eBook and audiobook。 。。。more
Kimmie
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I love to read Liz Talley because she writes straight to my heart and “Deconstructed” fell right in line。 The story was so well rounded and kept me turning pages。 I loved the blooming friendship between Cricket and Ruby and the focus on strength in women going through tough situations。 This book also was based in the area I currently live so it was cool to see familiar establishments mentioned。 Keep writing Liz and I’ll keep reading！
Bill Dukes
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