Release Blitz: Confessions of a Carpool Captive - Dawn L. Chiletz

Author: Dawn L. Chiletz
Title: Confessions of a Carpool Captive
Release Date: March 24, 2017
Add to TBR

My name is Liz Foley. I love my accounting job because I’d rather deal with numbers than talk to people.

My best traits:
I have (RBF) Resting Bitch Face.
I give snarky come-backs.
I have no friends.

My worst traits:
I speak in run-on sentences when I get nervous.
I’m attracted to assholes.
I’m broke.

Enter Finnigan Walsh – the new guy at work.

His best traits:
He’s kind of hot, I suppose.
He has a working car.
He sings to me and brings me coffee.
Nothing ever gets to him, even when I add more people to our carpool.

His worst traits:
See above

I don’t like him. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
After all, it’s not about how fast you get there. It’s the journey. Right?
Damn this carpool.

You’d better buckle up.

Review

I’m not 100% exactly sure how I feel about this book.  It’s the first time I’ve read anything by Dawn L. Chiletz and I have to say, she does have a unique voice to her works.  There was definitely some witty banter and a lot of great one-liners inside.  But what I was expecting from the blurb and what I got were two things, though you know what they say about assuming.  I really was expecting a laugh out loud rom-com and this didn’t quite get off the ground for me in that sense.  It was heart-warming in spots and I did giggle in spots but overall I struggled with it.

Liz is an introvert, quiet, and she likes it that way.  All she wants is to be left alone to do her job.  Her orderly life is quickly disrupted when her car breaks down and she needs to accept the new guy’s offer of carpooling.  Finn is gregarious, sexy, and doesn’t like to take no for an answer.  He’s fond of pushing her boundaries.  Through the story an unconventional family develops centered around carpooling to work.  You have the two main characters and then the secondary characters:  Ernesto, Kel and Emerson. 

The character development was decent.  They all had backstories of some sort, some developed more than others.  Finn and Liz both had their own strengths and weaknesses.  I think the story definitely focused more on Liz’s weaknesses and Finn’s strengths then vice versa.  Where I struggled is that I did not like Liz for a good 80% of the story.  I’m not even sure I really liked her towards the end.  She’s rude, judgmental, and a downright bitch at times.  I usually don’t have a probably with woman who are sarcastic and in your face but something about Liz just didn’t sit right with me.  Since I didn’t like her, this made the story drag for me and I could feel my attention drifting.  Finn’s what saved it for me.  I couldn’t wait to see what else he dreamed up.

There is definitely drama involved in this book as well as some twists.  One of the twists I saw coming, others I didn’t.  And while it didn’t exactly float my boat, it was entertaining.  If you’re looking for a heart-warming story that’ll make you giggle, it’s definitely worth looking up.  Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t work for someone else.  -Peace and Love, Buxom J

The blinding beams of flashing lights make me quickly refocus my attention. I stretch my neck in an attempt to see five cars ahead. We’re moving at a snail’s pace as usual and I’m certain I’ll get an eye-full of whatever shenanigans are going on today once I get closer. I’m not afraid to admit that I take great pleasure in other people’s driving woes. It’s like watching bad porn; you can’t look away because your eyes are glued open in horror and you’re secretly afraid of missing something. Watching people get pulled over is my one pleasure on this long-ass drive every day. There’s usually at least one good scene a day.

As I inch closer, I can’t help but speculate what happened this time. Once, I swear I saw ten people climb out of a Ford Focus. The only thing that would have made watching them all fall out over each other even more hysterical would have been if they were dressed as clowns.

The officer walks around the side of the shiny, expensive-looking, black SUV just as I inch closer. He curls his finger and the driver steps out. I can only see the back of his head, but he’s wearing a tailored suit and he’s tall, slender, and sculpted. The officer motions to his passenger before rubbing his hand over his face. The driver leans back into the car, I suppose to say something to her. She’s wearing what seems to be a scarf over her head and is completely immobile. I wonder if it’s an old woman. Maybe she’s in shock. What did he do to get pulled over? My mind works overtime trying to decipher his faux pas.

I glance over at the blue notebook on my passenger seat. I love inventing stories. It’s my favorite pastime while I drive. Actually, in general. As I pass people on my commute, I try to decide who they are, where they are going, and what their story is. Maybe someday I’ll get the courage to write a book. But for now, I just keep a notebook of all my favorite highway adventures and journal anything interesting in my day.

The man seems to be tugging on the woman’s arm.

I gasp loudly. He literally pulls her out the driver’s side door as I arrive at his bumper. After my initial shock passes, I almost piss myself laughing. His passenger is a woman, but she’s full of hot air. Her dress blows open in the breeze and I see her perky plastic boobs. What kind of man has a blow-up doll? Maybe he takes her everywhere in case he needs to get off. I picture him curled up next to her at night, stroking her hair.

He positions her next to him as if she’s standing and places his arm around her. I’m laughing so hard, I feel tears in my eyes. This is going to be the beginning of a great story, I can feel it.

Dawn L. Chiletz is the author of The Contest, Waiting to Lose, Enough, Can’t You See, The Fabulist and Confessions of a Carpool Captive.

“Sarcasm and humor are my favorite tools. I write whatever I’m feeling. Sometimes that means a romance, a mystery, a thriller, or a tear-jerker. I like giving everything a little twist and I try to stay original. I hope people like not knowing what to expect from me. I never know what I’ll write next either.”

Dawn currently resides in Illinois with her husband, two boys, and three dogs. When she’s not binge writing or reading, you’ll most likely find her on Facebook or playing taxi driver to her kids.