Let's Not Do That Again

November 1, 2021

Nancy Harrison has all her credentials lined up for a run for office, but her listless, lackluster children could be a stumbling block. Son Nick is stalled on the musical he's writing about Joan Didion, while daughter Greta whiles away her time as an Apple store salesclerk. Then Greta shows up on the news, leading a violent protest in Paris, and Nancy and Nick are on the next plane to control the damage to Greta, the family, and the campaign. From the author of The People We Hate at the Wedding, being readied for the big screen; with a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 7, 2022
Ginder (The People We Hate at the Wedding), a former congressional intern and speechwriter for White House chief of staff John Podesta, delivers an effervescent family drama about a man’s attempts to salvage his mother’s Senate run after a PR disaster. In Paris, Greta Harrison hurls a bottle through a restaurant window during a political protest. In Manhattan, Greta’s congresswoman mother, Nancy, attempts to deflect the fallout of her daughter’s headline-grabbing behavior as the story jeopardizes her Senate campaign. She’s the kind of politician who spouts unapologetic lines like “America is disappointing... that’s why we do what we do,” and until Greta’s stunt, that approach has worked. Nancy feverishly appeals to her perpetually single gay son Nick, urging him to put aside his work writing a Joan Didion musical to bring Greta home from Paris. The task is tougher than it looks, but in Ginder’s hands, it yields devilish hilarity. Greta is under the spell of swarthy, seductive Xavier, a celebrity-seeking fascist troll, but he’s no match for Nick and Nancy, who swoop in to settle some unfinished family business. Ginder dexterously describes the machinations of his caffeine-fueled lead and lights up the pages with bubbly, rapid-fire dialogue among such supporting characters as Nancy’s assistant, Cate, and Xavier’s other gal pal, Colette. Politics and blood loyalty can become a slippery slope, but here they’re a perfect combination. This smart and seamless comedy is nonstop fun. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management.

March 15, 2022
Nancy Harrison is a seemingly unstoppable force in U.S. politics, unrelenting in her push for progressive policies and for a New York senate seat. Though her main opponent in the senate race poses a challenge, the biggest threat to her career lies closer to home with her daughter, Greta. The politician's daughter has become an international scandal when a video showing her smashing in a Parisian restaurant's window with a champagne bottle is leaked to the media. In order to save her campaign, Nancy sends her son, Nick, to fetch his sister in Paris and find motive and meaning in her destructive behavior. Nick told himself he was done working for his mother in order to focus on his needs, but he realizes that Greta could be in trouble that far outweighs the consequences for their mother's campaign. Let's Not Do That Again is a fast-paced saga chock-full of scandal, political savvy, and romance, sure to be enjoyed by fans of Casey McQuiston's Red, White, & Royal Blue (2020) and other contemporary political fiction.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 9, 2022

Nancy Harriman's Senate bid hangs precariously in the balance after her grown daughter, Greta, joins a protest movement in France, and is caught on video throwing a champagne bottle through the window of a bistro. Nancy turns to her son Nick, to manage the damage control. Nick is tired of being at his mother's beck and call. He would rather focus on writing his musical about Joan Didion. Still, he winds up traveling to France to retrieve Greta. As Greta's dubious associations become increasingly worrisome, she has a personal epiphany, while Nancy will resort to any means necessary to salvage her political ambitions. Ginder's (Honestly, We Meant Well) latest effort gets off to a solid start. The writing is sharp, the humor is fresh, and the plot is certainly intriguing. Unfortunately, the characters, though intentionally flawed, are too predictable, banal even. To add insult to injury, the momentum fizzles out in the last quarter of the novel. The story deconstructs spectacularly, ultimately landing with a thud. VERDICT A bit lopsided, but fans of television's Veep may enjoy this political comedy-drama.--Julie Whiteley

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 15, 2022
In this timely comic novel set in New York and Paris, a political family deals with drama past and present. A new book from Ginder beckons the reader like a hot bath and glass of something, a reliable and relaxing pleasure. Here the point of departure is a riot in Paris during which a young American pitches a champagne bottle through the window of a famous restaurant, apparently at the behest of a French right-wing extremist. This is bad news for her mother, Nancy Harrison, who is running for the U.S. Senate from New York. Nancy has been representing her district in the House of Representatives for nearly 20 years, since her husband's death opened the seat, and her hard work, vision, and political instincts have led to this Senate race. Her competition is a Republican television actor "whose most impressive accomplishment was hiding his Botox"--still, beating him won't be easy, especially with these new headlines. Her son, Nick, who's just retired from the stress of working for his mom and is looking forward to getting off benzos and finding a boyfriend, is tapped to fly over and pry sister Greta away from the evil Frenchman. Ginder aces the small stuff: sparkling dialogue, hilarious supporting characters (Greta's roommates!), whimsically named establishments--a doggy day care is BowHaus; a retirement community, Boom Town; a favorite restaurant, Me, Myself, and Thai. Nick is writing a musical based on the work of...Joan Didion. And you know the old saying about a gun in the drawer in the first act? Well, here the gun is a state-of-the-art trash compactor. Keep your eye on that thing. He also aces the big stuff, characteristically insightful on sibling and parent-child relationships and politically on message. As Nancy puts it, "The only option is to fix things, because you're sure as hell not going to leave them for your children looking like this." Ooh la la. The Senate race may be tight, but this book is a shoo-in.

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