So everyone’s describing former lobbyist turned romance novelist Esme Oliver’s new book as next-gen Eat, Pray, Love. But it’s so not Eat, Pray, Love. Even Esme will tell you that.
Smoke, Drink, F*#k is, instead, the anti-Eat, Pray, Love. Because she wasn’t expecting a Happily Ever After. She just wanted to get some.
Whats starts out as the supremely witty and self-deprecatingly honest account of a woman crazed by the onslaught of a big birthday… the Big 4-0… Smoke, Drink, F*#k turns into a real story that most women can relate to — coping with everything good, bad and ugly that life throws at you (or takes away).
Early readers and supporters celebrated the launch of the new Riverdale Avenue Book late last month at a private home in DC.
“I wrote the book to reach women my age who were dating and not having a lot of success,” explained Oliver at the party of the book loosely based on her own roller-coaster of self discovery. “I thought this might help them. I also wrote it to show how despite heartbreaking pain, there is always light on the other side and at least for me, the pleasure was worth the pain.”
To sum it up: As she veers toward a nervous breakdown, Esme heads to Italy for two weeks of carnal excess to distract herself from her 
unsatisfying life. Game on! In Umbria, she meets Fernando, a dashing young distraction. Or is that all he is? Could she be falling in love?
Pick this one up to support a budding local talent. You’ll delight especially in the first half — a sharp, wry pageturner that’ll have you anxious to find out what happens next. (After the Italian adventure, the story is a less tightly edited, however, with the author’s emotions and storyline scattered and somewhat rushed — but as Esme explains, life doesn’t always trim itself into a nice, neat bow, now, does it?)
Who needs to Eat, Pray (and) Love when one good F*#k might just do the trick?!
Downloads of this book are available at RiverdaleAveBooks.com and also at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles Nook, iTunes, Kobo and wherever e-books are downloaded, as well as wherever print books are sold.
