Comments on: WRECK: TDS Book Club

By: LauraM

LauraM — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 16:47:59 +0000

Just finished!!! I got it late because it was used, but it came from the Queens Public library in NY, so that was awesome! I enjoyed the book SO much. I felt like I knew Rocky, like she was a friend I’ve had for years. I connected so much with her experiences of having health anxiety, generalized anxiety, how much she loves her kids it hurts, etc. I loved how the author wrote in with Rocky’s side track thinking; the little anecdotes of her kids when they were small, or when her and Nick were young, made me love this character so much more. I never would have picked this book on my own. The book made me reflect mostly on how life ebbs and flows. She says in the book about thinking back “That was a hard year”. I think about that a lot; where I’ve been in life, the big and little traumas and that somehow or another, I’m still breathing and I still love being a person in this world with the people I have in my life. Really great choice, Sammi! Excited to get into Cherry Baby! thank you for making this space, Sammi

By: Jo Gill

Jo Gill — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 18:19:58 +0000

The last paragraph made me cry! Beautifully written, and laugh out loud at times.

By: sammijefcoate

sammijefcoate — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:21:12 +0000

In reply to Janine.

So stoked to hear it was an enjoyable read for you, especially when it’s been harder to find books u wish to finish. Agree – a book doesn’t need to always be life changing.

By: Brooke

Brooke — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 16:43:29 +0000

I finished Wreck a couple of days ago, and I liked it! I’ve been stuck in one genre of books for so long that this felt like a breath of fresh air. I really connected to the “parent anxiety” feels, and that made the book feel authentic to me. The humor was great!

I did keep feeling like there was going to be a plot twist or that something was about to happen. That’s probably just because I’m so used to plot-heavy books. But all in all, I thought it was great! I keep thinking about it, so it must have made an impact.

I also really liked being a fly on the wall in Rocky’s life.

By: Adria Tennor

Adria Tennor — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:48:32 +0000

I’ve been calling it Wrecked as well, so we can be wrong together I listened on audio while driving to a little mountain town after losing a friend who changed the course of my life, and I cried far more than I expected to. The narrator gave every character a separate, breathing voice — as an actor I was in genuine awe of that. And the rash made me think of Louise Hay who says babies break out bc they need someone to care and tend to them. I so related to a grown woman's need to be cared for — especially at the age when the body starts improvising without asking permission. What undid me most was the love she lived in, her family, but still feeling unseen. I envied her family and recognized her loneliness in the same breath, which is a neat trick that Newman pulled off. I'd never have picked this up on my own — I'm always neck-deep in non-fiction business books — which is exactly why this club is a gift. It's been a fairly lonely stretch out here, and knowing a group of us scattered all over the world were inside the same story is more comfort than a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone Loved the ending. Cherry Baby is downloaded and waiting.

By: Jaclyn

Jaclyn — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:23:22 +0000

As a middle aged Mama of three grown up flat pack kids (I didn’t manufacture them, but finished their build and welcomed them into my life), with my elderly Mama, living in our annex… oh and my own complex liver disease, there was more than one moment when I turned the pages of this book and felt myself begin to say out loud “what in the actual f…?”

So not altogether surprisingly this story made me feel very seen. It was a comfortable, easy read, which I trawled through at any given opportunity… In fact, I bribed myself with three chapters every time I completed a chore or task I didn’t feel that jazzed about tackling.

The narrative is woven with a relatable situational warmth which adds to the sense of realism, despite being set an ocean away from the northern English town I inhabit. Newman touches upon the darkness of the worries we all face without drenching them in a freeze frame, stalling horror… because in the real world, life has to go on. There are some beautiful details present throughout, the matching New Balance trainers hit me right in the feels and the barf bucket made me laugh out loud (ours is an old bathroom bin). Could the characters have used a smidge more dimension? Perhaps, but then is everyone you meet in real life bursting at their seams with sharp edges? Exactly. Sometimes the realist tale might be the simplest tale and it also might be the one you need to ground you in the moment of the everyday and the very things we often take for granted.

Thank you for carving out space and time for this Sammi Xx.

By: Rhian Molloy

Rhian Molloy — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:56:42 +0000

I finished “Wrecked” last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. I too had laugh out loud at moments! I really connected with Rachel/Rocky in the way she talked about her love for her children and family. Her relationship with her dad was lovely and made me laugh at times and cry at others. I didn’t realise it was part of a series of books, I shall definitely read the others.

By: Janine

Janine — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 15:35:52 +0000

It’s the first book I’ve enjoyed enough to actually finish in a long time. I agree with your point about the characters being almost “too perfect in their imperfections,” but all in all, the story was pretty lighthearted and left me with that warm, satisfied feeling you want from this kind of book. It wasn’t particularly deep or unpredictable, but it was charming, easy to get into, and genuinely enjoyable. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need from a book.