Good Karma

A Novel

By: Christina Kelly

Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt

Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

A charming, heartfelt tale of love lost and regained in a gated community in Savannah, Georgia.

After almost 40 years in New Jersey, Catherine, Ralph, and their beloved Boston terrier, Karma, are hitting the road, relocating to a gorgeous, serene island off the coast of Savannah, Georgia, where Catherine can work on her backhand and Ralph can hit the links. But upon their arrival in the Seven Oaks gated community, it becomes apparent that Catherine and Ralph's visions of retirement couldn't be more different. While Catherine is intrigued by their quirky neighbors, Ralph's golf-and-poker routine seems to be interrupted only by his flirtations with their zealous real estate agent.

As the pair drift further apart, Catherine cannot help but sense her marriage is at risk. Then she meets recent widower Fred at the dog park. United by their dogs, they embark upon a friendship that could be something more - until she discovers that he's not quite what he seems. As she sorts out fact from fiction and discovers what sorts of secrets might be hiding behind Seven Oaks' pristine picket fences, she'll have to make a decision affecting her future happiness and her chance at newfound love.

©2017 Christina Houlihan Kelly (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Cute with potential but lacking

Right from the get-go I kept waiting for something to happen. It was predictable, so I wanted it to be a bit more fast paced.
The narrator did a good job with all the different voices but the main characters sounded like privileged newscasters, so that got old because that's not what their personalities seemed like.
I also could have done without the 75 yo sex scene. I'm glad to hear they're able to engage in such activities but I'm not keen on hearing all about it.
It was a cute book with potential.

What happened?? (Spoiler Alert)

The narration was excellent. The narrator has a wonderful reading voice and portrays the various characters excellently.

I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book. The story takes place in a gated community with mostly retirees. The characters were relatable, the story kind of cute. Then out of nowhere, all the characters went wonky and turned into nut jobs.

A 70 yr old widower is getting advice from his dead wife to have an affair with a married woman, (Catherine). Catherine is bored with her marriage and places the blame on her husband. Catherine's best friend, breaks into her home every day and rearranges her cabinets and sharpens her pencils. There is a very indepth sex scene between Catherine and the 70 year old widower that was wayyyy to descriptive and left me feeling more disturbed than anything.

In the end, everyone lives happily ever after except for Catherine's husband who was happy in their gated community with a social life, activities and friends. He gets an apartment when Catherine divorces him to go with the widower. He was the only sane character in the story. The only thing he did wrong was not keep his wife entertained.

Also, the name of Catherine's dog is Karma, so based on the title of the book, I assumed Karma would play an active roll in the story. Unfortunately, Karma was portrayed as a kind of aloof animal and was only used as a prop to get Catherine and the widower together.

Very disappointed.