Book Review: There's No Coming Back From This

Lake Union Publishing

When Poppy Lively's accountant disappears with her life savings without paying the business taxes, the IRS comes knocking on — or nearly pounding down — her door. Newly bankrupt, on the verge of losing her home, and facing the possibility of federal prison, Poppy hopes that sending her daughter to New York will prevent everything from falling apart while she figures out this financial mess.

By a twist of fate she runs into an old flame, Three, who just might have the solution to her financial woes. Now a big-time movie producer, he sets her up with a job in wardrobe on a Hollywood film set, where she'll quickly make enough money to begin paying her debts and send her daughter to college. What could go wrong?

When she makes it to Hollywood, though, things do not turn out how she expected. There are no housing accommodations like Three implied, leaving Poppy sneaking around set at night to sleep in trailers and dressing rooms. Add in a coworker who seems out to get her, and Poppy finds herself questioning her decision to pack everything up and drive to L.A. for this job.

When things seemingly can't get any worse, Poppy discovers some deep corruption on set, rattling her belief in everything she knows. She must now not only come to terms with this new information, but decide how she will move forward. Will she keep out of it and let it continue to ruin people and their careers, or speak up and bring the culprit to some form of justice?

Ann Garvin is a master of characters, infusing them with such personality that the reader feels compelled to root for each of them in turn, no matter how large or small a role they play. Even those not completely present within the story — Poppy's mother, for example (only featured in flashbacks and musings) — are so vibrant and relatable that it is easy to picture them.

While Poppy may be the leading lady, the real hero of the story is Kevin (the director's dog, whom Poppy is tasked with tending), which is a testament to Garvin's mastery. She (yes, Kevin is a girl) absolutely jumps off the page, stealing your heart the moment you begin to read about her. A calm, cool, and collected small "washcloth" of a dog, even the iciest of hearts will melt when introduced to her and her vibrant character. It is not a simple feat to give such personality and agency to a dog, but Garvin does so with ease.

Overall, There's No Coming Back From This offers something for everybody — a bit of romance, a bit of mystery, a bit of humor, and a whole lot of immensely talented storytelling by one of the most relatable contemporary literature writers of today. 

Lake Union Publishing // 300 pages // Contemporary Fiction