Once Upon A Nervous Breakdown

By Patrick Sanchez

Book Overview

Patrick Sanchez delivers a hilarious, moving, and all-too-true snapshot of a generation of women stretched between extremes, frazzled by time and tides, and determined to make everything work without losing themselves in the process. Jennifer Costas has her hands full. She's the single mother of a five-year-old son; her full-time job is only getting busier; her force-of-nature college roommate recently showed up on her doorstep in need of a place to stay. . .indefinitely; her increasingly cranky "old-world" mother answers the phone every morning with, "I'm not dead," and her newly out-of-the-closet ex-husband is constantly late with his child support payments while he tries to get his new restaurant, Gonads (think gay Hooters) off the ground. She feels guilty about not making "stay-at-home mom cookies" and wary about tip-toeing into the dating scene carrying thirty-six years' worth of baggage. Having it all means juggling it all, and Jennifer's trying desperately not to drop anything. But just when Jennifer thinks she's operating at maximum capacity, her mother's health begins to fail. Faced with taking care of her mother in addition to her son, keeping her career on track, and maintaining some semblance of a social life, Jennifer's in for the ride of her life--one that will challenge her sense of humor, her sense of self, and her sense of sanity. "A wonderful read I loved it "--Alisa Valdes Rodriguez, New York Times bestselling author on Tight "A frank comedy of manners that exposes both the highs and lows of the modern quest for youth and beauty."-- Kirkus Reviews on Tight Patrick Sanchez grew up in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. After surviving twelve years of Catholic school, Patrick attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, where he majored in psychology (with a minor in naps, The Price Is Right, and The Young and the Restless). Prior to his career as a novelist, Patrick worked as a professional writer in sales and marketing for a managed healthcare company in Falls Church, Virginia. He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with a vindictive dachshund named Gomez.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0758210027
• ISBN13: 9780758210029
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Length: 318 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

True to life

Not a hilarious book, but not a total heart breaker either. The main character has a refreshingly upbeat attitude, and it can't hurt to let it rub off! Not one second of this story isn't realistic... this stuff could happen to any of us.

Great book!

This book was so funny! I think what made it so funny was that it was so realistic. So many women can relate to things that happened in this book. This was the first book that I read by this author, and I'm going to order more of his books to enjoy and share with my friends and sisters!

HYSTERICALLY FUNNY

This book came at a time when I really, really needed some laughs. And boy, did it deliver!!!! My problems couldn't compare with a husband who comes out as being gay, a mother who is losing it and friends that make you wonder if enemies wouldn't be better to hang with. So, if life sucks, read "Once Upon . . ." and laugh till it hurts! ENJOY!!

Hysterically funny, warm story of coping with what life deals you

Jennifer Costas is a different kind of "Desperate Housewife." The 36 year old is divorced from her 5 year old son's father, Mario, who came out as a gay man. Jennifer is balancing raising her son with her high pressure position in human resources for a pretigious lawfirm, trips of over an hour to help her aging "old world" Columbian mother (who answers her phone "I'm not dead" and urges her to reconcile with her ex), putting up her old college roommate (a diehard feminist and environmental activist who came for a visit and hasn't left, camping out in her basement, and encouraging her son to decline gender roles by playing with dolls), and dealing with a pushy neighbor who wants her help to cheat on her husband. The first date she goes out in since the divorce turns out to be to see her ex-husband in a charity drag show, after which he tells her that he may be late with the child support check because he is investing in a bar-restaurant called "Gonads" with hunky waiters wearing speedos! As her mother's health rapidly declines, her son "acts out" at school, she is being considered for a promotion at work, and further dating attempts prove to be disasters, Jennifer wonders if her life will ever be simple again. Talented author Patrick Sanchez's latest "chick lit" book is one anyone will find hysterically funny as well as warm and sweet. A perfect escape from your own crazy life! Five stars out of five.