I’m grateful to have received a review copy of Sarah Stonich’s novel Fishing!. This is not your usual chick lit novel. For starters, it’s set in the typically male-dominated world of fishing. Here’s the official blurb from Amazon.

A hilarious saga of fishing, family, and three generations of tough, independent women—the first in a trilogy 

Having fled the testosterone-soaked world of professional sport fishing, thirty-something RayAnne Dahl is navigating a new job as a consultant for the first all-women talk show about fishing on public television (or, as one viewer’s husband puts it, “Oprah in a boat”). After the host bails, RayAnne lands in front of the camera and out of her depth at the helm of the show. Is she up for the challenge? Meanwhile, her family proves as high-maintenance as her fixer-upper house and her clingy rescue dog. Her dad, star of the one-season Big Rick’s Bass Bonanza, is on his sixth wife and falling off the wagon and into RayAnne’s career path; her mother, a new-age aging coach for the menopausal rich, provides endless unwanted advice; and her beloved grandmother Dot—whose advice RayAnne needs—is far away and far from well. 

But as RayAnne says, “I’m a woman, I fish. Deal with it.” And just when things seem to be coming together—the show is an unlikely hit; she receives the admiration of a handsome sponsor (out of bounds as he is, but definitely in the wings); ungainly house and dog are finally in hand—RayAnne’s world suddenly threatens to capsize, and she’s faced with a gut-wrenching situation and a heartbreaking decision. 

First published in 2015 under a pseudonym, this first installment in a trilogy filled with hilarity and heartbreak unspools with the gentle wit and irresistible charm that readers of Sarah Stonich have come to expect. Fishing! eases us into unsuspected depths as it approaches the essential question . . . when should life be steered by the heart, not the rules? 

My thoughts . . .

If I had to sum up Fishing! in one word, I’d say: family. The book is full of the kinds of family relationships that can sometimes be challenging but form the basis of who we are. RayAnne’s interactions with her parents, her brother, and especially her gran provided a lot of insight, not only into RayAnne’s character, but to her family as well.

Given that the book is set in a world usually dominated by men, you can probably guess there are a lot of sensitive issues as well as their sometimes non-politically-correct handling hidden within the pages. If these things bother you, this may not be the book for you.

Although not a main component of the book, the scenes with RayAnne’s gran Dot, especially those around her birthday party and the family gathering to celebrate, were some of my favourite. Mr. D, from the complex where Gran lives, was also a highlight for me—a fun elderly character with a lot of spunk. 

Thank you to WOW-Women On Writing and Sarah Stonich for the review copy of Fishing!. Learn more about Fishing! at the blogs below.