Hands Down the Funniest Book I’ve Ever Read!

Velma and Louie may be in their 70s, but they have no intention of letting their kids separate them. When the retirement home they met in goes bankrupt, their kids decide to move them to different states. Velma is going to live with her son Farvis and his bible thumping wife, and Louie is going to live with his meek daughter Jeneeva, a 45 year old virgin with an unhealthy affection for her dog. Velma and Louie run off in a red Corvette to fulfill Velma’s dream of seeing the Pacific ocean, and the whole country cheers them on.

This has got to be hands down the funniest book I’ve ever read! I couldn’t pick a favorite moment, each scene was hilarious. I’ve never heard half of these Southern colloquialisms, and every time one of the characters spouted a new one I’d crack up. It’s been a few hours since I finished it and my face still hurts! Velma and Louie are spunky and feisty, and I so wish I could meet them in person.

The story begins from Velma and Louie’s point of view, and you can’t help mentally cussing out their kids for trying to separate them. But all the kids get a few chapters from their own point of view. Once you hear their side of the story you can’t help liking them, and by the time the story ended I couldn’t pick a favorite character. Not only that, there’s a heartwarming coming of age story woven throughout that brought tears to my eyes at the end. The speech was so perfect, I had to rewind to listen again. The whole book is unbelievably well written.

I think this is one of those times that the audio version is better than the print version. Angie Hickman is perfection with her Southern drawl, and her comedic timing brings out the best in an already great story. She’s the perfect narrator for this hilarious adventure.