Review: 'Amy Maxwell and the 7 Deadly Sins' by Heather Balog (2015)

Amy Maxwell still hasn’t caught up on laundry, her daughter Allie is still acting like a rebellious teen (and schooling her younger sister in that art), the two boys are still causing her to rip her hair out by the roots with their antics, and her husband Roger is STILL sitting in his arm chair uselessly engrossed in a reality show marathon. To add to her already mounting stress, Amy has decided to go back to school to get a degree! Yeah, yeah…she’s GLUTTON for punishment. And so Amy’s new quest for a career in law enforcement, coupled with the Seven Deadly sins, puts Amy in a position she’s never been before…the back of a trunk, bound and gagged. That’s right…Wrath, Greed, Lust, Sloth, Envy, Pride, and Gluttony are the reason she’s in her current predicament. And what’s more, they’re not all her sins, but the sins of everyone else around her including her oh so perfect sister, Beth.

I'm sure every book fanatic has specific book-related habits they just can't shake. I have this thing where I just can't start a series of books by picking up the second or third part; I need to start with the first part. I like to know all the history and background there is to know, so when I realise I have the second part of a series in my hands, I usually make sure to get a copy of the first part straight away and read that one first. However, when I started reading Heather Balog's 'Amy Maxwell and the 7 Deadly Sins', I had no idea it was actually the second part of a book series until I was already about 50 pages into the story (dilemma!). So, I took a deep breath and decided to shake my habit and finish this sequel without having read any other book by this author... and both the book and I survived, so I guess there's a first time for everything! ;-)

After quite a turbulent year (which included being kidnapped together with her daughter and then saving the day), Amy Maxwell is determined to get a grip on everyday things such as the household, her three children, her lazy husband and her own life. After her adventurous experiences she has even decided to go back to college to have one foot in the door of the law enforcement world, which is a dream of hers. However, Amy's first day at college isn't the biggest success and before she knows it, she has once again managed to get herself into all kinds of trouble. Only this time it happens to be together with her perfect older sister Beth. Question is, will Amy be able to save the day a second time around or is she simply in too deep?

'Amy Maxwell and the 7 Deadly Sins' is the second part of author Heather Balog's 'Amy Maxwell' series and the sequel to 'The 8 Mistakes of Amy Maxwell.' I personally always prefer to start a book series at the very beginning, but I didn't even know this was a sequel until I was already about 50 pages into the novel. While I did feel I had missed some important information because of this (such as the fact that protagonist Amy and her daughter are kidnapped in the first part), the author provides the reader with details in order to also be able to read this second part as a stand-alone. I liked the author's writing style; it was well-paced, easy to read and quite funny in places.

Amy leads a chaotic life which gets her into the craziest situations. Sometimes you have characters in books that manage to find themselves in all kinds of trouble, no matter what they do, and Amy is definitely one of those characters. At times it did all seem a bit far-fetched, but I guess that's also what made the novel fun to read. Sometimes Amy annoyed me a bit with the things she did and said, but she also made me laugh and I didn't want to stop reading until I knew how the story would end. 'Amy and the 7 Deadly Sins' was quite an entertaining and crazy read; not one everyone will enjoy, but also one some people will love. I'm glad I got the chance to be introduced to Heather Balog's writing and I can't help but admit I'm quite curious what Amy will manage to get herself into next!

Rating:7,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.