This Is How It Happened (not a love story) [Paperback]

Jo Barrett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2008

He lied, he cheated. He destroyed her life.

How difficult could killing him be?

Madeline Piatro devoted four years of her life to her boyfriend Carlton—and, in return, got romance, flowers, and the best sex she'd ever had. But then he dumped her—by e-mail, no less! He used her, he broke her heart...and he even cost her the marketing job she dearly loved. Now Maddy's on a mission. She wants revenge and she wants her career back.

But Maddy's about to discover that getting even, no matter how justifiable, isn't as easy as it might at first appear—even with a batch of arsenic brownies, the help of a professional (if bumbling) hit man, and the advice and best wishes of her very best friends.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. At the start of Barrett's very funny second novel (after 2007's The Men's Guide to the Women's Bathroom), Madeline Piatro, a powerhouse marketing whiz, vows to kill her ex-fiancé, Carlton Connors, the sexy but selfish son of an equally self-absorbed millionaire. Soon after meeting as students in the University of Texas (Austin) M.B.A. program, Maddy and Carlton move in together. She falls for his sappy I intend to marry you proposal, helps him graduate and creates Organics 4 Kids, a lunch program for parents on the go that his father bankrolls. Four years later, the unfaithful and deceitful Carlton dumps and fires Maddy after the company built on her program takes off. Maddy recognizes her part in the debacle, but Carlton is such a jerk, readers can't resist cheering her on as she experiments with poisoned brownies and retribution spells. Help comes from an unlikely source, a memorable hit man who provides a juicy cherry on the top of a creamy, dreamy revenge treat. (Feb.)
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From Booklist

*Starred Review* After Madeline Piatro’s fiancé, Carlton Connors, steals her profitable business plan, puts the “un” into unsafe sex, and fires her, she gets mad. Then she decides to get even. First she experiments with poisons, but after a raccoon dies from eating the remains of her furniture-polish-laced brownies, Maddy tries another tactic, a revenge spell from the California Astrology Association. When this doesn’t seem to be effective, Maddy does the one thing she knows will work—she hires a Mafia hit man to do some serious damage to her ex. Barrett’s tale of revenge is one of those rare, impossible-to-put-down books. There’s a plethora of black humor, witty dialogue, and plot twists. The unique, unforgettable characters, from the justice-seeking Maddy to her recovered drug-addicted brother to the sweet-toothed hit man, all come together to make one delectably entertaining story. Barrett, the author of the international favorite The Men’s Guide to the Women’s Bathroom (2007), has created another winner with this fast, funny read. --Shelley Mosley

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (January 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061241105
• ISBN-13: 978-0061241109
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,647,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, not your typical chick lit, February 15, 2008

By 

Heather A. Teysko "heatherteyskodotcom" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is How It Happened (not a love story) (Paperback)

This is a wonderful bit of chick-lit that surpassed all my expectations. I thought it would be funny - there were parts that were absolutely hilarious. I thought it would be clever, and there were parts that were just ingenious, especially in the chick-lit world.

Hell truly hath no fury as a woman scorned, and this book details one woman's attempt to "get even" with her ex boyfriend/fiance for basically ruining her life. It was written in an interesting style, chapters alternating between the present where Maddie is trying to deal with her broken heart, and then going back to her time with Connor, the Heartbreaker. In all honesty, towards the end where time was blending (the novel starts 4 months after the Big Breakup) I was having a hard time telling when something happened - was it now, when she was planning revenge, or was it right at the end of the relationship?

The book had an interesting twist towards the end, and I was riveted for the last 75 pages (I stayed up late to finish it).

The only thing that bugged me about Maddie, the main character, is that she keeps talking about how she's Italian and loves to eat, and she's curvy and she's big and not skinny and yada yada yada, but she's a friggin size 6!!! Last time I checked, most Italian women who love to eat and are in their 30's, and consider themselves big, are NOT a size 6. Good grief.

Anyway, I could overlook that, and it was definitely a worthwhile read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this!, January 25, 2008

By 

A. You (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Is How It Happened (not a love story) (Paperback)

Don't get mad. Get even. This is what Madeleine Piatro sets up to do after her charming boyfriend uses her business plan to set up a company, and then kicks her out of the firm and dumps her for another woman. Although Piatro first contemplates actually killing Carlton (with poisoned brownies) she decides that emotional pain is worse, and more lasting, than physical one, and she sets up on extracting revenge, aided by a hit man with a good heart (by far the best character in the book) and her best friend, who's in the middle of her conversion to Judaism, with some less-than-stellar but hilarious results.

"This is How it Happened (Not a Love Story)" is a fantastic novel: funny, well-written, and with some surprising insights. A perfect book for the Valentine's season, whether you're in the mood for love -- or blood.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, yet empty, September 17, 2008

By 

Lois Lain (San Francisco Bay Area, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: This Is How It Happened (not a love story) (Paperback)

When you get dumped, it's natural to want to strike back. But when the dumper is your fiance who promised to love you "forever," and the father of your unborn child, and the co-founder of the company you pretty much single-handedly built, AND he does the break-up by e-mail, your desire to extract revenge will be exponentially higher.

Madeline Piatro is having trouble getting over her break-up with the perfect man. So she hires a perfect man of her own -- a hit man. Full of unexpected revelations and quirky, fun characters, "This Is How It Happened" will surely tickle the fancies of every woman who's ever been on the receiving end of a "Dear Jane" letter.

While I really enjoyed this book and found myself wanting to read "just five more pages" to see what was going to happen next, something was missing. There was never a real climactic showdown between Maddie and her ex, and we never get to experience first-hand the pain she inflicts with her get-even-quick plans. I wanted to see him for myself, and feel his humiliation. Since those scenes were missing, the book left me unfulfilled.

There were also some sloppy editing moments ("Addidas" sportswear, and Maddie saying she'd never met Snoop when just a few dozen pages earlier she talks about her face-to-face with him). And the constant repetition of her name by other characters every five sentences was annoying. But all-in-all, "This Is How It Happened" was entertaining, smart, and fun. I'll be looking for more of Jo Barrett's books.