Book review: Revenge is complete when there’s only one ‘Last Woman Standing’

‘She’ is Dana Diaz and ‘he’ is her best friend Jason and they have known each other since school.  Dana is secretly in love with Jason but she is definitely not his type.  They both love comedy so decide to move to California when school finishes and make their fortune in the entertainment industry. 

 

Jason has a brother who Dana is afraid of.  He is always angry about something and the brothers don’t get along.  Dana tries to avoid Mattie, Jason’s brother whenever she can.  She soon finds that it is not always easy to steer clear of something or someone you fear.  An incident involving Mattie though, soon changes Dana’s outlook on life and Jason notices his friend changing – not for the better.

 

School is over and they head for California.  Life doesn’t turn out as it should and Dana suffers at the hands of the “casting couch”.  She decides to move back to Texas, leaving her womanising best friend behind.  She takes on work as a stand up comic in bars at Austin, where she resides in a small but serviceable apartment.  Jason no longer keeps in contact and she pines for him but decides she must move on.

 

Dana meets Amanda Dorn at one of her comedy gigs and they become friends.  Amanda tells her of her abusive ex-boyfriend and how she wants revenge and ropes Dana into helping her.  Dana too has experienced abuse at the hands of some male acquaintances and at first is an enthusiastic participant – but all does not run smoothly. 

 

Dana enters and wins second place in a comedic competition held in Austin every year.  She is told that men only ever win the coveted first prize, but she is inundated with offers, just the same.  Cynthia, a judge and Hollywood television heavyweight, invites Dana to visit her in California.  She also finally hears from her one time best friend Jason and decides to head back to California to pay him a visit.  She also wants to catch up with Cynthia.  Cynthia is eager to speak to Dana about a sitcom in the making. 

 

Jason is not the same man Dana remembers and things are not as they seem.  Dana is harassed constantly by phone, with Amanda making demands on her and what could be a television show on its own unravels before Dana.  What happens in those few days in California will change Dana’s life forever.

Last Woman Standing.  Just the title made me want to devour the words between the covers of this Amy Gentry novel. 

Perhaps I was too eager or expected too much at first but I found the character of Dana Diaz a little boring … in the beginning. Enter Amanda Dorn.  How soon my opinion of the book changed as the plot unfolds. Well worth the slow start.