You Should Smile More

“We don’t like your face.” If it hadn’t happened to her, Vanessa would never have believed you could be fired for having a “resting bitch face.” Armed only with her friends and foster kittens, with some backup from her mom’s brigade of wily bridge players, she launches a revenge plot to take down her eccentric ex-employer. Through amateur espionage and eavesdropping, the quirky crew was aiming for vengeance for Vanessa’s wrongful termination, but instead uncovers a corporate corruption cover-up they never saw coming. Ryan’s debut novel is funny, feel-good relationship fiction. Sprinkled with quotes from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, it reads like a battle plan for the overworked and underappreciated. Narrator Hillary Huber gives a playful performance of the engaging story, with the perfect arc from underdog to empowered. Huber’s portrayal of the likable leading lady and her entertaining entourage yields a laugh-out-loud listening experience.