Review for A House Full of Windsor by Kristin Contino

 

A House Full of Windsor by Kristin Contino

Paperback, 292 pages

Publication: July 13th 2021 by Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing

Genre:  Womens Fiction, Chick Lit

From Goodreads:  Spanning from 1980s London and the royal wedding of a century to a present-day reality TV show, A HOUSE FULL OF WINDSOR explores how one woman's messy past shapes her family's future.

Sarah Percy's career depends on New Yorkers taking her household advice as gospel. "Sarah Says" used to be the most popular segment on the city's top morning show, but ratings are down and it looks like Sarah might not have a tip for everything, after all... especially when her mother gets involved.

Debbie Windsor, Sarah's mother, is a shopaholic and compulsive hoarder, a secret Sarah has worked tirelessly to hide her entire life. Debbie was always fascinated by royalty, but when her real-life love story started to parallel Princess Diana's, she turned to collecting royal souvenirs to fill the void. Leaving her husband's native England and relocating the family to her hometown in Pennsylvania doesn't help the situation, and two decades later the house is a royal mess. Debbie's safety is on the line, but she brushes off any attempts her family makes to help.

When Sarah's brother gets a job on Stuff, a TV show about compulsive hoarding, he nominates their mother for an episode and promises his famous sister's participation. Backed into a corner, Sarah and Debbie agree, but everyone has something at stake whether the episode does or doesn't go off without a hitch. With both family and romantic relationships on the line--including the connection between Sarah and the show's sexy host, and Debbie's budding romance with a local shopkeeper --long-buried secrets and resentment must come to the surface for the family to move on.

My Thoughts:  A lot has been published about the Royal Family.   The Windsor Family is newsworthy for everything they do.  Debbie Windsor has always been proud of her slight connection to the Windsor family.   She collected everything Windsor.   She collected everything until she became a hoarder.   Her family steps in to try to help her and she refuses, until the show Stuff comes, and she lets them into her house, into her world, and into her life. 

I enjoyed the family dynamics of the Windsor family.   Each member was living their own life but kept in touch with each other.   They know what each other are doing and support each other but are not afraid to push them for help or support as they need it.  I liked seeing Sarah and Will work it out as to how to help their mother.   The show Stuff helps them find ways to help her without being the bad guys. 

The House of Windsor is a quirky unique story.  It was set in Philadelphia centering around a hoarder of the Royal Windsor memorabilia and her family.

**Thank you Ann-Marie at GetRed PR for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. 

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Meet Kristin Contino:  Kristin Contino has been writing stories for as long as she can remember. (What? You’ve never read “Miss Real Cool: The Teenage Teacher?”). Born and raised in the Philadelphia suburbs, Kristin spent most of her early years absorbed in tales like Anne of Green Gables, The Secret Garden, and The Babysitters Club, all while crafting her own short stories.

After a decade of working in journalism and public relations, Kristin translated her childhood love of reading and writing into a career as a freelance writer and editor.

Kristin serves as chief reporter at Royal Central and has been interviewed about the Royal Family for many national and international media outlets such as BBC World News, Sky News, and the Associated Press. Her debut novel, THE LEGACY OF US, was released in 2015, and her second book, A HOUSE FULL OF WINDSOR, will be released in July 2021.

When she’s not reading or writing, Kristin is passionate about travel, royal history, theatre, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.