The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

I received this book from Publisher for review consideration.

The Status of All Things by Lisa Steinke, Liz Fenton
Published by Washington Square Press on June 2, 2015
Genres: Contemporary Women, Family Life, Fiction, Romantic Comedy
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
Goodreads

What would you do if you could literally rewrite your fate—on Facebook? This heartwarming and hilarious new novel from the authors of Your Perfect Life follows a woman who discovers she can change her life through online status updates.

Kate is a thirty-five-year-old woman who is obsessed with social media. So when her fiancé, Max, breaks things off at their rehearsal dinner—to be with Kate’s close friend and coworker, no less—she goes straight to Facebook to share it with the world. But something’s changed. Suddenly, Kate’s real life starts to mirror whatever she writes in her Facebook status. With all the power at her fingertips, and heartbroken and confused over why Max left her, Kate goes back in time to rewrite their history.

Kate's two best friends, Jules and Liam, are the only ones who know the truth. In order to convince them she’s really time traveled, Kate offers to use her Facebook status to help improve their lives. But her attempts to help them don’t go exactly as planned, and every effort to get Max back seems to only backfire, causing Kate to wonder if it’s really possible to change her fate.

In The Status of All Things, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke combine the humor and heart of Sarah Pekkanen and Jennifer Weiner while exploring the pitfalls of posting your entire life on the Internet. They raise the questions: What if you could create your picture-perfect life? Would you be happy? Would you still be you? For anyone who’s ever attempted—or failed—to be their perfect self online, this is a story of wisdom and wit that will leave you with new appreciation for the true status of your life.

The Status of All Things delved in to the over-sharing of our lives on social media. How many will only share what they want others to see, hide what they don’t, and how this detail is perceived by others.

Have you ever bumped in to someone for the first time in forever, only to discover they do not look anything like that carefully chosen profile picture? Maybe they portray themselves as a happily married couple online, but in real life there is trouble in paradise? What about you…are you selective about what you post on social media so that you are perceived in a certain way? Have you read someone’s status and immediately posted something bigger and better about your own life?

I know I have been guilty of sharing things solely to get a reaction, knowing (or at least hoping) that my life is bigger and better than the people I haven’t seen in over 10 years. But I have also been on the other end, reading into something more than I should. Wondering if a remark is intended the way I read it.

Anyway, this is exactly the kind of thing dealt with in The Status of All Things. Kate scrutinizes every single photo of herself before selecting the perfect one for Facebook. She has been sharing all of her happy events in the run up to her wedding, secretly competing with people she knew in college.

But when events take a turn for the worst, Kate hides away from posting to Facebook until she discovers that she can actually change her path with simple status updates. However, was it fate? Should it be changed? Can it be changed? Or will what ever path she travels along, take her to the same destination?

The Status of All Things would be the perfect read for a book club. I finished with so many questions, I only wish I had someone to talk to about it that very same day.

I enjoyed The Status of All Things so much, that I absolutely have to read Liz and Lisa’s debut novel from last summer, Your Perfect Life.

Have you read The Status of All Things? Has it changed your perception of social media, or do you stay away anyway for much of the same reasons Kate obsessed with it?

I’d also love to know if you read Your Perfect Life.