“This was a town that ran on power and proximity to power, not looks, not even money — though looks and money never hurt.”

In this hilarious book, accurately described as Sex and the City meets The West Wing, we meet a whole new cast ready to steal your heart. And maybe your votes.

Cady moved to DC to move her relationship with Jackson to the next level. When he proposes immediately, she finally feels that things are moving in the right direction. Even better, she somehow meets a group of friends, all moving within some elite circles and are willing to take her into their fold. Not only does this mean fantastic things for her career, but she feels that she is making a home for herself. Until campaign season kicks into high gear.

Jay, an editor for a major online newspaper, finds himself alone when his partner Sky suddenly gets sent to report on the shocking rapper turned political candidate due to an inside edge. Reagon, former speech writer turned mommy blogger, along with twins while her husband works on an impossible campaign. Birdie, the woman you turn to for all parties political and otherwise. And, a first lady to-be, who isn’t sure she really wants the job. They compose a powerful and influential group: The Campaign Widows.

Now, alone while her husband-to-be hits the campaign trail, Cady starts to see that maybe things aren’t as happily ever after as she believed.

“She had somehow happened upon this group that felt at the epicenter of the city, and they had, for some reason, welcomed her into their circle.”

As we start seeing more political ads (already! again?! UGH!!!) for upcoming mid-term elections, this book felt perfect to set the mood. Except, rather than focusing on the actual politics that drive most of us up the wall, this book is filled with characters living on the other side of the politicians. Namely, the people left behind while politicians run all over the country trying to get your vote.

I really liked how each character represented a different scope of the world in DC. Cady is a TV producer trying to revive life into a morning talk show. Reagon is struggling with the life she finds herself in versus the one she left behind. Jay, one of my favorites, editor to his partner who is reporting on his first campaign. Birdie represents the wealthy donor and fundraising world. And, then there’s my other favorite, Madison, first lady not-so-hopeful-to-be.

Together, they paint a vivid scene of the inner workings of politics that we rarely see outside of Washington. We all know that these jobs are part of the political machine, but they aren’t as glamorous, (or scandalous), as the politicians themselves. This is probably why these characters feel believable and relatable.

“She didn’t want to be that person sitting alone on a train in the middle of the night having a breakdown. She didn’t want to be alone at all.”

There are quite a few characters to keep track of beyond the five primary characters. The onslaught of candidates is hilarious in it’s own right, blatantly mocking our own recent primaries that became more of a circus than anything else. Even the candidates shown are clearly inspired from reality, though I do find these choices far more likable than I did the real ones.

In all, I think this book is a fun ride. For those readers looking for a less painful reality and in desperate need of a good political laugh, this book is definitely for you! In the same way that Sex and the City had a character for everyone, I think Campaign Widows does the same, except more so. This is a book full of more diversity and reality, focusing on struggles in marriage, careers, and motherhood rather than glamour. I’d love to see this cast brought to life!

The writing is sharp and funny, the characters are a riot a minute, and really, we all need to laugh at the political landscape in a fun, refreshing way. Campaign Widows comes out May 22, links to your favorite retailers are below.

Thank you Wunderkind PR for sending me a review copy!

 

Sex and the City meets The West Wing in this dishy, whip-smart, and timely novel that follows a cast of unlikely friends who must cope with the ups and downs of their careers and relationships while their significant others are off on the campaign trail during a hotly contested presidential election season.

Cady Davenport is living the American dream…

At least she’s supposed to be. She’s in a new city, with a new job and even a new fiancé. But when her husband-to-be hits the road for the upcoming presidential election, Cady realizes she’s on her own—and that her dream life might not be all she’d imagined.

Until she finds herself thrust straight into the heart of the most influential inner circle in Washington, DC: the campaign widows. As friends, they’re an unlikely group—a fabulous Georgetown doyenne; a speechwriter turned mommy blogger; an artsy website editor; and a First Lady Hopeful who’s not convinced she wants the job. But they share one undeniable bond: their spouses are all out on the trail during a hotly contested election season.

Cady is unsure of her place in their illustrious group, but with the pressures of the unprecedented election mounting, the widows’ worlds keep turning—faster than ever—as they hold down the fort while running companies, raising babies, racking up page views and even reinventing themselves. And their friendship might be just what Cady needs to find the strength to pursue her own happiness.

AMAZON     BARNES&NOBLE     INDIEBOUND

 

A former “campaign widow,” Aimee Agresti is the author of the Gilded Wings trilogy for young adults. She’s also an entertainment journalist—who’s interviewed everyone from George Clooney to Angelina Jolie—and a former staff writer for Us Weekly, where she penned the coffee table book Inside Hollywood and continues to contribute to the magazine’s series of stand-alone collector’s issues on stars ranging from Taylor Swift to Princess Diana.

In addition to Us, her work has appeared in People, Premiere, DC magazine, Capitol File, the Washington Post, Washingtonian, the Washington City Paper, Boston magazine, Women’s Health and the New York Observer. Aimee has made countless TV and radio appearances dishing about celebrities on the likes of Access Hollywood, Entertainment Tonight, E!, The Insider, Extra, VH1, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and Headline News.

She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and lives with her husband and two sons in the Washington, DC, area.