Review: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Published October 20, 2015
by Redhook

In the beginning of The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone, Dahlia suffers from long-time unemployment, lack of funds, and is living on her roommate's largesse trying not to rock the boat. So, when Charise introduces her to Jonah, she goes along with it. Jonah has a surprise for her. He wants to hire her as a private detective to retrieve a spear that was stolen from him in an online multi-player role playing game. That's something she is definitely not qualified for, but she can't pass up the money. Things take off from there with Jonah being found dead the next day. Not every decision is as terrible perhaps, but there is a real doozy near the end of the book. Not saying what, because spoilers.

I liked Dahlia. She was a well-rounded character. Her roommate Charise is kinda flaky at times and helpful at other times. Dahlia makes her own mistakes. Some of the mistakes she tries to hide mostly unsuccessfully.  She has to deal with other people's bad decisions as well.

The story works well told from the first person perspective of Dahlia. We get to see some of what is going on in her head as she recounts the tale of her search for the spear and ultimately Jonah's murderer. So, mostly this is an interesting mystery dealing with some geeky things. The book seemed to move along at a steady pace, but it did get faster right towards the end.

There appeared to be some question whether this book is YA or Adult. There is no sex in it and limited swearing. I would probably let an older teen read it. Younger ones might not enjoy it as much. It definitely has its appeal for adults.

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. I found it overall interesting and funny in some parts. Dahlia does seem to attract a bit of the absurd.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Miz B of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can participate, just do the following:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page
• Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page.
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (Make sure what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and the author so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR lists if they like your teasers.

Published October 20, 2015
by Redhook

Nathan seemed to be flirting with me, but I wasn't sure. Flirting was for me, an ancient language, like Phoenician or Ammonite, the peculiarities of which have been lost to lack of usage and also antiquity.

~ location 762 on my Kindle app.

Would you read on? What's your teaser this week? Please share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!

Waiting on Wednesday #103: The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

The Unfortunate Decisions of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone is due  out October 20, 2015 from Redhook.

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
For fans of The Guild, New Girl, Scott Pilgrim, Big Bang Theory, Veronica Mars, or anyone who has ever geeked out about something.

The odds of Dahlia successfully navigating adulthood are 3,720 to 1. But never tell her the odds.

Meet Dahlia Moss, the reigning queen of unfortunate decision-making in the St. Louis area. Unemployed broke, and on her last bowl of ramen, she's not living her best life. But that's all about to change.

Before Dahlia can make her life any messier on her own she's offered a job. A job that she's woefully under-qualified for. A job that will lead her to a murder, an MMORPG, and possibly a fella (or two?).

Turns out unfortunate decisions abound, and she's just the girl to deal with them.

Why am I waiting on this one? Well, it sounds different, interesting, and humorous. The comparisons in the first paragraph of the synopsis make it sound like it could be fun.

What book are you waiting on this week? Leave it or a link in the comments so we can check it out. Happy Reading!