Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing

Book Review - Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing by Allison Winn Scotch

There are some publicists I work with that when they send me an unsolicited book, I give it special consideration because they tend to recommend really great books. That is exactly how I ended up reading Clea McDougal Regrets Nothing by Allison Winn Scotch. But if the sender hadn’t piqued my interest, that cover would have…and if even the sender and the cover hadn’t nailed it down, the synopsis would have. So I guess what I’m saying is, this book had a lot going for it.

Cleo McDougal Regrets Nothing by Allison Winn Scotch follows Cleo McDougal, a senator and presidential hopeful, as she engages in damage control after her high school best-friend writes an op-ed that gets right to the point with, “Cleo McDougal is not a good person.” Cleo embarks on a mission to make amends with her top ten regrets (and repair her reputation) after her chief of staff suggests it as a media blitz. For someone who only ever looks toward the future, she has a lot to tackle as she confronts her past.

I was so intrigued with this book. It wasn’t a page-turner, exactly…but anytime I set the book down the characters remained in my head. It was like I’d just had a conversation with a close friend and my concern for her lingered long after the conversation ended. Allison Winn Scotch really brought Cleo, and all of her flaws and all of her strengths, to life. In some ways this book haunts me, but it also elicited a few laughs. I have no idea how to describe this book, clearly. I would love to discuss this with a book club and a bottle of wine.