Sorry not sorry: The Apology Project is a summer gem

There are dozens of reasons why you need to read The Apology Project, available August 1 from Jeanette Escudero. It’s an ideal summer beach read, it will be the talk of book clubs everywhere and it’s the kind of book you can pass along to your friends and talk about it over lunch.

Amelia Montgomery is used to being at the top of the world, a respected legal eagle perched atop the food chain, but when she’s asked to compromise her principles her life turns upside down and it might be the best thing to ever happen to her.

Millie finds herself out of work after walking away from her law firm when her bosses, a trio of men with massive egos and nonexistent morals, push her to set her morals and follow their plans to defend a man who’s as slimy as they come. One misogynist comment, a broken nose, an NDA and a massive settlement later and Millie finds herself “retired” from her legal career right before her fortieth birthday.

The Apology Project: Can you turn your life around by saying sorry?

Unfortunately, when no one shows up at her birthday party, Millie realizes that she has kept her head down for so long she didn’t notice she’d pushed everyone away. When John, the new guy from her former place of employment, shows up at her party, he helps her come up with a plan to get back on track: Apologize to people you have wronged in the past.

Escudero, a prominent lawyer who also writes romance, has created a story that is entertaining and thought-provoking. Millie is a strong woman who sees that her success in life came at a huge cost, but she might be able to salvage her relationships if she can muster the strength to apologize – and mean it.

John is a wonderful companion for Millie because he’s straightforward and he’s lived enough life himself to understand that you can’t dwell on things you can’t change, but you can work to fix things that are worth saving. He and Millie are good for each other even though everything about their relationship seems wrong. John – with his supportive demeanor and appreciation and awe for Millie and her accomplishments – is the polar opposite of Millie’s former employers and he arrives in her life at the perfect moment.

What I loved about The Apology Project is that it made me think a lot about what’s important in life. Though poor Millie’s life turned upside down, it got better as a result. Sometimes we find ourselves stuck in a rut, convinced that we’re doing the right thing, only to find that the machine is working against us. It takes a big shock to set us straight and show us the way it’s supposed to be.

There are so many wonderful details in the book. Escudero uses her Cuban American heritage to inspire Millie to travel to Cuba to discover her roots. Such a trip never would have been possible before she left her job, but now that she’s in permanent “stop and smell the roses” mode a whole world of possibilities has opened for her.

For all its levity, The Apology Project does a fantastic job highlighting a very common problem that women face in the workplace. Her former bosses are as disrespectful as they come and despite the settlement it’s Millie who pays the price for standing up for her beliefs.

If you’re looking for a story that will have you cheering for a strong woman who finds herself in a very unexpected place in life, then The Apology Project is your book.