Relatively Sane

Dineen pulls readers back into the absurd world of the Masterson family in this side-splitting sequel to Relatively Normal. Party planner Cat Masterson moves home from New York to buy and renovate her family’s Central Illinois farmhouse and rekindle a romance with childhood friend Sam. But Cat has forgotten just how eccentric her family is, with her mother stashing taxidermied animals in the attic, her father traipsing around in a kilt, and her grandmother Nan, the standout, forever finding fresh, surprising insults to throw around. To help manage the restoration of the farm, Cat enlists the Renovation Brothers, the hunky stars of a reality TV show, but Sam starts acting cagey as soon as the brothers arrive. It’s going to cost a lot of Cat’s sanity to keep both the repairs and her relationships on track. Dineen’s characterizations of her wacky cast make it easy for those new to the series to jump into the chaos, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning. Readers are sure to laugh and cringe along with the characters as they navigate this rom-com’s many mishaps. (Self-published)