Johanna Porter Is Not Sorry by Sara Read

 

Twenty years ago, Johanna Porter was a rising star in the art world. Now she’s an unknown soccer mom. When an invitation arrives for an elite gallery opening for her former lover, the great Nestor Pinedo, Johanna wants to throw it in the trash where it belongs. But with some styling help from her daughter, she makes an appearance and comes face-to-face with the woman she was before the powerful and jealous Nestor ruined her.

La Rosa Blanca is a portrait of Johanna herself, young and fierce and fearless—a masterwork with a price tag to match. When she cuts it out of its frame, rolls it up and walks out, Johanna is only taking back what was stolen from her.

Hiding out with La Rosa Blanca in a shack on the Chesapeake Bay, Johanna digs into the raw work of reviving her own skills while battling novice-thief paranoia, impostor syndrome and mom guilt. But Johanna doesn’t just want the painting—she wants to paint again. To harness her powerful talent, she must defy everyone’s expectations—most of all her own—for what a woman like her should be.

MY THOUGHTS 

What a debut!! 👏👏 Johanna Porter IS Definitely NOT Sorry… In fact… I think it’s safe to say she also give ZERO F’S🤣 … and that is why I love her. 🤷‍♀️

Why did I adore her? Well…she is sassy… snarky and a little bad ass if I may say so!! 😉👏👏 Johanna was at the top of her game 20 years ago… taking the art 🖼 world by storm… working with the icon himself… Nestor Pinedo… until she dare stand up for herself against that delight of a man… 🙄… and he DESTROYS her career…but karma is in fact a bitch..😏… and Johanna is back to get what is hers!! You go girl!! 🙌🙌

This girl is ditching her soccer ⚽️ mom yoga pants… for an Oscar de la Renta dress 👗👠👜… and off to to dabble in art 🖼 theft…😎… and getting revenge… 😘

Fun.. sassy… with some real life drama mixed in… some serious soul searching…addiction… and … love…🥰🥰 This book had all the stuff real life does… well except I hope you all aren’t art thieves..😬…if you are..🤫🤫🤫

I was rooting for Johanna all the way!! Fun with a great story… I suggest you all need Johanna in your life! 😉

I received a gifted copy and loved it!

Before she started writing fiction, Sara got a degree in Women’s Studies from U.C. Santa Cruz. She tried the nine-to-five life for about a nanosecond before moving to rural Virginia to become a flute-maker’s apprentice and traditional fiddle player. Some years and two babies later, she returned to school for a Masters in Nursing. A cancer survivor herself, she now has the distinct privilege of caring for cancer patients.

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Sara's short stories have been featured in The Missouri Review, Beloit Fiction Journal, and Zone 3 Press, and she has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. JOHANNA PORTER IS NOT SORRY is her debut novel. She is represented by Laura Bradford of Bradford Literary Agency.

 

Sara lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband, two teens, a terrier, and three snarky cats.

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