Summary:
Aisha isn’t known to hold her tongue, but that’s until she finds out her boyfriend and her best friend are having an affair on New Year’s Eve. This sends her packing. She leaves Denver and moves to Dallas to have the time and space to process the betrayal.
Spending time alone also spotlights other issues she has been trying to conceal: her broken relationship with her mother, her growing apart from her brother, and the impact of her late absentee father on her life.
Aisha is overwhelmed by everything, so instead of using her time away to “do the work,” she spends weeks putting it off and indulging in every possible distraction—until she hits a wall.
Aisha will have to either confront the ghosts from her past before the year ends or continue to pretend they aren’t there and let them haunt her until the very end.
My Thoughts:
52 Weeks a Party of One is a wonderful character study of dealing with grief and betrayal, and healing (or lack of). It is heavy, thoughtful, and powerful, and will have you reeling as you see yourself and your own healing journey in the main character along the way.
Aisha our FMC is a headstrong, independent woman in her 30’s with commitment issues and abandonment trauma. She seems to do everything she can to heal, while simultaneously doing everything she can to avoid healing. Seems a bit like a catch 22 no? It is, and that appears to be one of the points. Healing is never a straight line, and you can’t move forward until you are truly ready to move forward.
I loved this book, it was so powerful and such a wonderful exploration of abandonment, trust, commitment, self healing and exploration, and friendship. It dives into her independent journey of healing and how sometimes even when the worst things happen, things will eventually be ok if you put the work into making them ok. If you don’t things won’t get better.
Bianca once again succeeded in drawing me into the story as if I was a piece of the main character, and brought me along for the healing and self discovery.
One thing I loved was that she did not make up with her best friend or former partner. I don’t think that is something that should happen, and I am glad she was able to healthily end the relationship. I am glad she was able to have honest conversations with her mom and brother, and repair those relationships.
I definitely recommend giving this one a read! Overall, I really enjoyed 52 Weeks a Party of One by Bianca Pensy Aba.
Worthy of a Re-read.
See what other books I think are worthy of a re-read here.
Read my review of her other novel, Across Both Sides of the Mirror.
