Publish Date: May 22, 2018

“I can get a better grasp of what is going on in the world from one good Washington dinner party than from all the background information NBC piles on my desk.” – Barbara Walters

I received an advance copy of this book from HarperCollins / Graydon House through Edelweiss.

Cady Davenport just moved to Washington, DC from New York City for a new job and her new fiancé Jackson. She finds herself making friends with a very influential inner circle in Washington, DC: the campaign widows.

Campaign Widows are those that have their significant others working on the campaign trail, in this case during a hotly contested and very close presidential election.

This newly formed tribe consists of Cady, Birdie Brandywine (I love this name!), a fabulous Georgetown political fundraising and event planning owner; Reagan, a speechwriter turned mommy blogger; Jay, an artsy website editor; and Madison Goodfellow, a First Lady Hopeful who’s not convinced she wants the job.

They’re an unlikely group who bonds over similar circumstances and form a strong friendship over parties, cocktails, spying on significant others, infidelity, and helping each other bail out of sticky situations.

This book has been described as Sex and the City meets the West Wing, and I couldn’t agree more.

In my opinion, Campaign Widows has more Sex and the City than the West Wing, but I’ll take it!

This entertaining book gives an inside peek into the movers and shakers in Washington, political fundraising, speechwriting, campaign trail dalliances, and the struggles of being “single” while your significant other is traveling with a campaign.

4 things that I learned from this book:

#1 – Friendships Are Some of the Most Important Relationships You Will Ever Have in Your Life ~ Cherish Them!

Yes, it’s true, friends are an important aspect in life. The friendship comparison of this book to Sex and the City is a good one; I loved that these people are there for each other through the ups and downs. I think I like Campaign Widows group even better, because they are a slightly older group with a more grounded perspective, and I can identify with them and their work/life struggles.

I loved that the friend group in this book also included a male character which made it different than SATC and put an interesting spin on the story.

#2 – Designer shoes, upscale hotels, glamorous settings don’t change who you are.

The book has many glamorous settings and glittery parties, but at the heart of the story is the focus of the characters’ everyday struggles with marriage, child rearing, juggling home and work life, and professional issues. These people are JUST.LIKE.US. Yeah, right.

The characters are realistic and likeable, and I identified with them.

#3 – A 3 carat Asscher cut ring will not guard you against a cheating fiancé.

Money can’t buy you happiness, but a 3 carat Assher cut ring can make you smile, at least for a little while before you decide to surprise your fiancé at his hotel after he survives a semi-harrowing incident on Air Force Two. And then you’re surprised, and life as you know it is over. Ooops.

# 4  – A funny catchy chapter heading can make or break the chapter contents.  

The chapter names were hilarious and gave a funny preview to the chapter contents. I loved reading them and then discovering the specific references and context for that chapter heading. That was really fun.

In summary…

I really enjoyed this book and I recommend it for people looking for a light, entertaining, chick-lit with funny, quirky, and likeable characters, the glitz and glamour of Washington, and strong friendships.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars