Reviews
One for Sorrow, Two for Joy
"Elise Juska is so good at describing people, places, and moments that you not only picture them, you feel them. A novel of heart, humor, and intelligence, One for Sorrow, Two for Joy is a true pleasure to read."
Curtis Sittenfeld, bestselling author of Prep and American Wife
"Elise Juska has written a wry, wise and heartfelt novel about the ways in which we grieve. Her characters are rich with the kind of complications that make a novel sing. Juska's passion for language, and for the ways in which it tries, and sometimes fails, to represent who we are, give this lovely book a resonance that crosses not only family lines, but geographical borders, too."
Marisa Silver, author of Babe in Paradise and No Direction Home
"With pen-not-pencil confidence and skill, Elise Juska has deftly crafted the puzzle of a crossword creator's struggle to understand the mysteries of family, love and self-worth."
Suzanne Strempek Shea, author of Sundays in America
"With her keen ear and discerning eye, Juska has soaked up the details that make her characters full-bodied and bring her settings to life . . . [I]t is Juska's delicate touch and note-perfect writing that allow her to gather the threads of the shrewdly observed details and weave them around her vivid characters, making One for Sorrow, Two for Joy a memorable, rewarding pleasure."
The Philadelphia Inquirer
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"The simplicity of the narrative creates a lovely counterpoint with Juska's own sophisticated wordplay."
New Statesman
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A "Don't Miss" Read
MORE Magazine
"There is much to like about this novel, from its beautiful and accurate descriptions of simple objects to Juska's efforts to show how each unique character relates to others. Many passages are sad, funny, witty, and relevant all at once . . . [characters] are fully-realized and empathetic . . . themes as familiar as sibling rivalry become fresh and interesting with the author's careful treatment."
Irish Echo
"Each setting is attentively described, and the characters that populate Juska's novel are rendered with the same tenderness as the places they inhabit."
Philadelphia Style Magazine
"[A] story about the powerful and gradual dawning of truth in an otherwise circumscribed life."
Irish Voice
"[T]here's much to like in UArts writing teacher Elise Juska's empathetic portrait of a smart woman who's finally figuring that it's OK not to know everything . . ."
Philadelphia City Paper
"[I]nsightful, amusing, heartfelt, and beautifully written . . . Claire is a clever, tender, but wounded heroine for whom you will care."
Ocean City Gazette
"The Emerald Isle and its people are wonderfully captured."
Contra Costa Times
"[T]he freshest character I have encountered in a long time . . ."
Cozy Library
The Hazards of Sleeping Alone
"In this poignant and often funny novel, Elise Juska does the work of an archaeologist; she digs deep to uncover subterranean truths about loneliness, the mysteries of human connection and the delicate push-pull of mother-daughter relationships. She excavates, she reveals, and she gets it exactly right."
Carolyn Parkhurst, bestselling author of The Dogs of Babel
"Elise Juska's fiction is my favorite kind: fun, funny, real, and full of feeling."
Shawn McBride, author of Green Grass Grace
"Elise Juska writes of real people and her voice rings true. Charlotte is an utterly original character: at once fearful and hopeful, honest and funny, naive and wise. This is a wonderful novel."
Lisa Tucker, author of The Song Reader and Shout Down the Moon
"A powerful success."
Kirkus Reviews
"Anyone who has awakened in the night alone and afraid will rejoice at Charlotte's transformation."
Booklist
"This novel is class-act . . . delv[ing] into deeper issues of love, family, loneliness, interracial relationships, and the possibility of the future."
Curled Up With a Good Book
"The Hazards of Sleeping Alone will show mothers and daughters that words must be said, feelings might get hurt, and in the end, they can teach each other."
The Weekender (Northeastern PA)
"[A] revealing and realistic portrait of a woman who's always been so afraid of what she can't see that she's never realized what she can become . . . her growth process is a pleasure to witness."
Romantic Times
"Mothers and daughters should both read The Hazards of Sleeping Alone."
Complete Woman, Book Club selection
A "Don't Miss" Read
MORE Magazine
"[R]ichly authentic, deeply sensitive . . . You'll find yourself empathizing deeply."
Times-Leader
"Wonderful, poignant . . . a well-written story of love and compassion. Read The Hazards of Sleeping Alone yourself and then pass it on to your mother or daughter."
BookLoons
Getting Over Jack Wagner
"A fine, smart, funny newcomer brings a bit of Bridget Jones, a touch of High Fidelity, a high pop-cultural IQ, and a refreshing emotional take to her debut outing. . . . [C]lever structure, swift pacing, emotional insight, and an ultimately charming voice make this one a standout."
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Critic's Choice"
People Magazine
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"Juska's voice--fresh, clever, and sometimes hilarious--pulls you through swiftly to a refreshingly atypical ending."
Philadelphia Magazine
"Juska's first novel is as light and winning as a 1980s love song--and in its own way, as earnest."
Booklist
"Juska's wryly imagined story--which happily ends up being more about Eliza than Eliza's needing a guy--is a highly entertaining trip back to the good old days."
Miami Herald
"It's a very funny book--and I'm flattered to be in it!"
Jack Wagner
"Juska perfectly captures the child of the 80s who's all grown up. . . With an ending that's unconventional but satisfying."
Absolute Write
"[F]un and funny . . . brilliantly offsetting the more serious and difficult themes of self-understanding and adjustment."
All About Romance
"This novel really talks about more than just one girl's habits with dating. It gives insight into the psyche of the female mind."
The New Hampshire
"Hilarious and heartbreaking."
The Current Online
"Smartly funny, fresh . . . delves into the hard truths about self, love and relationships."
Romance Reviews Today
Selected as "Hot Fiction Paperback" and recommended "Summer Reading" by Powell's
A Borders Recommendation for Women's Fiction
"With a poignant, touching debut, Juska will have you laughing one minute, shaking your head in agreement the next, and near tears at other times . . . a true winner."
The Word on Romance
"A fun look at the romantic life of a late-blooming twenty-something."
Philadelphia Daily News
"Getting Over Jack Wagner is a welcome change of pace. It may be, in fact, 'all you need.'"
The Romance Reader



