BOOK REVIEW: Troubles and Treats

In Seduction and Snacks, they all fell in love. In Futures and Frosting, their bonds were forged. In Troubles and Treats, the grass is definitely greener in other people’s bedrooms.

This is the unconventional there’s-trouble-in-paradise story of Jenny and Drew, the wackiest members of our beloved lot, who finally get their own book to star in. We find them married, with two small children in tow and a marriage troubled by intimacy issues. Even though their underlying problems are nothing more than what many young couples face when they start having children, for this couple the effects are unbearable. The intense physical nature of Jenny and Drew’s relationship has always been their main strength and it was also what initially drew them to one another. When suddenly faced with struggling libidos and no activity in the bedroom, they decide to tackle the problem with every single hilariously inappropriate method they can think of. Except the one that could actually help them – open communication.

“It’s like the day the stick turned pink, her lady bits put up a giant “Out of Business” sign. Do not enter, closed for repairs, zombies will eat your face if you try to touch this vagina.”

Through numerous snippets from their life together so far, we are given an insight into what has truly been everything but a traditional romance between them. What started as a perfect match between two equally silly individuals, but true soul mates at heart, eventually gets shaken by childbirth, housework, babies crying at night, hairy vaginas, poorly utilised sex swings, stalking in-laws, shirtless neighbours, and flesh-eating zombies. Their rampant sexual appetites are no longer in sync. While Jenny is afraid that her husband might no longer find her satisfying or sexually attractive after witnessing natural birth, she is also struggling to reconcile her adventurously sexual self with her new role as a mother. Drew, on the other hand, is constantly mourning the loss of their former sex life, frequently reminiscing their past sexcapades, constantly plotting possible solutions to their problems.

“I’m pretty sure I can pinpoint exactly where I went wrong with Jenny. I blame it all on natural childbirth. No man should ever have to see his wife in that position. Somehow, now, I need to convince my wife that I do not fear her vagina. Not anymore at least.”

Drew and Jenny’s story is almost entirely told through a collection of funny sketches, matching perfectly the frivolous personalities of these two already familiar characters. Their presence in the previous books in the series was mostly used as comic relief for the reader, their absurdity and childlike approach to life knowing no boundaries, so it only feels appropriate for that tone to have been kept in a book about their life together. The humour is relentless, sugar-coating every single aspect of their story, but never questioning how uniquely compatible they are.

This is the perfect conclusion to a genuinely feel-good trilogy about real people with real relationship issues to overcome but laced with uncountable instances of snort-inducing laughter and cringe-worthy situations. A must-read for any fan of the ridiculously funny, for anyone looking for an easy but endlessly entertaining reading experience, for anyone seeking ways to spice up their bedroom life.

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