REVIEW: Snap Out of It by Maddie Dawson

Snap Out of It by Maddie Dawson: The Year of Billie’s 60th Birthday brings about significant change and realignment of both her career and her heart. Having created Snap Out of It Inc, featuring Heartbreak Bunny whilst on a booze inspired whim with lifetime Bestie Kat, Billie literally hops into peoples homes, cleanses them of material possessions that keeps them wallowing in the mystery pit of failed romance and bounces on her way.

To her Insta-famous daughter Louise’s horror, fame literally falls in her mother’s lap when she breaks her own bunny rules, and draws on some dead grandmother magic to help young Joey rid himself of ex-swindler girlfriend Saucy. And as Billie’s spell casting takes on a life of its own, Joey’s Morning Show TV star father catches them in the act. With sparked curiosity, Mason can’t help but invite Billie to feature as a segment on his show and as one thing leads to another, Billie’s crazy, joy-filled, romance-free life takes some whacky twists and turns forcing her to face more than her past.

Hilarious, lighthearted and insightful, Snap Out of it captures the spontaneous narrative voice of Billie perfectly. Carefree, chaotic and a complete extrovert, Billie is the type of well-constructed character that is consistent and instantly loveable. Her daughter Louise on the hand, facing a premature mid-life crisis of her own, is something entirely different; self-absorbed, superficial and straight up slapable. And whilst I think Dawson 100% nails Billie, I think she pushed the envelope a little with Louise given she’s mid-thirties and carries on like a teenager with obscene demands and zero substance.

For me however, it was the abundance of love ironies that struck a chord and with a light-touch approach to infidelity, gender roles, divorce and abandonment, it was easy to grab hold of the insight without working too hard to dig through the subtext, despite the introduction of a past love who needed immediate erasure. For many, this beauty will make you laugh and nod knowingly, as it challenges us to accept that it’s okay to have our hearts broken as long as we dust ourselves off and maintain the love of self and live joyfully no matter what.

Book Info:

Publication: 3rd January 2023 | Lake Union |

After three marriages and a lot of living, resilient Billie Slate knows exactly what trouble love can bring. Now she’s reinvented herself as the Heartbreak Bunny, an on-call performance artist who can heal anyone who’s been burned by that four-letter word, LOVE, by hopping about and whisking away sad mementos from their past relationships.

Call it magic. Call it peculiar. But her bunny costume is as perfect as her breakup mantra: SNAP OUT OF IT.

As Billie’s business goes viral and skyrockets her to sudden fame, her comfortable life turns surreal: her daughter’s marriage begins to fail, and Victor, aka Worst Husband Ever, wants not only to bond with the daughter he left but to win Billie back. Only, he’s got competition: a charming widower might be falling in love with a woman who no longer believes in love.

As every romantic notion Billie had pushed away starts pushing back, the Heartbreak Bunny must confront the possibility that, just maybe, love has some tricks left up its sleeve.