“I go to sleep feeling happy in the bone-deep way that comes from doing nothing with the people who are everything.”
― Laura Marie Meyers, The MASH Up

MANSION / APARTMENT / SHACK / HOUSE

As soon as I saw The MASH Up by Laura Marie Meyers and its 1990s cover art sitting on the new romance shelf at work, I knew I needed to read it. A MASH game coming true? Sign me up. This could have been a nightmare, but was actually a dreamy romance packed full of technicolor and disco balls.

Ruby Wynne is the definition of a rule-follower. Working as an accountant with her partner at the same company, Ruby’s life is beige and consistent, exactly how she likes it. Their future is planned and she is ready to take the next step. All her plans go up in smoke on her thirty-fifth birthday when her partner breaks up with her. At a loss, Ruby makes a birthday wish out of the ordinary.

The next day, Ruby wakes up inside a MASH game from seventh grade. Living in a mansion with two pools and thirteen fish, driving a tie-dye Jeep, and owning a roller-disco restaurant, Ruby is shocked at how different and colorful this life is. All of her childhood dreams have come true except for one. Her love interest in this MASH game? Her brother’s best friend, Penn Hayes. Penn is annoying and irritatingly handsome. The two have zero romance. Confused and worried about how to get home, Ruby decides that she must romance Penn and win his heart in order to return to reality. Ruby must throw away the rules that she has lived her entire life by. Ruby has nothing to lose on her journey to find the love and life she has been searching for all along.

This magical realism, escapist romance was an absolute delight. It gave me intense feelings of nostalgia for romantic comedy movies from the 1990s and a desire to buy more Lisa Frank notebooks. Solid recommendation if you’re looking for a charming read full of witty banter and clever characters.