Reviewed by Bernice Leahy on June 22, 2026 on Amazon.uk
Love is the Punch Line by Kathleen Jones is an offbeat, aspiring romance between jaded comic Josh Steinberg and Holly Brannigan, a Canadian businesswoman.
Short, fat, and balding, with his career on the wane, Josh has never had much luck with the ladies until he meets the savvy Holly, who sees another side to the washed-up comic.
I loved the sometimes subtle and at other times laugh-out-loud humour peppered throughout the novel. The fledgling romance between Josh and Holly is a joy to read. These characters, along with others in the book, are extremely well-developed and multifaceted. The relationship between the two main protagonists was intriguing and relatable. Both characters are wonderfully written. The pace was reassuringly consistent, and I loved Josh’s self-deprecating humour. The author creates a vivid picture in your mind, allowing you to immerse yourself in this fabulous love story.
I thoroughly enjoyed Love is the Punch Line and would recommend it for many reasons, including the story itself, the in-depth character development, and its vivid descriptions. Proving that love can triumph in the end.
Imagine having a job you have worked so hard at and enjoyed. To be demoted and doing grunt work. That is what is happening to Sarah. Now she has to reconsider her place in this work field. This story is told by Sarah and all she has to withstand. Can she dig her way out or will she continue to be taken advantage of? What would you do in her position? This is an amazing fact-finding story with a strong woman fighting her way through the work field. The author of this story went forward to put real life into her story. It’s well written and a fantastic story to read. I found this story to be informative as well as making me look back at the jobs I have had. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Posted on Goodreads by Katie Turner, July 15, 2025
In The War on Sarah Morris, we are taken on a realistic journey with our MC Sarah. She is recently demoted to what she considers menial work after years of book editing with this well-known company. Sarah navigates this transition with feelings of frustration, hurt and betrayal towards her untrustworthy superiors, while finding her own determination and voice. But is the fear of not having a reliable income worth digging in her heels and blowing the whistle on the deceptive and corrupt behavior taking place?
I loved this story from beginning to end. It was realistic and relatable on so many levels. The feelings Sarah battled with internally are what many of us have thought and felt about our career. It was refreshing to have this reminder that we are not crazy and ‘ungrateful’ for feeling outraged by workplace mistreatment. We’re taught by our employers we’re replaceable so fake the happiness and do the work. Not Sarah Morris!
Posted on Goodreads by Tammy Turner on July 13, 2025.
The War on Sarah Morris by Kathleen Jones is an honest look at what happens when Sarah’s role as editor for a publishing company gets redefined into a list of tasks that she considers grunt work. The tasks become overwhelming Sarah finds herself working hours of unpaid overtime to try to keep up. The company culture turns into one of suppression, and Sarah feels trapped. The book is written from Sarah’s perspective, and I found myself rooting for Sarah to stand up for herself. On the much broader spectrum, this book brings up some philosophical questions about why we work and about the work we do. I recommend the thought-provoking book for anyone who questions their place in the corporate environment.
(Posted July 13, 2025 by Jessie Hopkins on Goodreads)
4 Stars
The inner monologue of Sarah had me rolling. Sarah has so much going on and in order to stay employed she often has to bite her tongue and deal with it silently.
As her company continues to reorganize and downsize, as they attempt to survive during the recession. She is stressed as the jobs market threatens her way of life along with her friends and other coworkers. She tries to see the bright side, that she is still employed, but that’s difficult with how her company and job position keep changing.
This book puts into perspective what many go through at a time when they feel like their jobs and lives should be more stable. It shows the challenges that financial concerns put onto a person’s life in every aspect – family, friends, personal, professional – and makes everything difficult.
Imagine having a job you have worked so hard at and enjoyed. To be demoted and doing grunt work. That is what is happening to Sarah. Now she has to reconsider her place in this work field. This story is told by Sarah and all she has to withstand. Can she dig her way out or will she continue to be taken advantage of? What would you do in her position? This is an amazing fact finding story with a strong woman fighting her way through the work field. The author of this story went forward to put real life into her story. It’s well written and a fantastic story to read. I found this story to be informative as well as making me look back at the jobs I have had. I look forward to reading more from this author.
We have all felt like the world is against us and everything that can go wrong will. This is the entire emotion of this book about Sarah Morris. She is blindsided by hit after hit of bad news from her job , to everything that she tries to do to better her and Steven’s lives. The office politics and practices in this story are sadly realistic in today’s business world. Kathleen Jones is a wonderful author who puts real emotion into her plot and character development. She has made the main character naive and desperate, making me the reader really pull for something to go right for a change. Great book, easy to read, and definitely relatable
Kathleen Jones writes a true to life tale with The War on Sarah Morris
In The War on Sarah Morris, the reader is introduced to Sarah Morris, the titular character. She’s an editor that has been working for years at this prominent publishing company, and then, it strikes. I am a fan of Kathleen Jones and want read whatever this author writes. This author has a grand imagination, and talent for showing the story. One minute you’re a devoted employee, and the next minute, you’re reassigned, essentially demoted. Anyone who has ever been in this position, can understand what Sarah is going through, and how sometimes you just give up and give in because you need the paycheck. It’s either demotion or head out the door, willingly or not. Sarah discovers what is actually happening, and how a freelancer is doing her job, and now, all she is doing is tagging books. Of course, the company is cutting back, but as many do, they do not look at the loyal employees, they look at their salary and where they cut costs. They look for people who will not fight back, however, Sarah, though she seems like the world is against her, pushing her into a corner she doesn’t like, they are not prepared for Sarah’s strength and gumption. Sarah is a very relatable character, and her new nemesis, is just a typical person, also wanting to get recognition and the paycheck. The new favorite employee is only there until the next favorite employee. Kathleen Jones not only tells the story but shows it with words as well. It’s a great story to follow and try to figure out what will happen next. The characters are so real, it’s like being with them within the story. The War on Sarah Morris is a definite recommendation by Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy’s Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book also write a review.
#Fiction #Drama #ABSR #storytelling #reviews
About the Book:
ONE DAY, YOU’RE A VALUED EMPLOYEE OF THE COMPANY … THE NEXT DAY, YOU’RE BEING PUSHED OUT THE DOOR.
What happens when your secure corporate job suddenly becomes precarious? Book editor Sarah Morris finds herself in this predicament when the company she has served for twenty-one years is reorganized. Sarah’s boss gives all the company’s book editing projects to freelancers and a pet employee, unofficially demoting Sarah, who must spend her days tagging documents. And when Sarah’s boss starts bullying her, she realizes that she’s been pigeonholed into a dead-end job.
Review posted by Glenn Perrett on Metroland Media’s 20 plus news sites on October 29, 2024.
The War on Sarah Morris” is a sobering look at how many corporate jobs have changed.
By Legacy Book Press photo
Kathleen Jones
Legacy Book Press
2024, 237 pages
ISBN: 9798987482346
Sarah Morris is a middle-aged, experienced editor for the book publisher Quill Pen Press and she has been for more than 20 years. When her company is reorganized in an attempt to deal with a poor economy, Sarah’s job changes considerably. While she still has her job title and salary, she no longer edits books. That rewarding, satisfying responsibility has been given mostly to freelance editors.
For Sarah, losing her editing work is a big blow, but it is made even worse when her former editing responsibilities are replaced with “mind-numbing work” — and lots of it. In fact, Sarah is now doing the work of three people and she is not paid for the considerable overtime she has to do to meet her unreasonable workload.
Having her reasonable amount of satisfying work replaced by an unreasonable amount of boring, tedious assignments is not Sarah’s only problem. Sarah’s bosses are now bullying her. And the terrible treatment that she receives is not unique to her situation as older, loyal colleagues are losing their jobs to younger, less expensive employees. And this is also happening throughout the corporate world making getting a new job for an older, experienced person very difficult. Outsourcing work to freelancers who aren’t provided with pensions, dental plans and other benefits is another corporate strategy to increase revenue.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is not only a sobering look at how many corporate jobs have changed — and not for the better — but it is also an entertaining novel where you find yourself cheering for Sarah whose career has been decimated by corporate greed and bullies disguised as managers.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is a thought-provoking and an ultimately hopeful novel that I recommend.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is a fictional satire about a dystopian workplace named Quill Pen Press and the effect it has on Sarah Morris, a woman in her 50s. Imagine what a bad employer might look like, multiply that by 10x, and you’ll get Quill Pen Press.
“The War on Sarah Morris” is not always a pretty novel to read. It’s rather bleak. I feel that my empathy skills have improved after reading the novel, because I felt Sarah Morris’ pain. I feel that this novel is a page-turner, because I wanted to know how it ends.
The novel provides a great springboard for a philosophical discussion. I found myself wondering about the following questions: -Why do we work? -In what ways do you identify with Sarah Morris? -What would you do differently than Sarah Morris? -How could companies do better?
“The War on Sarah Morris” is a thought-provoking and an ultimately hopeful novel that I recommend.
Kathleen Jones, The Quirky Novelist 