the high cost of home ownership

Margo Miyake is running out of time. She and her husband Ian had sold their starter house to have the money to make an offer on an upgrade. They found the house and made the offer. And got rejected. That was ten offers and a year and half ago. Eighteen months of living in a small apartment, making sacrifices to save up for that perfect house. She’s taken a job as a publicist because it pays more than her journalism job. She has put off having a baby, so she can have the perfect house before she adds to the family. And the stress of the house hunt in wearing her down.

Ian is a lawyer, working for the EPA, so together they can make a decent offer on a house. But the market is so flooded with buyers that the other offers all seem to outshine theirs. And then Margo gets the phone call.

There is a gorgeous house coming to the market soon. The neighborhood is fabulous, the house is perfect, and there is even a tire swing in the backyard, something Margo had dreamed of since she’d been a girl. She thinks that the only way to get the house is to meet the owners and get them to agree to their offer before the house goes on the market. While checking out the house, she meets one of the owners and then “accidentally” bumps into him in a local hot yoga class. They get to talking, and it turns out that Jack and his husband Curtis have adopted a girl, and Jack is more than willing to give Margo advice on how to navigate the adoption process. (Are Margo and Ian adopting? Not at all. But if it breaks the ice, then Margo is fine with Jack believing it.)

Jack ends up inviting Margo and Ian over for dinner, and they get to meet the whole family. But something goes wrong, and Jack and Curtis figure out why they’re really there, to scope out the house. Curtis orders them to leave, and Ian thinks that the road to that house is officially closed. But Margo won’t give up so easily. And when she finds a random comment online about how Curtis can’t be trusted, she is like a dog with a bone. She doesn’t care about her job. She doesn’t care about who she hurts. All she cares about is that house. But if Margo can figure out a way to make the best offer, will she have anything left for her new life?

Best Offer Wins is a debut novel that holds nothing back. Author Marisa Kashino brings the intelligence, the humor, and the darkness of human nature to this powerful story of one woman’s obsession to build the perfect life. There are crazy twists and shocking secrets in this book that is just too insane to set aside.

I listened to the audio book of Best Offer Wins, narrated with beautiful snark by Cia Court. She brings the voice of Margo to life, with all of her devious plans and desperate ideas, and drives this story through each crazy decision Margo makes. I did not want to stop listening to this book. I had to, because life, but every time I could go back and find out what Margo was up to, I grabbed my headphones and headed back to Washington, D.C. to learn more about beating the housing market.

I loved Best Offer Wins. It’s smart, it’s funny, and it’s so beautifully written for a first novel. It was a wild ride, as anyone who has bought real estate in a crowded market can attest, and I can’t wait to see where Kashino takes us next.

Egalleys for Best Offer Wins were provided by Celadon Books, and a copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.