None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive: A Novel

Perfect for fans of Maria Semple and Jennifer Weiner, this “laugh-out-loud gem” (Beck Dorey-Stein, New York Times bestselling) of a debut novel follows Ramona through the forty-eight hours after her life has been upended by the discovery of her husband’s affair and an approaching hurricane.

Ramona has a bratty boss, a potty-training toddler, a critical and over-sharing mom, and oops—a cheating husband. That’s how a Category Four hurricane bearing down on her life in Savannah becomes just another item on her to-do list. In the next forty-eight hours she’ll add a neighborhood child and the class guinea pig named Clarence Thomas to her entourage as she struggles to evacuate town.

Ignoring the persistent glow of her minivan’s check engine light, Ramona navigates police check points, bathroom emergencies, demands from her boss, and torrential downpours while fielding calls and apology texts from her cheating husband and longing for the days when her life was like a Prince song, full of sexy creativity and joy.

Thoroughly entertaining and completely relatable, None of This Would Have Happened if Prince Were Alive is the “keenly observant, fast-paced” (Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs) story of modern womanhood.

Carolyn Prusa has written for Savannah Magazine, The Charlotte Observer, and other publications. She lives in Savannah with her husband, two sons, and giant rescue dog, Dale, who looks like a Wookie and sings like an angel. Find out more on Twitter @CarolynPrusa.

ISBN: 9781982188870
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: November 07, 2023

"Engaging debut...there's a lot to enjoy in this thoughtful outing." --Publishers Weekly"A story that explores how individual identity and happiness can be unintentionally misplaced in marriage and motherhood." --Kirkus Reviews"It's not often you read a book that makes you laugh and makes your heart pound with excitement but Carolyn Prusa's debut does just that. Her heroine Ramona uses humor and her love for pop star Prince to navigate dueling crises in her life and takes a surprisingly poignant journey along the way." —Laurie Gelman, author of Smells Like Tween Spirit and Class Mom"Both insightful and messy in the most relatable way, None of This Would Have Happened If Prince Were Alive will have you cackling, nodding in agreement, and rooting hard for Ramona as she battles various storms — literal and figurative." —Laura Hankin, author of A Special Place for Women and Happy and You Know It“A keenly observant, fast-paced comedy that illustrates just how tough it can be – as Prince would say – 'to get through this thing called life.' Finding humor in heartbreak, Prusa presents a strong-willed heroine who copes with one indignity after another, from the acutely embarrassing to the brutally life-changing, all while dodging in and out of the path of an oncoming hurricane.” —Amy Poeppel, author of Musical Chairs"Fans of Amy Poehler and Maria Semple, rejoice! Carolyn Prusa has written an absolute hit. Wry, charming, and all too real, this is a laugh-out-loud gem of a novel." —Beck Dorey-Stein, New York Times bestselling author of From the Corner of the Oval"This energetic, uproariously funny portrait of motherhood will appeal to fans of Laurie Gelman and Maria Semple." —Booklist, starred review