Reviewed by Lucinda E Clarke for Readers' Favorite

In Rainbows and Lollipops, author Mo Fanning introduces us to Victoria, who was born Victor, and is now the senior partner of the second-largest law firm in Birmingham. She is friends with Jake who came out when he was a teenager but has recently lost his partner, the love of his life, Tom. Lucy lost her mother at the age of fourteen and has a rocky relationship with her father. She is now too busy planning her perfect wedding to even think of her life after the ceremony. While each has their own grief and frustrations to cope with, their problems bring them closer. However, besides the personal challenges, there is a worldwide secret cabal on the wrong side of the law which affects every one of them. Do they have any idea what they are up against? It helps that Vicky is a seasoned lawyer, and Lucy’s father is known internationally as The Scambuster, but who are the shadowy figures whipping up hate against groups who are not neurotypical? And as new people become friends, can they be trusted? Are friends those you choose to spend time with over family who fail to understand you?

I loved Mo Fanning’s Rainbows and Lollipops. This book features characters outside the mainstream. It took a little while to get into it, but the scene changes were clear moving from one character and scenario to the next. The interactions are quirky, yet subtle, and the comedy workshop Jake attends is very amusing, albeit no jokes are told. The author handles dialogue well. Lucy’s interactions with her father ring true and Jake’s reactions to his father’s dementia are heartrending. Moving back home to live with parents is a theme few of us like to face, a trip back in time to earlier, uncomfortable years. The book is a rollercoaster of humor and pathos. Fanning takes us into the hilarious plans for Lucy’s perfect wedding, possibly poking fun at the extreme lengths some go to for a few hours in a desperate effort to impress others. A very interesting read.