Book Review: The Accidental Husband by Jane Green

Maggie and Sylvie are perfect strangers: two very different women, living very different lives on opposite coasts. But they share more in common than they could ever imagine.
Both women have beautiful children on the verge of flying the nest, the home they worked hard to build and always longed for, and a handsome and devoted husband that they can't believe belongs to them. Both women think their lives are seamlessly secure, but they couldn't be more wrong...
For each is about to discover a secret that will shake their world to the very core, throwing into doubt everything they ever thought they knew, and bringing Maggie and Sylvie together in the most unexpected way.

The Accidental Husband by Jane Green is one of my favourite books of 2013 so far! I literally flew through it, completely gripped by the story and characters.
I don't want to spoil the plot so I shall try and discuss the plot without giving too much away. Sylvie and Maggie live two very different lives on the opposite coasts of America. Sylvie has her teenage daughter Evie from her first marriage which ended tragically with her husband's death. Sylvie's new husband travels a lot with work so she's trying to keep herself busy as she knows things will be a lot quieter when Evie leaves for university. She also begins to question why Mark has to travel so much, surely he could be at home a lot more?
Maggie is the perfect trophy wife, everything about her is immaculate; her appearance, her home, her marriage, or so she thought. She has three children and enough money in the bank to buy whatever she wants. Her whole world is about appearances so when it all comes crashing down, she very quickly finds out who her real friends are.
Jane Green's story telling captured me from the very beginning. I quickly worked out the connection between Sylvie and Maggie but I wasn't disappointed as I was intrigued as to how they would find out and more importantly, what they would do once they kne
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The book is mainly written from Maggie and Sylvie's perspectives with some input from other characters towards the end. This made the book very personal and I quickly got a good picture of these two women.
I took to the character of Sylvie more but I think that is because she is more independent than Maggie and not defined by her marriage. Maggie on the other hand was exactly the kind of woman I can't stand, she focuses on how everything appears rather than appreciating the important things in life. Maggie is the character who changes the most and I did like her more towards the end of the book but I did wonder if she would have just carried on as she was if she hadn't discovered her husband's secret?
The storyline and character that really got to me was Sylvie's daughter Evie. She is already struggling before everything happens but once the secret is out, she completely falls apart. What started as a but to lose a little bit of weight has developed into a full blown eating disorder. I thought that Jane Green handeld this issue so well. I have experience of this myself and I think she really showed the control element of an eating disorder plus the reality that only the individual can get themselves back on track. Sylvie is hugely supportive to Evie but until she wants to be well again, there is not much that she can do. Towards the end of the book, this storyline had me in tears and I have huge admiration for Jane Green and the way she presented it.
The Accidental Husband is a truly brilliant read. The characters and story lines had a depth that I wasn't really expecting. I'm embarrassed to admit that this is the first book by Jane Green that I have read but I shall definitely be checking out her back catalogue and future releases.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to the lovely Katie at Penguin for sending me a copy of this book to review, The Accidental Husband is out now!

Book Review: Between a Mother and her Child by Elizabeth Noble

For Maggie and Bill it was love at first sight...
One impulsive wedding later and with the arrival of three perfect children, Jake, Aly and Stan, the Barrett family seem to have it all. Until the day their world stops turning.
When Jake dies suddenly, they're swept away on a tide of grief that fractures Maggie and Bill's marriage. She and the children are left clinging to the wreckage of their family. And they need help, because in her grief Maggie is in danger of losing Aly and Stan too.
Enter Kate, housekeeper, companion and shoulder to cry on. She's here to pick up the pieces and fix what isn't completely broken. But can Maggie trust Kate? And why is Kate so keen to help?
When Bill falls for another woman, Maggie realises she will have to fight to put her family back together- but will they still want her?

Between a Mother and her Child is Elizabeth Noble's seventh book and I think it is her best so far. Maggie and Bill's world is torn apart when their teenage son Jake is killed in a tsunami whilst on his gap year travels. Life will never be the same again but life has to go on, especially when you have two other children depending on you. The grief caused by Jake's death leads Maggie and Bill to separate. Maggie's sister from Australia can see that the family is falling apart and enlists the help of Kate; part Mary Poppins and part rent-a-granny; Kate comes into their lives at just the right time. Bill has met another woman and Maggie realises that she may be close to losing Aly and Stan due to the barrier of grief that she has put up around her. Kate will hopefully be able to help but why doesn't she have her own family to look after?
Elizabeth Noble explores the devastating affect that grief can cause within a family. We get to know each member of the Barrett family and see their different perspectives in losing Jake and how it has affected them individually and their relationships with each other.
I thought that the book was really interesting in that Jake's death causes Maggie and Bill's marriage to come to an end but not their relationship. Of course they still have to have contact because of the children but it becomes very clear as the book develops that they still love each other. They may not want to continue their marriage but they must find a way to move on in order to find any happiness in the future.
Elizabeth Noble's writing is very poignant and there were times when I was close to tears. She is so good at giving you all the little details so you feel as though you know the characters completely and this is what kept me turning the pages.
If you haven't read any of Elizabeth Noble's books then I highly recommend them. Between a Mother and her Child is a highly emotional read but worth every page.

Dot Scribbles Rating 5/5

Many thanks to Kate at FmCm Associates for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now.

Book Review: Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner

When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician's wife- her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her senator husband.

Lizzie, the Woodruff's youngest daughter, is a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, at twenty-four, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve- a husband, a young son, the perfect home- and yet she's trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER's exam rooms, she finds herself craving more. 

When Richard's extramarital affair makes the headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to consider their lives, who they are and who they are meant to be.

I thought this book looked great when it arrived but I have to say that I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I have taken my time reading it, not because I was bored or uninterested but instead because I didn't want it to end.
Sylvie Serfer is the perfect senator's wife to her husband Richard. She makes sure that she looks pristine, says the right things and never puts a foot wrong. Which is why it comes as such a shock when she learns that Richard has been having an affair. It's hard enough for any woman in that situation but Sylvie has to endure her private life being played out on national TV for everyone and anyone to pass comment on.
Sylvie decides to get away from it all and heads to the family's house in Connecticut. Here she doesn't have to worry about putting on a few pounds or dying her hair but how long can she shut the real world away for?
Out in the real world are Sylvie and Richard's daughters, Diana and Lizzie who couldn't be more different from each other. Diana is an ER doctor, juggling a stressful career with a husband she no longer loves and a young son that she dotes upon. When one of the interns catches her eye, she can't believe hoe reckless she can be, is her marriage really that bad that she would risk losing it all?
Lizzie is the baby of the family at twenty four, she is a recovering addict who is trying to prove herself to everyone, especially her own family. Lizzie has had her addiction under control for a while but will she survive the latest family drama?
Sylvie is trying to protect her daughters from the humiliation that Richard has caused. But when they come to stay with her in Connecticut, she realises that she may have spent too much time being the perfect wife and not enough time understanding what her daughters were going through. Could this be her second chance to be the mother she always intended to be and where does Richard fit into this new family?
I'm so excited that Jennifer Weiner has written seven other books as I loved her writing style. I am very close to my older sister and I think that the author completely captured the special bond that sisters and mothers and daughters have. The book moved at a really good pace and each chapter focuses on either Sylvie, Diana or Lizzie so we get a good understanding of all of them and their family dynamic.
Fly Away Home was such an enjoyable read, I highly recommend it and hope to bring you reviews of Jennifer Weiner's other books in the future.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of the book to review, it is out now !

Book Review: A Surprise Party by Sue Welfare

When feuding sisters Suzie and Liz come together to organise a 40th anniversary party for their parents, they struggle to keep their own personal dramas in check.

Suzie is trying to keep her marriage afloat whilst Liz is keen to retain her Queen Bee status. Their mother and aunt are at logger heads and Suzie's daughters are experiencing the angst of adolescence. 

As the champagne flows and the drama unfolds; it quickly becomes clear that this is a party that no-one will ever forget- but will there be a happy family left standing?

A Surprise Party is a very enjoyable read. Suzie and Liz are organising a party for their parent's 40th wedding anniversary. The two sisters are like chalk and cheese, Suzie lives for her family and her garden whereas Liz is a judge on a TV talent show and lives for the next tabloid headline. The relationship between the sisters is mirrored in their mother Rose's relationship with her sister Fleur. It appears that all of these women have misguided perceptions about each other's lives. It is very much a case of believing that the grass is greener in each other's lives. Suzie's daughters Hannah and Megan are also struggling. Their parents aren't communicating and Hannah is feeling the peer pressure from the same group of friends that her mother has been trying to keep her away from.
A Surprise Party only covers the time period of the actual party which I didn't think would work. However it was successful as it brings all of the main characters together and the readers gets to watch the fireworks!
I think that Sue Welfare has written a lovely book that looks at family relationships that we often take for granted. I enjoyed her writing style and I was pleased to discover that she has written four other books which I shall be taking a look at.

Many thanks to Avon for sending me a copy of the book to review, A Surprise Party is out now.