Book Review: The Husband Diet by Nancy Barone

What if the thing you really need to lose is him?
Erica Cantelli's life feels more suffocating than a size four dress.
On the surface she's maintaining the image of successful career woman, perfect wife and a doting mother with two young children.
In reality she's running out of hours in the day; 6 dress sizes bigger than she wants to be; ad the only man who shows her any affection is her gay best friend.
In fact, fantasising about how to kill her increasingly disinterested husband is just about all that keeps Erica sane. That and a whole different type of fantasising about the incredibly handsome new school principal, Julian Foxham.
When her husband jokes about trading her in for two size tens, Erica knows something has to change. But is another diet really the answer? Or is getting rid of him the fastest path to happiness? Now if she could only stop thinking about the gorgeous Mr Foxham, maybe she could make up her mind...
For any woman who's ever felt under-appreciated, or thought about giving up on their dreams, Erica is a laugh-out-loud funny breath of fresh air. 

The Husband Diet by Nancy Barone is an entertaining read. Erica has made sacrifices for her husband and two children so when her husband tells her that she is too fat and that he no longer finds her attractive, what should she do? Lose the weight and save her marriage or get rid of her husband in one of the many ways she has been fantasising about? Add into this problem, the handsome Julian Foxham, who has no problem with her size and who Erica can't get out of her head.
The Husband Diet is extremely light-hearted but it does not lack substance. Nancy Barone questions how far we will go to make others happy even if those actions, make you, yourself unhappy. Erica wants to save her marriage but she does not want to become a completely different person.
I enjoyed the characters that the author created and the writing style. My only criticism was that I felt as though some events were rushed. There were a few situations where I felt as though something was suddenly happening and there had not been much setting of the scene so I had to go back and read again to get my bearings.
Overall, Nancy Barone's book is very enjoyable. It will appear to readers who want a strong but realistic female character, the one who would pick the double chocolate cake over the fruit salad.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 3.75/5

Many thanks to the lovely Oliver at Bookouture, The Husband Diet is available on 31st May.

Check out the Bookouture website, they are doing very interesting things in digital publishing and have some really exciting titles coming out!

Book Review: Dear Thing by Julie Cohen

Claire and Ben are the perfect couple. But behind the glossy facade, they've been desperately trying- and failing- to have a baby for years. Now, the stress and feelings of loss are taking their toll on their marriage. Claire's ready to give up hope and get on with her life, but Ben is not. And then Ben's best friend, Romily, offers to conceive via artificial insemination and carry the baby for them.
Romily acts in good faith, believing it will be easy to be a surrogate. She's already a single mother, and has no desire for any more children. Except that being pregnant with Ben's child stirs up all sorts of emotions in her, including one she's kept hidden for a very long time: Ben's the only man she's ever loved.
Two mothers and one baby who belongs to both of them, which only one of them can keep. 

Wow, this book was a real emotional roller-coaster  I have read and enjoyed Julie Cohen's books in the past but Dear Thing was on a different level.
Claire and Ben have been trying for a baby for a long time; when their latest round of IVF fails, Claire is ready to give up. Ben, however, is clinging on to hope that they will be able to have a child. When his best friend, Romily offers to be a surrogate, Ben thinks it will be the answer to all of his and Claire's problems. Romily already has Posie; she's a single mum and has no desire to have another child. She would do anything for Ben but it may have been better to tell him she loves him before offering to carry his and Claire's chid.
Julie Cohen packs so many emotions into this book, Claire and Ben have been through so much, they have been so focused on having a baby that they may have lost sight of each other. Meanwhile, Romily is still getting used to being Posie's mum but maybe she's more of a natural mother than she thought. Will she really be able to hand over this baby after 9 months?
Dear Thing was a really interesting read, I thought it was particularly good as to how Julie Cohen approached the issue of parenthood. Ben, Claire and Romily all have different views on what makes a good parent and at the end of the day they are all right as the most important thing is
that the child is loved and wanted.
Dear Thing is a highly emotive read. The characters were realistic and the relationships between them made the story very intensive. This book is not just about surrogacy but love, friendship and parenthood. Dear Thing will have you gripped from the very beginning and leave you with a lot to think about by the end.

Dot Scribbles Rating: 5/5

Many thanks to Transworld for sending me a copy of the book to review, Dear Thing is out now.