Author: Julie Pennell
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: February 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Teen / Young Adult / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: In Toulouse, Louisiana finding your one true love happens sometime around high school. If you’re lucky, he might be the man you thought he was. But as four friends are about to find out, not every girl has luck on her side in this charming debut novel perfect for fans of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Desperate Housewives.
Laura Landry’s quarterback husband was her ticket out of Toulouse. But when a devastating football injury sidelines him, they’re forced to move back to the small town she was so desperate to leave. As Brian starts drinking instead of rehabbing his knee, Laura must reevaluate what her future looks like…and if it includes her husband.
For years, Madison Blanchette has been waiting for bad-boy musician Cash Romero to commit to her. When wealthy George Dubois asks her out, she figures she may as well wait in style. Life with George means weekend trips to New Orleans, gourmet meals, and expensive gifts. At first she loves how George’s affection sparks Cash’s jealousy, but when George proposes to Madison, she finds herself torn between two men…
All Claire Thibodeaux wants is to be the perfect wife and mother. If she can do everything right she won’t end up like her mom, a divorced, single parent trying to make ends meet. But when Claire’s husband Gavin, a well-respected local pastor, starts spending late nights at work and less time in their bed, she can’t help but fear that history is about to repeat itself…
Gabrielle Vaughn never thought she’d end up with someone like her fiancé. The son of a prominent congressman, Tony Ford is completely out of her league—which is why she lied to him about everything from having a college degree to the dark truth about her family. She knows she has to come clean, but how do you tell the love of your life that your entire relationship is a lie?
As these young wives come together to help each other through life, love, and heartbreak, they discover that there are no easy answers when it comes to matters of the heart.
My Thoughts: First of all, OMG, ya’ll, where has this author been hiding? Secondly, I am kicking myself for taking so long to read this book! Honestly, I adored this book and everything about it. From the small-town community feel that gave me major Steel Magnolia vibes to the individual characters and their story lines that were so expertly fleshed out and unique. Before I started this book, I thought it was going to be a real pill trying to keep four, yes, FOUR main characters and their plots straight. I thought that it would be a real cluster and it would have been better if this were actually four separate books, but new to me author Julie Pennell totally nailed it!
Besides the characters, I also loved that the author rotates each character’s point of view for each chapter but doesn’t give the story a choppy isolated feel. By that, I mean that even though each chapter focuses on a different character, the other characters are still present and play supporting roles in each other’s story, like best friends do.
The character development and the plot pace were perfect. It was so easy to get to know these women, their history, their situations and it felt like I could be friends with all of them. I had enormous amounts of empathy for each of them and the struggles they were facing. I especially loved that the author takes the time to bring it all full circle, some with unexpected results, but it worked brilliantly! Books like this that bring so many warm fuzzies to my bookworm heart is the reason I love to read and share with others.
My Final Verdict: For the love of God, get this book! Now. Do you have it yet? I will definitely read anything this author writes, even her grocery list and you should too.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Young Wives Club from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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