Author: Susan Mallery
Narrator: Tanya Eby
Publisher: Harlequin - Mira
Publication Date: February 2019
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: The California sunshine’s not quite so bright for three sisters who get dumped in the same week…
Finola, a popular LA morning show host, is famously upbeat until she’s blindsided on live TV by news that her husband is sleeping with a young pop sensation who has set their affair to music. While avoiding the tabloids and pretending she’s just fine, she’s crumbling inside, desperate for him to come to his senses and for life to go back to normal.
Zennie’s breakup is no big loss. Although the world insists she pair up, she’d rather be surfing. So agreeing to be the surrogate for her best friend is a no-brainer—after all, she has an available womb and no other attachments to worry about. Except…when everyone else, including her big sister, thinks she’s making a huge mistake, being pregnant is a lot lonelier—and more complicated—than she imagined.
Never the tallest, thinnest or prettiest sister, Ali is used to being overlooked, but when her fiancé sends his disapproving brother to call off the wedding, it’s a new low. And yet Daniel continues to turn up “for support,” making Ali wonder if maybe—for once—someone sees her in a way no one ever has.
But side by side by side, these sisters will start over and rebuild their lives with all the affection, charm and laugh-out-loud humor that is classic Susan Mallery.
My Thoughts: After reading this book, I am perplexed how this book escaped my notice for so long and am wishing I had picked it up sooner. It was a thoroughly enjoyable story that captivated me immediately. I loved the premise of three sisters who all get dumped the same week in very different ways and how these women rebuild their lives in unexpected ways.
The sisters were all different but very likable. Finola is the oldest and is a typical go-getter personality. She’s very career driven and enjoys the fruits of her success with her equally successful plastic surgeon husband living the dream in Beverly Hills. Finding out her husband has been unfaithful is bad enough but having your private pain and embarrassment become local fodder for the tabloids is a nightmare.
Zennie is a surgical nurse who loves her career and doesn’t think being in a relationship is a big deal. She’s happy being single and independent and the guy she is dating is a really nice guy but realizes she isn’t into him so they have an amicable breakup. When Zennie’s best friend and cancer survivor approaches Zennie to ask her to be a surrogate, Zennie doesn’t hesitate. She isn’t planning on getting pregnant for herself anytime soon and if she can help her best friend become a mother, Zennie is more than happy to do it. She doesn’t count on the changes her body goes through, physically and hormonally and is shocked at the lack of support people around her are displaying.
Ali has lived in the shadow of her sisters all of her life but she doesn’t let it stop her even if she feels invisible most of the time. She’s engaged to be married and is neck deep in planning a wedding to occur in a few weeks. That is, until her future brother-in-law, Daniel, shows up on her doorstep to tell her that her fiancé is dumping her but doesn’t have the cajónes to do it himself.
I enjoyed the multiple perspectives from each sister and seeing how their individual situations played out. This book moved at a wonderful pace, keeping me engaged and invested in the story and the characters. This book made me laugh and I also got a little misty eyed at parts. I paired the reading of this book with the audiobook format and very much enjoyed the narration performed by Tanya Eby.
My Final Verdict: I highly recommend this story and look forward to reading more from this author. Readers who love women’s fiction or stories that are highly character driven will enjoy this.
Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin - Mira, who provided an advance reader copy of this book via NetGalley.
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