Tuesday, February 23, 2016

A Girl's Guide to Moving On


A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber

In this powerful and uplifting novel from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Debbie Macomber, a mother and her daughter-in-law bravely leave their troubled marriages and face the challenge of starting over. Leaning on each other, Nichole and Leanne discover that their inner strength and capacity for love are greater than they ever imagined.

When Nichole discovers that her husband, Jake, has been unfaithful, the illusion of her perfect life is indelibly shattered. While juggling her young son, a new job, and volunteer work, Nichole meets Rocco, who is the opposite of Jake in nearly every way. Though blunt-spoken and rough around the edges, Rocco proves to be a dedicated father and thoughtful friend. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, Jake wagers everything on winning Nichole back—including their son Owen’s happiness. Somehow, Nichole must find the courage to defy her fears and follow her heart, with far-reaching consequences for them all.

Leanne has quietly ignored her husband’s cheating for decades, but is jolted into action by the echo of Nichole’s all-too-familiar crisis. While volunteering as a teacher of English as a second language, Leanne meets Nikolai, a charming, talented baker from Ukraine. Resolved to avoid the heartache and complications of romantic entanglements, Leanne nonetheless finds it difficult to resist Nikolai’s effusive overtures—until an unexpected tragedy tests the very fabric of her commitments.**

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the book in exchange for a honest review.

I love to read anything by Debbie Macomber. Lately though I've not been so happy with the books. They weren't bad just not what I was wanting. This one though was one that I couldn't put down. I loved reading the story of a young woman and an older woman finding their way after divorce. The fact that they were connected made the story that much better.

Nichole is trying to get used to being a single parent. She found out that her husband was a cheater just like his father but unlike his mother she couldn't look the other way. She couldn't stay in a marriage where she would constantly be wondering if he was seeing someone else. He was still trying to make her life miserable. Coming up with excuse after excuse to try and make the divorce take longer. One particular day she just had gotten off the phone with Jake and the promptly backed into a ditch. The tow truck driver was a good looking guy, not her usual type but he was an answer to a prayer she didn't know she needed. Rocco was unexpected but a welcome change to what she thought she liked.

Leanne had lived with her husband for 35 years. He had women on the side for most of the marriage and she put up with it. When she found out that her son Jake was doing the same thing to her daughter in law, she knew that her just taking the back seat and accepting that Sean was going to have mistresses she showed her son that it was okay to do the same to his wife. When Nichole left Jake she left Sean and finally stood up for herself. She began doing volunteer work and starting living a life. Meeting Nikolai, a student in her learning English class, and him showing her that she was worthy of love was more then Leanne ever thought would happen at her age.

This was a quick read. I loved Rocco and his daughter and what they brought to Nichole's life with her son. I loved that this book showed that you don't have to be walked all over, that you have a choice. Divorce is messy but sometimes its necessary. Starting over at any age is daunting, but these two women had each other to lean on and to grow with. They started the Girls Guide to have something written down to follow to make it day by day. A great story by a favorite author. Leave her love in the form of a review.

**Goodreads summary

No comments:

Post a Comment