Karissa Newcomb is ready for a new start in a new neighborhood, as far away as she can get from Seattle, where her husband cheated on her with the neighbor who was supposed to be her best friend. She and her nine-year-old daughter are moving on to the city of Gig Harbor on the bay in Puget Sound. She even has a new job as an assistant at a small publishing company right in Gig Harbor. Her new boss seems like a bit of a curmudgeon, but a job is a job, she loves to read, and the idea of possibly meeting writers sounds fabulous.
Soon she finds she’s not the only one in need of a refresh. Her new neighbors, Alice and Margot, are dealing with their own crises. Alice is still grieving her late husband and hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel of a car since a close call after his death. Margot is floundering after getting divorced and laid off in quick succession. They could all use a distraction and a book club seems like just the ticket. Together, the three women, along with Alice’s grumpy older sister, Josie, embark on a literary journey that just might be the kick start they need to begin building their best lives yet.
Karissa's marriage fell apart when her husband and her best friend got together. So she is starting her life over with her young daughter in a new town and with a new job. Once she settles in, she befriends three women ... Margot, who was recently been downsized from her management job, and Alice and Josie, older sisters who are both widows. Because they all like to read, they decided to form a book club with each of them taking turns picking the books which brings them closer as they all have issues in their lives they have to deal with.
I've read many books by this author and thought this one was okay, though bland. It is written in third person perspective with the focus shifting between the four friends. It was more religious than I would have liked. When I started reading it, I assumed by their manners that Alice and Josie were well into their seventies and eighties ... I was surprised to find they are only in their late fifties/early sixties (so my age). Josie was too extreme ... she was very rude and cranky and I don't know why anyone would want to bother with her (she and her daughter were estranged) yet the other three put up with her. I found the Karissa - Edward relationship unrealistic. Karissa is still hurting over the break-up of her marriage and Edward is her boss who barely acknowledges her but suddenly she was in love with him?
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