The Survivor's Guide to Family Happiness

Available: October 25, 2016

Unfortunately, I struggled to get into the rhythm of this Maddie Dawson novel which is unusual since I typically rip through them at a ferocious pace. Once I got almost to the end, it finally started coming together and the epilogue was the absolute best part of the novel.

What I loved: Lindy – I wanted more of her…why does she think in odd numbers? What was her relationship with her brothers? How did she get her marriage really back on track? What did she really do about all of the plastic moms? I know Nina was the heroine of the tale, but Lindy was far more interesting.

What I didn’t love: Nina’s unreal expectations and habit of creating these elaborate fantasies of how things were going to happen. It never turned out as she expected and just lead to disappointment and confusion.

What I learned: Family is not created by being born into a group of people – it’s the ones you surround yourself with.