Abandoned by Booklikes

I really wanted to like this novel more than I did. I liked the entire premise and for the first few chapters I got a feel for the two main protagonists, Nora and Annie. However, this novel quickly went downhill and transformed itself into a novel dealing with two women's petty jealousies, how adoption is a horrible thing to happen to you, and several chapters of dealing with one of the main characters hatred toward working mothers. It eventually collapsed into a nonsensical ending that left me feeling confused and angry that I wasted several hours of reading time on this novel.

Ms. Wilde's novel focuses on Nora and Annie. Nora and Annie are childhood best friends' who end up working/being married to a teacher at a boarding school on the East Coast near Boston.

Nora, who is adopted (I emphasis that since every line in this novel when Nora is narrating references this fact) and is desperate to have children of her own since she will finally have a flesh and blood relative. Also Nora who is newly married still has "feelings" about her ex David.

Annie, who has been with her partner for several years and has two children of her own and is dealing with the fact that her family is not doing great financially since she has decided to become a full-time working mother even though her husband is still paying alimony and money towards his soon to be ex-wife.

The main catalyst in these two women's lives though is when a new teacher starts working at the school, Cynthia. Cynthia is gorgeous, dresses well, rich, and apparently has experienced everything in the world there is to experience (though she is in her early 30s) and is married to Nora's ex, David. Weirdly enough though, Nora begins a friendship with her which causes friction in her friendship with Annie. As some reviewers have said if Annie and Nora ever had a real conversation most of the friction of the novel would have been resolved.

However, the main plot aside, everything else in this novel was beyond boring and added nothing to the novel.

First, Nora's relatives being included the way they were added absolutely nothing to the novel. Her cousin, grandmother, and mother ended up taking up way too much of the novel. Frankly I think that the novel should have emphasized more details and a gradual coming together with her mother but that is just me.

Second, Annie's anger at working mothers' should also have been cut out as well. Frankly her arguments against working mothers' made no sense and was 100 percent judgmental. Frankly acting as if working mothers who don't breastfeed, stay home all day with their kids, and actually have outside interests apart from their children are evil was ridiculous.

In the end, I didn't care for the two main characters, and the character of Cynthia remained a mystery (that I did not care to solve) throughout the novel.

I do not recommend this novel.

I received this novel via the Amazon Vine Program.