June 1, 2016
A woman learns to rebuild her life after a shocking revelation shakes her to the core.By all standards, Caroline Hammond is living a pretty idyllic life, with a job as a museum curator, a marriage to her high school sweetheart, and a beautiful house in the Berkshires. But all the good in Caroline's world falls away when she learns that her seemingly devoted husband, Adam, has been having an affair with photographer and artist Patrick Timothy. Stunned not only by his infidelity, but by the fact that he was attracted to men--a fact she never once suspected--Caroline must learn what it means to be single for the first time since she was 17. Luckily, she doesn't need to do it alone. Suffering from her own recent breakup and layoff, her younger sister--the often rambunctious and fun-loving Ruby--offers to come for an extended visit, and Caroline begrudgingly accepts. Bolstered by her sister and her best friend, Jonathan, Caroline begins to unravel the truths and lies in both her relationship and her life. Not long after deciding that her marriage is indeed beyond repair, she's asked out by Neil, a colleague at the museum as well as a very recent widower with two young daughters. While that relationship begins to develop, Caroline can't help but worry that she has fallen into another woman's life. Still longing for her own marriage, Caroline is faced with some difficult and heartbreaking decisions. With charm and wit, Chase (The One That Got Away, 2015) creates characters a reader can truly care about. Exploring the complexities of life and love, she is generous in her depictions--even when it comes to Adam, the cheating spouse. Caroline's story is nuanced and complex, an altogether addictive read. A novel that doles out both laughter and tears, in the best possible ratio.
COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
August 1, 2016
Adam and Caroline have been together since they were both 16. They know each other inside and out, and the life they have together seems perfect. From their restored farmhouse in the country to their fulfilling careers, things are sweet. Then Caro visits an exhibition of a rising star photographer, a beautiful gay man named Patrick, and spots her husband in his erotic photos. When she holes up to lick her marital wounds, her wacky sister Ruby moves in to help her cope. As the sisters reconnect, Caro enjoys spending time with her best friend from college, a ginger-haired chef named Jonathan who completed the college trio with Adam and Caro. Could sparks be flying between Caro and Jonathan? There's also Neil, her coworker at a small museum in Massachusetts. Now that Caro is separated from Adam, so many new people and interests beckon. Watching her expand into new realms is entertaining and joyful. VERDICT Chase (The One That Got Away) has written an incredibly charming novel about shifting from being completed by a man to becoming a whole woman. Witnessing Caro's growth is a pleasure.--Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC
Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
August 1, 2016
After 17 years, Caroline thought she knew everything there was to know about her husband. So when she finds out that Adam is not only having an affair, but with a man, she questions how well she even knows herself. If she was so wrong about who she was in her marriage, maybe she's not who she thought she was outside her marriage either. Caroline's tangled emotions are complicated by Adam's inability to explain what went wrong, her own growing attraction to her best guy friend, and a new but precarious closeness with her sister. This latest novel from Chase (The One That Got Away, 2015) will appeal to anyone who has ever looked up to realize they define themselves by those surrounding them. Caroline's exploration of self-discovery is a familiar one, yet Chase has a way with phrasing and a thoughtful approach that pushes this one a notch above the others. Readers may wish to know the secondary characters better but will feel real empathy for Caroline and her situation. A good fit for fans of Emily Giffin and Kristin Hannah.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)