Review: Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

Where We Belong
Author: Emily Giffin
Published: July 24, 2012
Genre: chick lit
E-book: 372 pages
Source: purchased from iTunes

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
 
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

My Thoughts: I am a huge fan of Emily Giffin's work and couldn't wait for her newest book to come out. I figured the 8 and a half hour flight back from England would be the perfect time to jump into this book. While a good story, it wasn't what I've come to expect from Giffin. Following a girl who was placed for adoption and her birth mother. The chapters alternate between the two women, showing you how each handles their journey to meeting one another. Marian, the birth mother, knew she couldn't provide the positive environment needed to raise a baby, so she places her for adoption. As Kirby grows, she wonders about her birth mother, and on her 18th birthday, decides that she is going to find her. 

I really liked the characters in this novel. All of them are real, people who exist in real life and aren't too zany or out there. Marian is wonderfully written and I could identify with all of her choices and feelings. Kirby is headstrong, but what 18 year old isn't? She feels like meeting her birth mother (and hopefully, father) will help her to understand who is really is. The premise of the novel is a good one, showing how adoption affects both parties. I just felt like it wasn't like Giffin's other stories. I didn't feel the need to keep on reading, to know what was going to happen next. I don't know what needed to change to make me feel that pull, since I loved the characters and the premise, but I could tell that something was missing.

While not up to Giffin's normal standard, this is good story, one that will have you rooting for Marian and Kirby. I look forward to seeing what Giffin will write next.

Review: House and Home by Kathleen McCleary

House & Home
Author: Kathleen McCleary
Published: July 1, 2008
Genre: chick lit
E-book: 272 pages
Source: purchased from iTunes

My Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis (from GoodReads): The story of a woman who loves her house so much that she'll do just about anything to keep it.Ellen Flanagan has two precious girls to raise, a cozy neighborhood coffee shop to run, terrific friends, and a sexy husband. She adores her house, a yellow Cape Cod filled with quirky antiques, beloved nooks and dents, and a million memories. But now, at forty-four, she's about to lose it all.

After eighteen roller-coaster years of marriage, Ellen's husband, Sam--who's charismatic, spontaneous, and utterly irresponsible--has disappointed her in more ways than she can live with, and they're getting divorced. Her daughters are miserable about losing their daddy. Worst of all, the house that Ellen loves with all her heart must now be sold.

Ellen's life is further complicated by a lovely and unexpected relationship with the husband of the shrewish, social-climbing woman who has purchased the house. Add to that the confusion over how she really feels about her almost-ex-husband, and you have the makings of a delicious novel about what matters most in the end . . .

Set in the gorgeous surroundings of Portland, Oregon, Kathleen McCleary's funny, poignant, curl-up-and-read debut strikes a deep emotional chord and explores the very notion of what makes a house a home.

My Thoughts: I purchased this book because it was on the $3.99 and under list on iTunes (hey, I'm cheap and needed something to read on the fly). I read the description for this book and was intrigued. A house is almost like the unspoken family member. It's a part of your life and you would be devastated if anything ever happened to it. Kathleen McCleary explores that idea in her book, focusing on a famiy who must sell their home because they are in debt and a woman who will do anything to keep it. The concept is unique and not something that I've ever seen written about before.

The characters in this novel are a bit stereotypical. There is Ellen, the woman who must sell her house after her husband has forced them into debt. She loves her house and is deeply saddened that she must sell it, especially after meeting the new owners. Ellen is so protective it's a bit sickening. And the new owner, Jordan, is also a bit sickening. She is just a sterotypical type-A personality. The two women annoyed me if they were in the same scene together because it seemed like a cat fight was eminent at any point. Their husbands were a bit better, offering a distraction from the two women. I also found the dialogue to be a bit stiff. It didn't always feel organic, as if two friends were talking. It would be Ellen speaking and saying her piece, then another character speaking for an entire paragraph and sharing their thoughts. It was just a bit stiff at times.

I did enjoy the originality of the plot and thought that it was a decent book for the price. I don't know if I would read more of McCleary's work in the future, but it was a great, quick read.