Since moving to L.A. I’ve connected with some ladies who enjoy reading books as much as I do and we’ve formed a little book club. I always wanted to be in a book club but it just never came together and it’s been nice to have real life friends to chat with about our favorite and not-so-favorite reads. March was the month we officially chose our first book and planned a meeting. Our first pick: “The Husband’s Secret” by Liane Moriarty.
Don’t worry, there won’t be any spoilers. I am not a monster. You’re safe to keep reading if you still want to be surprised about what happens.
This contemporary fiction novel has a “Desperate Housewives” type feel to it where there are multiple points of view and multiple intertwining storylines with a touch of mystery. Unlike most reviews I read, this book held my interest from the very beginning. I did agree the pacing was a little slow toward the middle but I never found myself struggling to maintain interest. The lives of three different women, Cecilia, Tess and Rachel are the main focus of the plot. I found their stories and their families intriguing but still within the realm of reality. One of my pet peeves in a contemporary fiction is when the plot requires the reader to stretch their belief of reality too thin and it just ruins the entire book. The story centers around a letter Cecilia Fitzpatrick finds which reveals a secret about her husband’s past, despite his warning not to read it until his death, she does and then grapples with how to live with herself and him. However, he isn’t the only one with secrets in this book.
Nearing the end, it becomes a bit predictable but what really made this book for me was the end where they impose some tidbits of information as an after-the-fact, FYI-type chapter. This is what made everything come full circle for me and I loved getting the insight. I appreciated this book was an easy read but still caused the reader to think “what would I do…”
Overall rating: 3 out of 5 stars and I definitely want to read some other books by Liane Moriarty because I really like her style of storytelling.
Have you read anything good lately? Let me know your book club recommendations!
Collectively,
Karmen
