Book Review: "It's Better This Way" By Debbie Macomber

 

Heartbreaking, Emotionally Riveting, Strong Female Heroine, Resilient, and Forgiving- all wrapped into one woman- Julia Jones!

She's on the verge of the end of her marriage after 31 yrs to a man who cheated and left her and her two daughters pondering what's next in their lives.

He's a man whose not warm but rather stuffy and not a man who's easily accepting to change. A man whom his own daughters despise.

He's also a man who has remarried and this is their story 6 months later with turmoil, displacement, and dramatic appeal to its readers.

Debbie Macomber created a whirlwind of emotions on this novel that focuses not just upon friends and family but upon break-ups and the aftermath.

It's a reminder that not everything that appears broken is as it claims and that there's life, love, and happiness on the horizon.

A beautiful testament to another man in her world for Julia that captured the essence of what it means to not believe everything you hear on the grapevine of gossip.

In fact, it appears that her new man Heath Johnson was quite the match of wits, charm, and romance. However, his sons have heard rumors that Julia kept her daughters isolated from their father. That she wanted to be a 'take-charge' woman and that hampered her new relationship status.

As the story grows, develops, and takes shape we see just how right Julia's dad was in proclaiming -It's Better This Way- because not all step moms are evil and not all women are crazy.

Surely, Julia's girls can speak for themselves as Hillary is engaged and planning a wedding to Blake. Yet, the invite list may be one man shorter -namely their father and for good reasoning.

Eddie the father is all about image. He's a pro-golfer but he's also not a man who is inviting with lackluster character appeal.

He's remarried to Lee and she's now on the receiving end of the complaints as the rumor mill makes it way around and taking victims in its place.

When the dust settles we learn that Michael and Adam the two sons of Lee and Heath (yes, they too were once married) now are on the verge of the crossroads of life and maturity.

Imagine if your ex remarried and the person you're now dating has some connection to your past. How would it make you feel to know that perhaps your past relationships are front page news and you can't seem to get a fair shake in relationships because of the false accusations lodged against you by a jilted individual?

I'm in love with how this all came to be and how it ultimately came to pass.
In the end, all storms pass and the sun always rises for a brand new day.

It was a pleasant surprise to see Heath and Hillary grow fonder and accompany one another on the most historic day of their lives.

What a beautiful way to start the new week with this lovely work by Debbie Macomber.

Thank you to Debbie Macomber, the pub, NetGalley, and Amazon Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.