When I got into this book, I was reminded of a movie I saw in the early 1980s called A Small Circle of Friends. The premise was pretty much the same between the movie and the book, but Lauren K Denton's take on the situation was handled with much grace and aplomb.
Mac and Graham are friends who both love Edie, and Edie loves both of them--but differently. Mac and Edie have dated since junior high school with the exception of one summer when Mac goes to work at a marina on the beach and Edie goes to New York for an internship. Their lives are intertwined early on, but for a number of years Mac and Edie haven't interacted with Graham. When Edie is asked to do the interior design for a house of a client, she comes back into contact with Graham. About the same time, Mac's summer on the beach comes back to haunt him in the person of a daughter he didn't know he had.
Lauren takes this very real situation and works through the ins and outs of saving relationships, building a solid foundation for a family, and giving grace and mercy where it's needed most. She also takes on working life in that there is more to life than grinding out the work hours: there is giving back, there is fulfilling basic creativity, there is finding satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment in the job.
There is a sense of wanting a do-over among the characters, even though some things can't be "done over.," while at the same time there are choices and chances to be taken every day.
Lauren makes her novel one of enjoyment, yes, but at the same time there are aspects that can lead the reader to personal growth. Five Stars, Two Thumbs Up, and a chance to make the right decision.
Thomas Nelson and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
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