Kristin Hannah

Returning to her hometown to care for her aging mother and run the family restaurant, Angie Malone hires job-seeking teen Lauren Ribaldo, with whom she shares an emotional journey that helps both women realize the meaning of family.

The Things We Do for Love

Briar's Reviews

The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah is a contemporary fiction book that will bring on the tears (sad and happy).

Angela DeSaria Malone's life is falling apart. She thought her life was going to be perfect - college, marriage, motherhood, you know - the "dream." Well, it didn't go that way. Her marriage collapses and her life is in ruins. She moves back to her hometown to be with her family - her Mom and two sisters. After her Father passed away, the family restaurant is in shambles and might close down. So, it seems like the perfect time for the marketing guru sister who fled to the big city to come help! She meets a young girl who is going through a difficult situation, and it opens up Angela's heart like a Mother's would. Since her Motherhood dreams have been squashed in a variety of ways, could this fill her heart?

Man. This one HURT in so many ways but also filled my heart up with joy too. It's an emotional roller coaster that made me have all of the feels. Kindness, family, and loss are all big topics in this book. It was so beautiful! Kristin Hannah writes these characters to feel real and it's just so touching. I was glued to this book because I needed to know that Angela had the happily ever after she deserved. 

If you like women's literature and feeling all of the emotions, this book is for you. It's like a sweeping romance that doesn't focus on love, but rather friendship and family.

Four out of five stars.