Name: Sven Test's review of The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr
Item: The Life She Wants
Rating: 3
Author: Sven Test

Robyn Carr

The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr will be available Sep 27, 2016. Preorder your copy today!

The Life She Wants

Samantha Potts

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Emma's husband has been found guilty of stealing from his clients. He realized he would lose it all so he killed himself. Now, Emma has to live with the crimes her dead husband committed. She has nothing so the little she has left, she takes to the town where she grew up to start over. Even in her town, people accuse her of having money stored away that belonged to the clients. In search of a job, she reconnects with her former best friend's brother and realizes there's something more that could happen between them. He's the one to suggests Emma ask for a job at Riley's, the former best friend, cleaning company. They are both holding grudges of something that happened years ago and aren't sure they can move past it.

What got me to pick this book up was the talk of friendship between Emma and Riley. I was eager to read about how they would patch things up so they could move forward. What saddens me is that there wasn't much development in this area. I was expecting them to spend time together so they could move forward. That didn't exactly happen. The few times they spent time together it was because of work. I didn't feel a real connection of friendship between them when the story ended.

Another thing I didn't like was how there was no explanation for Emma's step-mother's hatred towards her. I was waiting for an explanation of sorts to understand this hatred and I got none. I could only assume it was because Emma's dad gave Emma more attention or something similar to that. The story never explained this part so I was left very confused.

What I did like about the story was the romance, Riley's mom, and Emma's friendship with Lyle. The romance was cute and it was good to see Emma falling for someone, especially someone she knew very well. Riley's mom is a character on her own that had me smiling a lot. She cares deeply for those she knows, especially Emma. She never pointed a finger at Emma. On the contrary, she invited her into her home so they could reconnect. You see, Riley's mom was like a mom to Emma so it was good to see that Emma still had people who cared for her. Lyle was one of those people. He was the breath of fresh air that this book needed. The few times he made appearances would also have me smiling. He's definitely there for Emma, even when his boyfriend doesn't trust her. He just knew in his heart that Emma wouldn't be a part of the crimes that her dead husband was involved in so he helped her out in everything she needed.

I actually did enjoy the story, despite my qualms with it. I just wish it had been fleshed out more and focused on the important aspect of the story, which was the friendship. Overall, The Life She Wants is a nice Women's Fiction novel that I think lovers of this genre will enjoy.

I received an ARC and finished copy from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

Emma has just entered a rough patch in her life. After her millionaire husband is found guilty of stealing his client's money, he commits suicide, leaving Emma alone, guilty by association. Though Emma is completely innocent and had no idea what her husband was doing behind her back, her community is quick to accuse her anyway. She moves back home, hoping for a clean slate... but it's not that easy. People everywhere are assuming she's guilty, and even hiding some of her husband's stolen money for her own use. It's impossible for her to find a job, and she's running out of hope.

Emma runs into her ex-best-friend, Riley's, brother, who suggests she gives Riley a call for a job. She swallows her pride and contacts Riley, who immediately agrees to give her a job. This is, however, strictly professional. Both make it glaringly clear that they're still holding grudges against each other about something that happened over ten years ago. 

Watching the friendship, or lack thereof, between Emma and Riley was the main focus of this story. There is a light romance, but the story is much more focused on this friendship. These two are holding grudges that are quite silly at this point in their lives, and still they're unable to let it go. I definitely appreciated the way Robyn Carr portrayed this friendship, giving us glimpses into their conflict from the past. Watching them grow and learn from their mistakes was a highlight of this story for sure.

I have to say this story was a bit slow for me. I kept expecting it to really pick up, but it never really did. I wanted more drama, maybe a little suspense... but it was all pretty straightforward. Definitely not a negative thing by any means, I just tend to like my stories a bit more on the juicy side.

I also wish Emma's husband, Richard, and his trial had been a bigger part of the story. This book begins immedaitely after his death. I think had the allegations, trial, and then suicide been more addressed, I probably would have felt for Emma a bit more and connected with her on a deeper level. I was also curious about why, exactly, her stepmother was so mean and nasty. I know some people are just like that, but I was hoping for more of an explanation on that hatred and why she treated Emma so incredibly poorly on a regular basis.

This was my first Robyn Carr book. After hearing such wonderful things about her books, I went into this one pretty excited. I do read some women's fiction and chick lit books every now and then. It's a genre I truly enjoy. I have to say I did enjoy this one overall, despite the few issues I had. I believe most chick lit fans will really enjoy this one, especially if looking for a story that is more strongly focused on friendship, versus romance.

 


(Thanks to Little Bird Publicity for the review copy!)

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