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Despite three positive test results, Molly Sullivan still can't believe she's pregnant.  It's not that the 30-year-old doesn't want to be a mother.  She does.  Just not now.  Especially when the baby's father, Scott Berkus, has only been a casual, on-again-off-again boyfriend.  Things get even more complicated when Scott sinks to one knee at a New Year's Eve party and—very publicly—asks Molly to marry him.  It's a perfect proposal that couldn't have come at a better time considering the secret Molly carries inside her.  She should be deliriously happy.  So, why is Scott's question making her feel unsure?  Shouldn't she be jumping at the chance to wed her gorgeous, wealthy boyfriend, despite her reservations about his slovenly ways and old-fashioned ideas about marriage and parenting?  She can't turn him down when it means facing an uncertain future as a struggling single mom.  Or can she?  With so many things hanging in the balance—her beautiful home, a job she loves, and the little person growing inside her—Molly has to make the right decision.  But which path is the best one for her and her unborn child?

All of us have probably found ourselves at a crossroads in life, pondering choices as befuddling as Molly's.  When we come to these junctions, how helpful would it be to be able to get a peek down each road, just to see what that path has in store for us?  All the Difference, a debut novel by Leah Ferguson, gives us that chance, if only in a fictional sense.  In alternating "Yes" and "No" chapters, the author describes what happens to Molly, based on her answer to Scott's question.  It's a fun device that gives a familiar story an interesting twist.  The back-and-forth does get a little confusing, but overall, I enjoyed the format.  The characters, on the other hand, drove me crazy.  Bottom line:  Both Molly and Scott are too selfish and immature for marriage and/or parenthood.  Scott's as cliché as they come.  With no redeeming qualities whatsoever, he's too flat to feel real.  Molly's not much more likable.  She's sympathetic in some ways, but also whiny and self-centered.  Maybe it's because I was the full-time mother of three children by the time I was 30, but a lot of her actions/reactions made me roll my eyes.  So, yeah, I wasn't too wild about either Molly or Scott.  So, while I liked this novel's unique format, I ended up not loving the characters or the story.  In the end, it was just an okay read for me.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of Pivot Point by Kasie West)

Grade:

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Don Tillman, a 39-year-old associate professor of genetics, lives his life according to a rigidly structured schedule designed to ensure his time is spent in the most logical, efficient way possible.  He has little patience for any activity that forces him to deviate from his impeccably-organized itinerary.  Dating, thus, presents a bit of a problem.  Although he desires a wife, and should—statistically speaking—have no trouble finding one, Don cannot seem to attract the perfect partner.  Even a suitable one, it seems, is impossible for the professor to attain.  Wasting time getting to know females who simply will not do as potential mates is making Don crazy.  Since he is not the type of man to let a conundrum go unsolved, he vows to find himself a bride using the parameters he knows best: logic, efficiency, and hard, provable data.

Thus, The Wife Project is born.  Don comes up with a brilliant, 16-page tool for finding the perfect woman:

A questionnaire ... A purpose-built, scientifically valid instrument incorporating current best practice to filter out the time time wasters, the disorganized, the ice-cream discriminators, the visual-harassment complainers, the crystal gazers, the horoscope readers, the fashion obsessive, the religious fanatics, the vegans, the sports watchers, the creationists, the smokers, the homeopaths, leaving ideally, the perfect partner or realistically, a manageable short list of candidates.  (Page 17)

Rosie Jarman, an unpredictable barmaid ten years his junior, is the exact kind of woman the questionnaire is designed to eliminate from Don's dating pool.  Still, he's intrigued by her passion, especially when it comes to seeking out her biological father.  As Don lends his expertise to The Father Project, he finds himself falling (illogically, irrationally) for the exuberant Rosie.  Does such an unconventional pairing have any hope of lasting?  Can someone as unbending as Don ever be happy with someone as pliable as Rosie?  Only one thing is certain:  Don's rational attempt at finding a wife has turned into a messy affair that proves love is rarely logical, never predictable, and always ready to turn your life upside down. 

The Rosie Project, a debut novel by Australian playwright Graeme Simsion, is one of those books that's embarrassing to read in public.  Not because of risqué cover art or a suggestive title, but because I couldn't stop laughing—out loud—at the antics of its main character.  This hilarious rom com is so delightful that I could hardly restrain myself from smiling, chuckling, and sharing the best bits with the room at large.  It's just a fun all-around read.  I loved the unique premise, the sparkling prose, the intriguing characters, and especially, the growth that Don's character shows throughout the novel.  Hype usually steers me away from a novel—in this case, it drew me to one of the most delightful books I've read all year.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

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Ever since the day Rose knocked herself out in a childhood bicycling accident, she's dreamed of a magical island.  Each night when she falls asleep, she's transported to this wonderland, where exciting adventures wait behind every palm tree.  She's never alone in these dreams.  Hugo, a brave, handsome hero, is always by her side.  Over years of countless nocturnal exploits, Rose has watched him grow from an exuberant child into a fearless, capable adult.  He's her best friend, literally the man of her dreams.  If only he actually existed outside of her vivid, slumbering imagination.  

In reality, Rose spends her days tending to her nice suburban home, her three small children, and her surgeon husband.  With Josh constantly at the hospital, the bulk of the work falls to her.  Overwhelmed and bored with the mundane life she leads in her waking hours, Rose longs to feel as alive as she does in her dreams.  To be the beautiful, bold woman she is when she's with Hugo.  

As she grows increasingly discontent, Rose makes an incredible discovery—Hugo is real.  The man she sees at a local fast food restaurant may not look exactly the way he does in Rose's dreams, but it is him.  She's sure of it.  When her curiosity about this real-life Hugo turns into an all-consuming obsession, Rose risks everything she holds dear to connect with a man she's met only in her dreams.  Is he really Hugo?  Does he share her mysterious island dreams?  With him in her life, can she finally rise above her humdrum existence to embrace her real self, the one she inhabits in her island dreamworld?

Hugo & Rose, a debut novel by screenwriter Bridget Foley, tells an intriguing story about one woman's quest for fulfillment—not just in her dreams, but in her normal, everyday life.  It's about the lengths to which one might go to make fantasy match reality and the disparities that often exist between the two.  Ultimately, Hugo & Rose is about what is truly real, truly important, truly worth fighting for.  The book's unique premise, as well as its relatable characters, make it both haunting and memorable.  This one might not be blow-you-away amazing, but it's definitely the kind of novel that you'll keep thinking about long after you finish it.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  You?)

Grade:

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With a thriving medical practice, a handsome husband, and an old farmhouse she's slowly turning into the perfect family home, Daphne Mitchell has it all.  Just about.  At 37, she knows she's running out of time to convince Owen to try for the baby she's always desired.  She can't understand his hesitation—he'd be a wonderful father.  The pediatric oncologist spends his every waking hour caring for children, for heaven's sake!  He says someday they'll have their own; Daphne can't—won't—wait that long. 

Then, Owen drops the bomb that shatters all Daphne's careful illusions:  He's met someone else.  A beautiful, poised, younger someone else.  Shocked and heartbroken, Daphne tries to cope.  When a tragic accident adds insult to injury, she must decide what is most important: pursuing the "perfect" life she's always dreamed of, or salvaging what she can out of the one she's already living.

As you have probably gathered, Save Me by Kristyn Kusek Lewis (available December 30, 2014) is about a woman trying to come to terms with the fact that her husband cheated on her.  And ... that's pretty much all it's about.  While I sympathized with Daphne, especially at the beginning of the novel, my patience with her and her plight wore out fast.  Her fickle indecision drove me crazy, as did her immaturity.  Her decisions didn't always make sense to me, which made the ending of her story unsatisfying for me.  Although well-written, in the end, Save Me just didn't do it for me.  I wanted a fuller, more complex story; a cast of characters with more depth, less selfishness; and an ending that felt more optimistic than depressing.  Oh well.

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.)

Grade:

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For the last decade, 41-year-old Georgia Bing's been obsessed with one thing: getting pregnant.  She and her husband John always planned to give their now 13-year-old daughter a sibling, it just hasn't happened yet, no matter how hard they try.  And Georgia has tried everything.  To no avail.  Just when Georgia's finally ready to give up all hope, her best friend Alice Kinniard offers to become an egg donor.  The donation leads to a healthy pregnancy, which puts Georgia over the moon.  She's ecstatic about the new baby, can't wait to hold him and love him.  

Then, Georgia discovers a shocking betrayal, one that will change everything she knows about her marriage, her best friend and her ability to mother her infant son.  As she tries to piece her life back together, Georgia will have to decide what to fight for, what to let go of and who to trust with her newly shattered heart.  Plagued with guilt and shame, Alice can only watch, helpless, as her carefully-ordered world falls apart.  With her marriage on the rocks, her one true friend gone and her teenage daughter's welfare to consider, Alice has to make her own difficult choices.  But how can she mend what she so recklessly tore apart?  Will her husband ever trust her again?  Will Georgia?  With Georgia and Alice grappling to navigate their way through this fractured new reality, the most important question isn't how they will cope, but what will happen to the baby they both helped to create?  

It's difficult not to be drawn into Leaving Haven, an intense new family drama by Kathleen McCleary.  The characters are well-drawn, so much so that it's hard not to feel empathy for all of them.  The conflict at the heart of the story gives the novel enough tension and drama to keep the reader interested, even when the subject matter gets depressing.  While the premise may seem a little far-fetched, Leaving Haven actually felt very authentic to me.  Even the ending, while not as satisfying as I wanted it to be, seemed real.  So, while I found the book to be a bit of a downer, I also found the story riveting.  I cared about the characters, the plot kept me guessing and the prose didn't make me want to scratch my eyeballs out with a toothpick.  That equals a decent read in my book.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

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(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Stay-at-home mom Jenny Lipkin is doing just fine, thank you very much.  She's left behind her career as a magazine editor to raise her daughters, 2-year-old Betty and baby Rose.  So what if her Park Slope apartment's about the size of a Twinkie?  Or if her husband doesn't make enough money to afford one of the fancy new strollers all the other moms are sporting?  So, Jenny's not as svelte or skilled as the other women around her.  So what?  She's happy enough.  Isn't she?  Actually, she's tottering on the brink of insanity.  She loves her kids, but they're sucking all the life out of her.  She loves being at home, but it's making her crazy.  She loves her life, but it's not turning out quite the way she's planned.  And then there's the unrelenting heat; it's boiling her brain.  That, combined with new-mommy sleep deprivation, is enough to make Jenny want to crawl into her bed (baby spit-up spattered sheets, be darned) and never, ever come out.

Then, her husband bails.  Harry's disappearance isn't even all that unusual—he's a gambler, who goes on frequent binges—but it's enough to put Jenny over the edge.  Especially when weeks roll by with no word from him.  Numbed by anger, fear and desperation, she makes a shocking decision, one that will change her life forever—just not in the way she thinks.

With help from a very unlikely source, Jenny looks at her life in a whole new light.  As she changes her attitude and approach, she finds herself starting to become the woman she's always wanted to be.  But a little attitude can go a long way and when Jenny crosses a line she swore she never would, it's time to step back and ask herself the tough questions:  Who is she, really?  What does she truly want?  How much is she willing to sacrifice to finally find happiness?

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Mermaid of Brooklyn by Amy Shearn, but the novel surprised me.  In a very good way.  From the first sentence of her story, Jenny proves herself to be the kind of honest, self-deprecating character with whom any woman can relate.  She's funny and sympathetic and so real, you just want to reach out and hug her.  Even when she messes up big time, you feel for the girl.  This is a character-driven novel and Jenny Lipkin's more than strong enough to carry it.  The book's got some annoying typos/copy-editing errors, but overall, I ended up really enjoying The Mermaid of Brooklyn.  It's a fierce, empowering read, a perfect novel to savor during the long, lazy days of summer.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:  B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  R for strong language and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Mermaid of Brooklyn from the generous folks at Simon and Schuster via those at BookSparks PR.  Thank you!