Another Macomber Book to Add to Your Must Read Shelf

review by Elisabeth Scherer

From 56% in my e-reader, a snippet from A Girl’s Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber:

“I mean I’m okay with you not wanting to be my woman.”
“First off,” I said, drawing in a deep breath as I thrust my index finger into the air, “I’m not a piece of property -- yours or anyone else’s”
“I agree.”
“Stop being so accommodating. I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
I decided to ignore that. “And secon” -- up went a second finger -- “if there is ever going to be a committed relationship between us, we need to come to an understanding first. It isn’t something announced on the spur of the moment in a bar because neither one of us knows how to answer the question.”
Rocco relaxed. “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”
I hadn’t anticipated this. I wasn’t sure how I’d expected him to respond, and I’d been prepared for an argument.
The silence stretched between us and I didn’t know how to fill it.

Rules of Friday 56

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader

(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)

 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)

*Post it

*Link up at Freda’s Voice

My Thoughts

I'm a long time Debbie Macomber fan. I've read all of her Cedar Cove books, many of her smaller related novels, and her stand alone and short story novels as well.  Macomber is a master at writing books that have deep emotions. Her books are great for an anytime read and generally have happy endings.  With A Girl's Guide to Moving On I found myself plowing through the pages in now time just as I have with any of her other books and I was satisfied with how the plot movies in the story.

The general summary of the book is that Nichole (the daughter-in-law) and Leanne (the mother-in-law) both decide to leave their marriages due to their husbands' infidelity. They move into the same apartment complex and lean on each other as they navigate the nuances of life after divorce. They agree on a list of guidelines for caring for themselves and  how to move past their former relationships. Will they find happiness in their newly single lives?  You'll have to read to find out any of that information.

Both women have approached the infidelity from different angles. Nichole is devastated when she finds out her husband Jake has been cheating on her and is quick to move forward in breaking from the marriage. Leanne has lived in silence with her husband's extramarital flings for years. That is until she learns her son has done the same thing to her daughter-in-law Nichole. Both women meet new men who are interested in them and they must figure out how to proceed in the new relationships.

Nickolai is a student in Leanne’s English as a Second Language class. Nichole meets Rocco when he comes to tow her car out from a ditch. The men in the book, ex-husbands and new love interests, have a wide range of personalities and qualities that complete the ensemble of personalities without muddling up who is who. Each woman struggles with their new relationships and how to finally do as the book's title says.

Ms. Macomber does a wonderful job of making her characters genuine and emotionally realistic. It helps the reader connect with the characters and root for them as the story goes on.  The title suggests a self help book wrapped in a fictional novel and I do believe that it is an inspirational story about moving on, making oneself content, and resolving to tackle life after life as you knew it has ended. The book is definitely something you could pick up and read anywhere. The themes of friendship, duty, loyalty, love, and trust make this a great novel.

In short Debbie Macomber, using her classic method of storytelling and her elaborate way to make the reader care for the cast of characters, has created another gem worth reading.

Buy A Girl's Guide to Moving On at Amazon

Book info
available formats: ebook, audio, print (352 pages)
published: February 2016 by Ballantine Books
ISBN13: 978-0553391923
genre: women's fiction
Source: Netgalley.com



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• A Girl's Guide to Moving On, by Debbie Macomber (tamaramorning.com)
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• Morning Comes Softly, By Debbie Macomber (ekfamilybooks.blogspot.com)