The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr Published by MIRA on September 27, 2016
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Contemporary, Fiction / Romance / Romantic Comedy, Fiction / Women
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook
Source: Audible
#1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr brings together a poignant novel with a rich tapestry of characters. A moving story that will leave the reader laughing and crying, as two friends confront their pasts and move towards their futures.
In the aftermath of her financier husband’s suicide, Emma Shay Compton’s dream life is shattered. Richard Compton stole his clients’ life savings to fund a lavish life in New York City and, although she was never involved in the business, Emma bears the burden of her husband’s crimes. She is left with nothing.
Only one friend stands by her, a friend she’s known since high school, who encourages her to come home to Sonoma County. But starting over isn’t easy, and Sonoma is full of unhappy memories, too. And people she’d rather not face, especially Riley Kerrigan.
Riley and Emma were like sisters—until Riley betrayed Emma, ending their friendship. Emma left town, planning to never look back. Now, trying to stand on her own two feet, Emma can’t escape her husband’s reputation and is forced to turn to the last person she thought she’d ever ask for help—her former best friend. It’s an uneasy reunion as both women face the mistakes they’ve made over the years. Only if they find a way to forgive each other—and themselves—can each of them find the life she wants.
My Review
Robyn Carr is a new to me author, so when I read her book The Life She Wants and enjoyed it, I was excited to see that she has written all kinds of books. Reader, don’t you love it when you discover a new author and learn they have a huge backlist you can catch up on? I was also even more surprised to discover that she wrote Virgin River. I love that show, as many do, and I am eager for the next season to come out. Please tell me if you have read anything by this author. Do you also enjoy the show Virgin River? Alright, enough babbling. Let me get into this review, shall I?
In this story, we are following two childhood best friends, Emma and Riley. Emma lost her mother early on in life, and her father remarried a woman who also happened to have a daughter. Emma’s father was a lovely man who made a decent living, but sadly, he passed away when Emma was just a teenager. Her stepmother was not the nicest of women and often treated Emma poorly while catering to her daughter and Emma’s half-sister. Emma always had Riley and her family, which comforted her, especially after her dad’s passing. Riley came from a home with a single mother and an older brother. Her mom worked many hours at different housekeeping jobs, and her brother picked up the slack of doing things around the house that the father would have done, except he wasn’t around. Emma and Riley were very close until Emma went to college. Emma’s boyfriend Jacques stayed behind along with Riley. I am sure you can guess what happened next, Reader. Riley and Jacques start to mess around behind Emma’s back, and Riley becomes pregnant. Needless to say, this ruined Riley and Emma’s relationship and Jacques’s relationship with Emma. Shocker, I know, but Jacque soon dismissed Riley, leaving her as a teenage girl fresh out of high school and pregnant. Riley’s life, however, is not the only one about to change.
Emma eventually meets the love of her life, or so she thought and marries him. They have a fairytale wedding day, and nothing could be more perfect. Emma can’t believe her luck in finding this man who is a bit older than she is, but does that really matter? It doesn’t to them. Richard Compton is a very rich businessman in New York City. He is not at all who she thought he was, though, because Richard is greedy and willing to do anything to make a profit, including stealing from his clients. He is eventually caught, and rather than going to prison, he decides to kill himself, leaving Emma to deal with her husband’s crimes. Granted, she knew nothing about his crimes until he was caught, but people do not believe her, including her family. Emma eventually makes her way back home to start a new life for herself. She knows it won’t be easy, but she has never been afraid of hard work.
Emma has difficulty finding a job due to her husband’s crimes, but eventually, she finds something. Granted, it isn’t all that glamorous, but at least it is work. Emma plans to keep her husband a secret because she has found it easier that way, but like all skeletons in the closet, her secret manages to find its way into the light. This results in her losing her job not because of being fired but because of the woman who works there; she has a relative who is a victim of Richard’s crimes. As many people do, that woman believes that Emma has money stashed away and is biding time before she uses it. Little does this woman know, but Emma has absolutely no money because she wants nothing from her husband’s criminal activities.
Emma eventually makes her way to see Riley because she is stuck and needs help. Riley owns a cleaning service and often hires women in difficult situations. Emma decides to put her pride aside and take a chance. When she eventually sees Riley, she has so many mixed emotions, but she can not let that get in her way because she really needs this job. Riley clarifies that once she hires Emma, they are now even and that the past will stay in the past. They will not be friends, only work colleagues. Emma agrees and is eager to start on this new job journey. While waiting to start her new job, she decides to fix her little cottage to make it her own. Emma is so excited to settle into her new life and maybe even one day fall in love again. What Emma does not expect, however, is that the man who will make her fall in love again has actually been in love with her since she was a girl. Oh, and it should be said that Emma’s story is not the only one told in this book. We learn all about Riley and how she became the woman she is when Emma comes back into her life. Let us not forget about Jacques; whatever happened to him? Did he find his way back into the girl’s lives again?
This story is heartwarming with all the feels, but Reader, do not get me wrong, there are some seriously heavy-hitting topics in this story. Emma’s new job has some characters in it who are suffering terribly from mental health problems and domestic violence. I found it interesting how the author handled these topics because I think she did a great job. I have to say that I would probably have done the same things Emma did when it came to these characters. There is also talk in this book about PTSD and its effects on how a person can move on once the situation or event that has caused the disorder has taken place. Reader, if you enjoy a story with a lot of depth and flushed-out characters, then I think this will be a book for you. If you enjoy female friendship, family life, redemption, and romance, then I think this book will be for you. I can honestly say that I very much enjoyed this story, and I will be picking more up by this author in the future. As I said, this book has some heavy topics, so please take note of trigger warnings. Until next time, Reader, Happy Reading.
Trigger Warnings:
- Suicide
- Theft
- Cheating Boyfriend
- Teen Pregnancy
- Verbal Abuse
- Parental Neglect
- Parental Death
- Abandonment
- Teen Suicide Attempt
- Depression
- PTSD
- Domestic Violence
- Murder/Self-Defense