About the Book:
The perfect picture hides the darkest lies.
A new home can be a happy ending. Or a fresh start. Or a hiding place…
Kate Jones is running away. She has left her old life behind, changing both her own name and her daughter’s. No-one must ever connect Kate with the mistake that destroyed her life.
Starting afresh on Parkview Road – a brand new street full of newly built houses – Kate looks at the other women on the street with envy. They seem to have it all: Gisela with her busy life, full house and successful children, Sally with her exciting spontaneous marriage, her glamorous holidays, her high-flying career. The pictures that Kate’s new friends post online confirm their seemingly perfect existence, whilst Kate hides from the world at all costs.
Until one day, everything changes. Kate is called to the scene of a devastating accident, which is about to test everything the women thought they knew about each other, and themselves.
From the bestselling author of The Silent Wife, The Woman I Was Before is a book about the things we hide from those closest to us – and the terrible consequences that keeping those secrets can have. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
My Thoughts:
The story follows Kate as she relocates to a new place, running away from a past that she does not want to be known for. A small mistake changes the course of her life and that of her teenage daughter. Parkview Road, where they come to live, is not without it’s drama. The neighbors are interesting and seem to have it all together. On one side there is Gisela, living a busy and seemingly happy life with her husband and children. On the other is Sally, a successful career woman with a husband who is equally successful.
As the story progresses, we are provided glimpses into the lives of each of these three women and discover that they are not so put together as we were led to believe initially. The saying “the grass is greener on the other side” is apt in Kate’s case as she follows her friends lives on Facebook. Not everything is as it seems though and in reality there is so much that is going wrong in each of the characters lives. This is a good portrayal of reel life and real life where reel life in this case can be attributed to what is seen on social media.
Kate is a strong woman hiding from one incident that she feels she has to pay for. Even though she is found to have not been responsible in the end. Sally is dealing with a marriage that is great on the surface but at a stage where she and her husband seem to want different things in life. Gisela is dealing with everything that can go wrong with each member of her family. The author has wonderfully shown us the strength of these women and how one incident can either bring people together or tear them apart.
In the case of this story, the focus is finally on how the women come together to support each other as each one’s story comes to light. The bonds of friendship and togetherness that develop through the course of the story are delightful. I have always been a fan of Kerry Fisher’s books and it is no wonder that I picked up this book to read. As expected I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the way the characters evolved throughout the story. It did take me a little time to get captivated by the story, but once that happened I was hooked!
I strongly recommend this book and any book by Kerry Fisher. They are definitely worth reading and are more female centric with very strong women characters who are easy to relate to.
About the Book:
She believes in love, family and…squiggles!
Alisha Rana is not your typical single desi girl. For one, she is on the wrong side of 30. For another, she is divorced. And last but definitely not least, she is still, gasp, a virgin!
Alisha doesn’t want much. But what she does want is that elusive thing all women search for – A man who gets her…but a man who gets her hot! She calls it “feeling the squiggle.”
Enter Dr. Vivaan Kapoor, cute, hot, squiggle-worthy. The younger brother of her cousin’s prospective groom, he’s got the squiggle factor in spades. The only catch? He’s never been married and is years younger than Alisha. Basically, completely off-limits.
And then there is Arjun. Widowed, older than her by the right number of years and a genuinely nice guy. He’s Vivaan’s cousin and a so-called perfect match for Alisha. The problem is, Alisha’s squiggle-o-meter refuses to budge for him.
What will Alisha choose? A lifetime together with the ‘right’ man or a chance at happiness with the ‘wrong’ one?
Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon
Read an Excerpt from Love, Marriage, and Other Disasters by Shilpa Suraj
Alisha was dreaming about tiny babies crawling all over her when a tinny, buzzing noise filled the room. Struggling awake, she located her phone on the side table and squinted at the display. Vivaan. At this hour? It was close to two in the morning. Heart pounding, she answered the phone. “Are you okay?” Silence was her only reply. Checking the phone’s display to see if the call had been cut off, she frowned when she realized he was still on the line. “Vivaan?” “I get it now.” The quiet words had her flopping back against her pillows in relief. He didn’t sound like he was hurt or in pain. “Get what now?” she asked, staring into the darkness of her room. There was something frighteningly intimate about lying in bed, enveloped in darkness with only his voice on the other end of the phone anchoring her to the moment. “Everything you said. About the way people think. About the way they behave.” He sounded sad. Alisha wanted to soothe and comfort but didn’t know exactly where this was going. Instead, she waited. “I want you to know,” he stopped for a minute and then continued, “No, I need you to know that you’re incredible. That you can smile, you can laugh, God, the fact that you can love and live in the face of the incredible assholes who make up huge chunks of our society is beyond incredible.” A single tear rolled down Alisha’s face as she let his words wash over her. They soothed her in places she hadn’t known were still hurting. “Are you there, Alisha?” His voice reached out to her again bringing her back to the moment. “Yes.” She could never let him know it but for him, she would always be there. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t remember you doing anything that needs apologizing for,” she answered. “For not taking what you said seriously. About people and society. For dismissing it the way I did.” His words had pain knifing through her. If he finally understood, he also understood there was no future for them. A sense of loss swept through her at the thought of Vivaan no longer wanting her. It was what she’d wanted, what she’d pushed for and still….it was devastating.
“Alisha,” he whispered her name, recalling her to their conversation. “I’ve never wanted you more.”