Phoebe Fox

Marcie Malone married her high school boyfriend Will at the age of eighteen when an unplanned pregnancy derailed her plans for travel and college. Sadly, she suffered a miscarriage but her marriage to Will survived and they built a life together in Georgia. Unfortunately at the age of forty –three she suffers a second miscarriage that leaves her devastated and depressed. Needing a distraction from her overall discontent with her life, work and marriage, she deliberately changes course from a work engagement and drives to Palmetto Key, Florida where a combination of her stress and pain medication causes her to lose consciousness on the beach only to be discovered by a local resident – the "prickly” and “hostile” Herman Flint who has lived in the area for over seventy years and devotes his time clearing the litter from the beachfront and keeping an eye on the sea turtles and their eggs. He isn’t the friendliest sort, lives alone and has had his share of loss and disappointments, but he helps Marcie and gives her a place to stay in his home while she recovers and sorts out her issues. As the story progresses, Flint and Marcie become friends and their conversations lead to sharing and introspection which help them both gain perspective and contemplate the decisions that have governed their respective lives. It is now up to them to decide whether they want to continue as they were or have the courage to make changes and move forward. As the narrative progresses we also meet other members of the community and witness how everyone bands together in the face of a catastrophic hurricane making its way towards them.

“When your life was reduced to broken pieces, apparently the tiniest part of it that survived intact was cause for rejoicing.”

Phoebe Fox’s The Way We Weren’t is a beautiful story with an interesting cast of characters. The interactions between Marcie and Flint are entertaining and insightful, humorous and emotional and so full of heart. What I particularly liked about this novel are the characterizations- nobody is perfect, everyone is flawed but has his/her redeeming qualities and comes across as real and relatable. Relationships are complicated as are human emotions – it is not necessary to depict one person in a negative light to justify why relationships fall apart. The author does a commendable job of depicting the dynamics in the different relationships among the characters in this novel - in marriage, in friendship, in family and in the community. The story highlights the importance of pause and introspection when life overwhelms, re-evaluating priorities, overcoming complacency and taking charge of one’s life. The author also sheds a light on the importance of protecting nesting beaches for the conservation of endangered sea turtles which is a very important message. Overall, this is a very well-written story that I thoroughly enjoyed and would definitely recommend.… (more)

This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.
Thanks to the author, Henery Press and NetGalley for offering me this review copy!

HEART CONDITIONS is the 3rd book in the Breakup Doctor series. Each book can be read as a standalone or in order, so I had no trepidation about reading this one as a single.

The Breakup Doctor is a relationship therapist who is having a hard time taking her own advice when it comes to her ex boyfriends. She still has feelings for one, and the other, who broke her heart, still has feelings for her. So there is a very tame triangle going on here, which should delight chick lit lovers everywhere.

In fact, this book is like a “how to” of chick lit: there is a strong yet vulnerable heroine, plus darkly handsome (and sometimes reticent) ex boyfriends, a best friend with a personal crisis, and drama on the job front. So many things to resolve before the book ends, plus gorgeous descriptions of clothing, clubs, and restaurants!

Brook is a likeable character, quick to solve other’s problems but totally unsure what to do with her personal life. She learns a startling truth about herself in the latter half of the book, thereby creating an explanation for some of her strange antics, such as bringing her pregnant friend to a BDSM club simply to get the pregnant one “more comfortable” dealing with babies. (The club caters to all sorts of BDSM situations, and there were people whose fetish was dressing up as a baby – diaper and all.) There is no explicit sex in the book, which was enjoyable. Some writers feel they have to insert a sex scene here and there to offset the saccharine romance, but if the romance is done right, as in HEART CONDITIONS, you don’t need sweaty gropes and moans.

The romantic tension was spot on, as Brook struggled to cope with her ex and his new girlfriend, who has looks, brains, and poise. Her internal monologues described exactly what every woman has gone through when encountering a still-fresh wound. Brook’s problems are real and eminently solvable, yet the answers don’t come easy. She must do some soul searching to discover what she wants, and most importantly, why.

This book was a pleasant and sometimes funny read. The chemistry between Brook and Sasha was authentic, even if Brook was occasionally not on the same page as her BFF. Almost all the problems were solved by the end of the book, plus new things are on the horizon for our Breakup Doctor that should prove to be interesting. Fans of author Phoebe Fox will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.… (more)