A Girl's Guide to Moving On (Debbie Macomber) Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

18. A Girl's Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber
      Theme/Topic: book published in 2016

Synopsis:

When Nichole discovers that her husband, Jake, has been unfaithful, the illusion of her perfect life is indelibly shattered. While juggling her young son, a new job, and volunteer work, Nichole meets Rocco, who is the opposite of Jake in nearly every way. Though blunt-spoken and rough around the edges, Rocco proves to be a dedicated father and thoughtful friend. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, Jake wagers everything on winning Nichole back - including their son Owen’s happiness. Somehow, Nichole must find the courage to defy her fears and follow her heart, with far-reaching consequences for them all.
Leanne has quietly ignored her husband’s cheating for decades, but is jolted into action by the echo of Nichole’s all-too-familiar crisis. While volunteering as a teacher of English as a second language, Leanne meets Nikolai, a charming, talented baker from Ukraine. Resolved to avoid the heartache and complications of romantic entanglements, Leanne nonetheless finds it difficult to resist Nikolai’s effusive overtures - until an unexpected tragedy tests the very fabric of her commitments.

My Review:

As the story of Cassie, Nichole and Karen continues, it's time for Nichole to take the spotlight. When Nichole learns that her husband has been cheating on her, she gets support from an unlikely source: her mother-in-law Leanne. Unbeknownst to everyone, Leanne's own husband has been cheating on her for years. They both file for divorce and get apartments right across from each other. To help them deal with the pain, Leanne comes up with a plan. With Nichole's help, they create a list of rules to follow:

1. Don't allow yourself to wallow in your pain. Reach out. Volunteer. Do something you love or something to help others.

2. Cultivate new friendships.

3. Let go in order to receive.

4. Love yourself.

These rules seem simple, but they are hard to do, except for maybe the first one. The divorce process is different for both ladies. Leanne's is simple and over with fairly quick. Nichole's is more drawn out and more extreme.

Throughout the process of moving forward, both Nichole and Leanne befriend new men in their lives. For Nichole, that would be Rocco. They meet by accident, literally, but come to mean more than that. From the outside looking in, they're complete opposites. Rocco is a mechanic and owns a tow truck company and is a husky fellow. He reminded me of one of those security guards that you don't want to mess with. But the more you get to know him, the more oh realize that o. The inside, he has a caring and tended heart. I liked how Rocco handled Owen (Nichole's son with her ex), as well as the whole Jake situation. My favorite character just happened to be Kaylene (Rocco's daughter); she had a great supporting role when jt came to Rocco and Nichole.

For Leanne, Nikolai was tne new man in her life. Nikolai was from the Ukraine and a student in her ESL night class. He showed his appreciation and love for Leanne by gifting her with a loaf of bread after each class. While I couldn't understand that at first, I came to appreciate the symbolization of the gesture (apparently a loaf of bread symbolizes love in Ukraine). What I didn't like was the whole expecting Leanne to love him back without hesitation, even though they had a language barrier. Saying that, I kind of felt that Nikolai shouldn't have been jealous of Sean (Leanne's ex). I get why he didn't want her involved with him on any level, but it really wasn't his call. On the other hand, I understand why Leanne wanted to be there for Sean at a time when he needed it the most and had no one else to turn to. I felt that they shared a friendship with each other, even though the love they shared didn't exist anymore.

Once again, Debbie Macomber told a genuine and heartfelt story. She definitely doesn't disappoint. A Girl's Guide to Moving On is a follow up to Last One Home, however they can be read as stand alone novels as well. If you want to check out my review of Last One Home, click here.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥