The book is written through the eyes of 2 women, Annie and Nora, who have been best friends since they were little. As the reader, you get alternating views on a school year in their life at a small boarding school in New England. I enjoyed the different points of view but felt that some of the book was a little preachy when dealing with feminism and stay at home vs working moms. A quick read and I think behind the story is a great point that we tend to want what we think other people have without knowing what is going on behind the scenes. ( )

I really wanted to like this novel more than I did. I liked the entire premise and for the first few chapters I got a feel for the two main protagonists, Nora and Annie. However, this novel quickly went downhill and transformed itself into a novel dealing with two women's petty jealousies, how adoption is a horrible thing to happen to you, and several chapters of dealing with one of the main characters hatred toward working mothers. It eventually collapsed into a nonsensical ending that left me feeling confused and angry that I wasted several hours of reading time on this novel.

Ms. Wilde's novel focuses on Nora and Annie. Nora and Annie are childhood best friends' who end up working/being married to a teacher at a boarding school on the East Coast near Boston.

Nora, who is adopted (I emphasis that since every line in this novel when Nora is narrating references this fact) and is desperate to have children of her own since she will finally have a flesh and blood relative. Also Nora who is newly married still has "feelings" about her ex David.

Annie, who has been with her partner for several years and has two children of her own and is dealing with the fact that her family is not doing great financially since she has decided to become a full-time working mother even though her husband is still paying alimony and money towards his soon to be ex-wife.

The main catalyst in these two women's lives though is when a new teacher starts working at the school, Cynthia. Cynthia is gorgeous, dresses well, rich, and apparently has experienced everything in the world there is to experience (though she is in her early 30s) and is married to Nora's ex, David. Weirdly enough though, Nora begins a friendship with her which causes friction in her friendship with Annie. As some reviewers have said if Annie and Nora ever had a real conversation most of the friction of the novel would have been resolved.

However, the main plot aside, everything else in this novel was beyond boring and added nothing to the novel.

First, Nora's relatives being included the way they were added absolutely nothing to the novel. Her cousin, grandmother, and mother ended up taking up way too much of the novel. Frankly I think that the novel should have emphasized more details and a gradual coming together with her mother but that is just me.

Second, Annie's anger at working mothers' should also have been cut out as well. Frankly her arguments against working mothers' made no sense and was 100 percent judgmental. Frankly acting as if working mothers who don't breastfeed, stay home all day with their kids, and actually have outside interests apart from their children are evil was ridiculous.

In the end, I didn't care for the two main characters, and the character of Cynthia remained a mystery (that I did not care to solve) throughout the novel.

I do not recommend this novel.

I received this novel via the Amazon Vine Program. ( )

This is the story of friendship, love and motherhood.

The story was a bit repeated after a while and it doesn't seem like a book I would read very frequently.

Nevertheless, a good chic-lit book and an easy read! ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast and easy read. I'm hoping to read more from Ms. Wilde! ( )

Midwesterner Nora is an English teacher at a co-ed boarding school outside of Boston. She is recently married and desperately wants to get pregnant. Nora loves her husband but does not feel the spark she felt with her ex-lover, David, who happens to teach at the same school. Anne isn't married, though she wants to be, and she has two children by lover Ted, who has been unable to disentangle himself from his marriage. Anne is a painter who believes in throwing herself into full-time motherhood. These two women have been best friends since childhood. Enter Cynthia, David's new wife (yes, that David). She is perfection personified--beautiful, talented, cultured. She quickly makes friends with Nora and starts to push Anne out of her position of best friend. So the stage is set. For what? you ask. For lots of whining and complaining. Wringing of the hands. And envy of the life belonging to someone else. After a week and a half of reading and only 140 pages into the book, I had no interest in these people. ( )