“If Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore Girls was dropped into a thriller, it might resemble this appealing novel.” –Kirkus Reviews Thirty-eight-year-old Nicole thinks finding love is like eating carbs. Both are bad for your system. The single mother prefers to focus on a few things that she cherishes–her sixteen-year-old son Justin, her friends, and her art. When she convinces a major museum to show a … a major museum to show a piece of her work, and she thinks her career has finally turned a corner, her son brings home a girl, Daniela, to spend the night. Daniela’s parents have thrown her out of the house: she is pregnant with Justin’s child. Shattered, Nicole feels she has no choice but to take the girl in.
She finds herself falling in love with Daniela, but increasingly troubled by the behavior of the girl’s icy, tormented mom and hard-drinking, hard-fisted dad.
Nicole struggles as fear and deceit enter her formerly peaceful life. Forced to deal with people she doesn’t trust or like, fearful for the future of both her son and the grandchild they’re expecting, Nicole wonders if she can do what she tells Justin to do: always have faith in yourself and do the right thing.
What We Do for Love is a standalone story written by award-winning author Anne Pfeffer.
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Nicole is used to compartmentalizing her life, putting things into boxes in her mind, to be dealt with at an appropriate time. But real life isn’t always that tidy; in fact, it has a way of being extremely messy. Just when she finally gets her opportunity to prove herself as an artist, her son’s girlfriend moves in with them. Then, her sister needs a place to live. So, a household of two suddenly becomes a household of four, and then it grows some more. Will they be able to make it work?
Nicole’s account of her present-day life is interspersed with memories of her own teenage years with her sister, her sister’s boyfriend, and her own brief romance with the man who is now her best friend. The story is a combination of romance, family drama, suspense, and psychological thriller. It highlights the lengths parents will go to for the love of their children, but it also shows what love will make us do for our husband or wife, our friends, our neighbors, and even our pets.
Some heavy moments but, don’t despair, there’s a happily-ever-after.
Warnings: sexual references, alcoholism, domestic violence, teen pregnancy, sex scene.
I received this book in return for an honest review.
Full blog post (15 June): https://www.booksdirectonline.com/2019/06/what-we-do-for-love-by-anne-pfeffer.html
Nicole Adams is riding a high at the moment. Her story starts off with everything seeming normal and then she shows how quickly life can change. Her son seems the typical teenager. He gives her a surprise that she never saw coming. Her feelings seem so realistic and how any mother would feel.
The author certainly caught my attention with how realistic everything seemed to be. Nicole could be one of my neighbors. You may say hi to someone but not really know what happens once they go inside their home. Not knowing a single parent, I can’t say I know about the struggles they must have but our author gives us a fictional peek into what that life may be like. There comes a scene toward the end where Nicole voices a feeling that I’m sure a lot of women have voiced at one time or another.
Our author also puts in twists and turns that seem so realistic and show that anything could be possible in the life of a mother and her son. The only thing about the ending was that after everything that happened to get to that point, the happiness seemed to be rushed. I can’t really call it a romance but a peek into the life of a woman who is at a point in her life where she wants certain things. The secondary characters help to make this story – just like in a movie. On the whole it was an enjoyable read.
I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.
New to me author Anne Pfeffer paints a picture of a single mother, Nicole, who finds herself at a crossroads when her teenage son, Justin, brings home his high school girl “friend” that it appears is pregnant by him. Furthermore, Nicole is compelled to invite said friend, Daniela to stay in a household already stretched thin. And it gets worse. Nicole’s psyche is fraying with the pressure to complete an art mural after being chosen by a museum, and the realization that she’s still in love with her best friend, Mike. Wow, that’s a lot going in this domestic, family drama.
While the narrative is focused and told through Nicole’s POV, there’s a lot of focus on what everyone else in her life is going through and feeling. Into the fray comes her sister Caroline, announcing a separation from her husband, and her responsibilities seem greater. Pfeffer does a wonderful job keeping all the plot pieces on point and manages to create some suspense when Daniela’s family insinuate themselves into every aspect of her families life, and not in a good way.
I liked the story as a domestic drama and an in-depth portrayal of a woman protecting herself, but more importantly her son’s future. There’s quite a bit of fretting and heavy contemplation in what Justin faces, at how the turn of events impacts everyone in her life, but most importantly her son:
“Justin leaned forward, fidgeting, his elbows on his knees, one hand loosely holding the bottle. He expelled a deep sigh. My eyes met Mike’s in a look of mutual helplessness. Justin was going to be a father, and there was nothing we could do about it. So many near misses in life, so many times when we sidestep the consequences of our mistakes through sheer dumb luck. But this time, the arrow of misfortune had hit its mark.”
But more importantly is what Nicole learns about taking care of herself, taking chances to achieve greatness, feeding her soul. It’s well written, a little heavier than I expected ( I thought it might be more domestic thriller), but I enjoyed the message, the importance of family and friendship.
If you enjoy chick-lit, Anne does it well
4 Cranky stars
The lengths we will go to for our children are extraordinary and this book tells such a tale.
Nicole lived with her son Justin who she loved more than anything in the world. They had a very good mother and son relationship. Life on the whole was happy, she made just enough money making her pottery to keep there heads above water.
Then one day everything changed. First she was asked by a local gallery to do an art piece for them that would be at the entrance to the event and the first piece that anyone saw as they walked in. She was over the moon at last she may be recognised for her art and not just for making tea sets etc. She couldn’t wait for Justin to come home from school to tell him, he would be so excited for her.
At last he returned with a girl in tow, their faces said everything. Nicole asked what the problem was to be told that the girl Daniela, was pregnant by him. There was more, she had been kicked out by her parents who apparently did not want to know. The devastation was obvious and didn’t get better as time went on. Justin did not love this girl.
This is the start of a very tangled web of feelings, although a very enjoyable book I did find it a little slow going for the first part. The second part truly made up for this with the presence of Daniela’s mother and her best friend for years, Mike. Emotions such as jealousy sadness, anger, love and betrayal all running rife.
Do things all work out in the end? Who knows what is right for one person may not be right for another!
I recommend this book and if you feel like me it is going a bit slow persevere as the second half is an exceptional read.
This story was so great! I enjoyed every single moment even when I wanted to reach in and shake some of the characters.
All of the cast are completely realistic and three dimensional, and as someone who lives near (and very much like) the exact location this story is set, I was completely immersed in this read. The title says it all, really. Every single character is working through their own set of circumstances revolving around what they would do for love. Partner love, that of a child, a friend. Just so well done and enjoyable to read!
Highly recommend!