Reviewer: Michelle
I received a review copy
Summary:
After attending three new mom groups, only to be banned for eating Cheetos (not organic!) and uttering the occasional swear word, Sadie Walker questions why she is trying so hard to fit in. While sitting in another dingy community center playroom full of squealing babies and new moms enthusiastically discussing homemade organic baby food, Sadie meets John, a handsome, vivacious dad. They quickly form a friendship and Sadie finally finds an adult outlet. John soon becomes a lifeline and she looks to him for advice and support, and confides in him about her strained marriage and career as a copywriter. Sadie begins to have sexual fantasies about John. Those fantasies turn into opportunity when he tells her he’s in an open marriage. As Sadie contemplates how far is too far in regards to her friendship with John, she must also question herself, her marriage, an d her life. Will swinging with John improve that life, or destroy it?
Review:
Sadie Walker decided that joining a Mommy and Me play group would be the best choice for her and her son Spencer. Things at home with her husband were starting to get tense. Sadie felt like she was doing all the work with the baby and her husband was extremely uninterested, caring only about work. After joining the group she meets a Dad named John and she was instantly attracted. It wasn’t a surprise since he was a fantastic father, really good looking and offered Sadie a ton of attention. The two start hanging out one on one (with babies!) and soon Sadie begins to think this is more than just a friendship. The plot twist is that John is married…and also has a girlfriend.
This story dives deeply into how open relationships work and how hard having a baby can be on a partnership. It’s no wonder Sadie chose to wander from her marriage. She wasn’t getting enough help and attention from her husband and he was saying the same about her. I don’t have kids and I’m not married, but this helped me realize a few things. If I do have kids someday I HAVE to make sure my partner and I understand how much work it takes. It takes a toll on a relationship and you end of taking on a lot more. I really liked this aspect of the book. There aren’t a ton of chick lit books out there that touch on open marriages.
Sadie seemed a little hard headed through out the book and it sometimes made it hard to like her. In the end everything falls into place and I was happy it didn’t end horribly.
3.5 Stars
Author Bio:
Corbin Lewars is the author of PNBA and Washington State book award nominee Creating a Life: The memoir of a writer and mom in the making and Losing Him, Gaining You: Divorce as Opportunity. Her personal essays have been featured in over twenty-five publications including Mothering, Hip Mama, and the Seattle PI, as well as in several writing anthologies. She teaches writing at the Richard Hugo House in Seattle and at national conferences. She lives in Seattle, WA, with her two children.
Social Media Links:
www.corbinlewars.com
http://blog.seattlepi.com/singlewritermama/
Twitter: @CorbinSeattle
Find the Book!
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/swings-corbin-lewars/1121401740?ean=9781620157275
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25458099-swings
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