It's Better This Way by Debbie Macomber Review

 Hello Friends :)

I hope you're all doing well, and I want to thank you all for joining me for another book review here on The Preppy Book Princess.

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, then you'd already know that Debbie Macomber is one of my all time favorite authors.

However, I've found her recent releases to be kind of hit or miss for me. I recently finished her newest release, and today I'm here to share with you all what I ended up thinking about it.

Keep reading on for my full review.

It's Better This Way by Debbie Macomber:

Source: Libby App

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: July 13th, 2021

Genre: Women's Fiction/Contemporary

Synopsis:

After divorce shatters her family, one woman's struggle to pick up the pieces finally leads to a new beginning--but is the past truly behind her? #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber explores the powerful intersections of love and family in this poignant novel.

It's been nearly six years since Julia Jones had her heart broken. After her husband became involved with another woman, she did everything she could to save their marriage, to no avail. Their two daughters continue to stand by Julia in the wake of their father's behavior--and they've had a tough time getting along with the other woman who became their stepmother. Distraught after selling the family home, Julia moved into a condominium complex that offers the warmth and charm of a fresh start. Now, having settled into her new community and sold her successful interior design business, she's embraced a fulfilling new life, one that doesn't seem to need a man in it. Her beloved father's trusty saying is ringing truer than ever: It's better this way.

But when Julia meets a handsome new resident in the building's exercise room, she can't help but be drawn to him. Heath Johnson is a welcome change from the men she's encountered on the occasional--mostly disastrous--dates her sister has eagerly planned for her over the years. As she and Heath, a divorcé himself, begin to grow close, their friendship blossoms into a love neither of them had expected. However, they soon realize that combining families, even with four adult children, presents inevitable challenges.

When a dramatic revelation threatens the happiness they've found, Julia and Heath must reconcile their love for their children with their love for each other. If they can't, their bright future together may be nothing but a dream.

(synopsis from goodreads)

My Review:

Debbie Macomber has long been one of my favorites, but I've found her last few releases to be really hit or miss. I was a little hesitant to pick this one up because of that fact, but also because I'm someone who really does not enjoy reading books where affairs play a main role in the plot. That being said, I really ended up enjoying this one for the most part, and I applaud the fact that Debbie Macomber is willing to tackle tough subject matter, and present her stories both authentically and realistically to the reader.

This one is kind of a hard one to review; as on one hand I found myself barely able to put it down, but on the other hand was struggling to come to terms with the many selfish actions of the main character (Julia's) husband, and his new wife for whom he left Julia for. Debbie has a way of writing that always grips at the heartstrings and makes me sympathize with whatever the main character is going through, and that was definitely the case here. I literally couldn't believe everything this poor woman has to go through on account of her ex-husband's infidelity and selfishness, and I don't truly feel she ever got the justice she truly deserved throughout. However, she never really gets bitter, and instead is determined to build a better relationship with the new love she never expected, and continues to encourage her daughters to build back their relationship with their father.

I didn't really find the big reveal to be that shocking personally, but it was still well done, and the story wrapped up nicely, even if it was a tad predictable. Perhaps my favorite part of the entire story though was the fact that the author doesn't shy away from demonstrating the true consequences that an affair and a subsequent divorce have on entire families, and how this hurt doesn't instantly go away, and can lead to some pretty dire consequences. It was never romanticized or the like, and I was really happy that was the case.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one and definitely think it feels more like some of Debbie's older releases.

Final Rating: 4/5.

A surprisingly enjoyable read for me considering the subject matter, and I'd highly recommend it.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owner.