Synopsis: Chicago cartoonist Sarah Moon tackles life’s real issues with a healthy dose of sharp wit in her syndicated comic strip Just Breathe. As Sarah’s cartoon alter ego, Shirl, undergoes artificial insemination, her situation begins to mirror Sarah’s own difficult attempts to conceive. However, Sarah’s dreams of the future did not include her husband’s infidelity: snag number two in Sarah’s so-called perfect life.
With Chicago – and her marriage – in the rearview mirror, she flees to the small Northern California coastal town where she grew up, a place she couldn’t wait to leave. Now she finds herself revisiting the past – an emotionally distant father and the unanswered questions left by her mother’s death. As she comes to terms with her lost marriage, Sarah encounters a man she never expected to meet again: Will Bonner, the high school heartthrob she’d skewered mercilessly in her old comics. Now a local firefighter, he’s been through some changes himself. But just as her heart is about to reawaken, Sarah discovers she is pregnant. With her ex’s twins.
It’s hardly the most traditional of new beginnings, but who says life and love are predictable...or perfect? The winds of change have led Sarah here. Now all she can do is just close her eyes...and breathe.
Type: Fiction
Quick Take: Recommend - I didn't know if I was going to like this book when I originally brought it home but I was pleasantly surprised. While reading this novel I kept comparing it to books written by Kristin Hannah and Marisa de los Santos. You feel like you are listening to a friend tell a story. There are a few sub-plots that keep the reader interested and the story moving at a good pace.
If you are looking for a light/fun book for reading at the beach, this is a great choice.
Source: Library (audio)