The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell

Mary Atria/Emily Bestler/Alloy Entertainment, Julie Pennell, NetGalley, Southern Fiction
  • the-young-wives-clubTitle:  The Young Wives Club
  • Author:  Julie Pennell
  • Pages:  320
  • Genre:  Southern Fiction
  • Published:  February 2017 – Atria/Emily Bestler Books/Alloy Entertainment
  • Source:  Publisher; NetGalley

Description:  In Toulouse, Louisiana finding your one true love happens sometime around high school. If you’re lucky, he might be the man you thought he was. But as four friends are about to find out, not every girl has luck on her side in this charming debut novel perfect for fans of The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Desperate Housewives. 

Laura Landry’s quarterback husband was her ticket out of Toulouse. But when a devastating football injury sidelines him, they’re forced to move back to the small town she was so desperate to leave. As Brian starts drinking instead of rehabbing his knee, Laura must reevaluate what her future looks like…and if it includes her husband.

For years, Madison Blanchette has been waiting for bad-boy musician Cash Romero to commit to her. When wealthy George Dubois asks her out, she figures she may as well wait in style. Life with George means weekend trips to New Orleans, gourmet meals, and expensive gifts. At first she loves how George’s affection sparks Cash’s jealousy, but when George proposes to Madison, she finds herself torn between two men…

All Claire Thibodeaux wants is to be the perfect wife and mother. If she can do everything right she won’t end up like her mom, a divorced, single parent trying to make ends meet. But when Claire’s husband Gavin, a well-respected local pastor, starts spending late nights at work and less time in their bed, she can’t help but fear that history is about to repeat itself…

Gabrielle Vaughn never thought she’d end up with someone like her fiancé. The son of a prominent congressman, Tony Ford is completely out of her league—which is why she lied to him about everything from having a college degree to the dark truth about her family. She knows she has to come clean, but how do you tell the love of your life that your entire relationship is a lie?

As these young wives come together to help each other through life, love, and heartbreak, they discover that there are no easy answers when it comes to matters of the heart.  (publisher)

My take:  The Young Wives Club is about a group of friends who grew up together in a small Louisiana town where everyone goes to the same school and the same social events, etc. It’s the norm to marry young and the dream is to live happily ever after.

The friends learn that dreams don’t always come true. Some will learn that what they thought was their dream really wasn’t. They’ll all find out that they have the power to change their circumstances.

I thought Julie Pennell’s debut novel was sweet and had a good message. It’s a story told with a lot of heart and humor. My problem with reading it is my fault – I’m just not the right age demographic. I think younger women (late teens – twenties) might get more from reading it than I did. I could be wrong so if the publisher’s synopsis grabs your attention then you should read it!  I enjoyed Pennell’s writing style and would definitely take a look at her next book. Recommended to fans of Southern Chick-Lit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Julie Pennell grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana, where she ate her weight in crawfish, used the word “y’all” a lot, and wrote a weekly “Teen Scene” column for the local paper. After graduating from college, she moved to New York to work at Seventeen magazine and later Alloy Entertainment as a digital editor. She lives in New York City with her husband and is a regular contributor to Teen Vogue, TODAY.com, and The Nest. The Young Wives Club is her first novel.

THE YOUNG WIVES CLUB by Julie Pennell

Emily Bestler Books/Atria Books Paperback | ISBN: 9781501136467 | On sale: February 14, 2017 | 320 pages | $16.00

FIND JULIE ONLINE:

Website: http://juliepennell.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @juliepens

Instagram: @juliepens

 

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14 thoughts on “The Young Wives Club by Julie Pennell”

  1. I can see why you would say for younger age group, we all like to read about people who are dealing with similar life issues to ourselves. Heart and humor recommends it well.

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  5. Mary (and Kathy), we need to have a discussion about books and target ages. I understand that certain books are geared for specific age ranges. HOWEVER, I contend that if a book is well-written, and if the characters grab you emotionally, then it doesn’t make any difference what the reader’s age is. Case in point, I’ve read 2 YAs that I absolutely loved (and one of them was a fantasy!). I can tell you that I am about 50 years beyond YA status! But I still got hooked on the characters. This could just be me. But it’s a conversation I would love to have with you.

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    • I see your point, Lloyd. I’ll also use the quote “No two people read the same book”. I think we all bring our own life experiences along when we read and, in this case, it was especially apparent to me. I leave it up to each reader, though, to decide. I appreciate your comment!

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  8. This sounds cute and like it has a good message but I have a feeling I might not be the target market either. I do think my oldest daughter would really enjoy it so I’ll have to look for a copy for her.

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  12. Some books even when geared to a younger audience have a universal appeal because of the storyline. I’ve read middle-grade books that I loved, but then again some are very specific to situations unique to age groups and do not have a universal appeal, which is okay too.

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