Show Me 5 Saturday – Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle

at Find Your Next Book Here

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1 Title:  Real Life & Liars by Kristina Riggle

2 Words that describe the book:  Family reunion

3 Settings or characters:

*  Mira Zielinski – wife of Max and mother of Katya, Ivan, and Irina.

*  Katya – the totally together, on top of everything wife, mother, daughter, sister.  She’s about ready to crack.

*  Irina – the youngest child of Mira and Max who arrives home with two big surprises

4 Things I liked/disliked about the book:

*  I liked how real Kristina Riggle’s characters are -the Zielinski siblings especially.

*  I enjoyed how while reading it I felt like I was watching a movie.  The descriptions and dialogue were great.  I really liked the anniversary party scene.

*  Each chapter is about or from a different character’s perspective.  The details revealed about the characters filled in a lot.

*  I liked how the title worked into the plot at what seemed like the right time.

5 Stars or less for the rating:  4/5

Back of the book:  For Mirabelle Zielinski’s children, happiness always seems to be just out of reach.  Her polished oldest daughter, Katya, clings to a stale marriage with a workaholic husband and three spoiled children.  Her son, Ivan, so creative, is a down-in-the-dumps songwriter with the worst taste in women.  And the “baby”, impulsive Irina, who lives life on a whim, is now reluctantly pregnant and hitched to a man who is twice her age.  On the weekend of their parents’ anniversary party, lies will be revealed, hearts will be broken . . . but love will also be found.  And the biggest shock may come from Mirabelle herself, because she has a secret that will change everything.

The Life You’ve Imagined by Kristina Riggle

Anna, Cami and Amy were classmates in Haven, Michigan.  Before they graduated Amy photocopied a magazine clipping meant to inspire and gave a copy to her two friends:  “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you’ve imagined.”   More than fifteen years later the three find themselves thrown together again and life is definitely not what they’d imagined.

Anna is staying with her mother Maeve while on bereavement leave from her Chicago law firm.  Cami has returned to her father’s home after a breakup caused by her secret addiction.  Amy never left Haven and is looking forward to her wedding day.  All three have serious issues that need to be faced before they can move forward.  The young women  become almost unwitting accomplices in helping each other gain the confidence necessary to make positive changes in their lives.  Another character  needing to move forward is Maeve.  She was abandoned by her husband twenty years earlier and still holds on to the hope of his return.  Life is changing for her too.  Her lease has been cancelled leaving her without a job and a place to live. At fifty-two she has to figure out a new future.

Each chapter is from a different perspective rotating between the four main characters.  I liked that because it gave me a better understanding of each woman and allowed the author to fully unfold their history.  The voices are distinctive and move the story forward at a good pace.    When I finished reading the book I  felt satisfied with how the author wrapped things up.

I enjoy novels about small towns and the people who live there.  The Life You’ve Imagined did not disappoint.  I look forward to reading more from Kristina Riggle.

Review copy from HarperCollins