Being Zara: Not All Second Chances Are A Good Idea by Eva Lauder

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The story picks up from where we left the circle of friends in “Being Ines.” With their lives sorted into some kind of order after the mess they used to be, each of them continues to traverse the bumpy landscape of careers and relationships. In “Being Zara” by Eva Lauder, the focus, predictably, shifts from Ines to Zara. Still, the author pays enough attention to both, not forgetting the rest of the colourful set of characters the readers had been introduced to in the previous book.

Zara isn’t the kind of character everyone is bound to love. I guess a lot of people, especially women, would purse their lips at her choice of clothes, the length of her nails, and the lack of aversion to lip fillers. Should she be someone’s neighbour or colleague, I can imagine plenty of disapproving stares. What I personally like about Zara is her artlessness. She is the way she is, even if someone might not like it. I think that it doesn’t even cross her mind that she must change to fit someone’s standards. At the same time, she isn’t uppity or self-absorbed. She is kind and supportive when her friends need her.

Alas, all Zara’s good qualities don’t save her from falling victim to the trap set by her woman’s heart, which always craves the butterflies to stir the delicious chaos of love and passion in her stomach. Even though she had gone through the disappointment of a bad relationship and, luckily, emerged a victor, having found a man who loves not only her but the child of another man, and loves sincerely and deeply, Zara steps right into the noose. Someone from her past appears unexpectedly in her life and turns it upside down. When there was love, the coals never stop burning. And where the fire wasn’t extinguished properly with all the tools stashed neatly away, there is always a risk of a new fire should the kindling catch a spark.

Maybe Zara would have been able to resist the temptation, but in addition to her confusion about the past love, her current relationship started displaying cracks. I enjoyed the controversy that Zara’s dilemma and the choices she made presented. I couldn’t support her decisions. At the same time, I couldn’t condemn her. A woman’s heart is an infinite universe of shining stars. Some blink, disappearing for a moment, while others shine relentlessly, blinding us. Zara got lost in the galaxy of feelings and emotions, and I commend the author for showing it with both directness and delicacy.

The book is full of feel-good moments. There are funny situations and banter between friends and lovers aplenty. The complicated relationships between Ines and her father add an edge to the narrative, I guess, making all of us think about our own family dynamics. I found the introduction of Luke’s French parents absolutely charming.

“Being Zara” by Eva Lauder is a treat for those who appreciate the reflection of everyday life in their reads. For me personally, office scenes and also the streets of London were a welcome addition to the plot, driven by the relationships between the characters.



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Being Zara: …there’s a difference between needing and wanting.