This Could Be Paradise: The Undertow

by M.C. Terriche

A woman of pride, intellect, and creativity, Mena Stone is not one to play the victim, yet she finds herself in an all too familiar place - in a dissatisfying and disconnected relationship. Leaving her spouse and best friend of over a decade is a decision she never dreamed of making, but her hand is forced by a career move that brings her one step closer to her goals, and her first love - music. Follow Mena on her journey as she breaks free from the tether of her old life and finds her paradise.

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2025

About the author

A southerner by birth and engineer by trade, M.C. Terriche draws inspiration from her personal and professional endeavors, and experiences shared with those closest to her.

In her debut novel, M.C. Terriche invites the reader to explore disappointment and cognitive dissonance through the lens of a character determined to find their path to inner peace and fulfillment.

Reviews

[Patsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as an advanced reader copy and here are my honest thoughts.

I started this book wondering if it was going to be for me but I absolutely loved reading it. This book tackles a common topic that many of us can relate to and that is being in a long term relationship that may have run its course.

In this book we follow a couple who has been in a relationship for about ten years and are at this point to where they may be at different places in life. The main female character is very driven, very headstrong, and she knows what she wants in her life. However, her husband is very comfortable with where he's at in life.

The things that this couple goes through on a personal level is so relatable. I love when an author tackles real life problems and turns it into an interesting read. As I read this book I laughed at some of the situations. I also felt the emotion that the FMC was going through.

I would have loved some more depth in the characters but that is a personal preference. Overall, all I truly enjoyed this novella.

[Ellen Scovil · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an Advanced Reader Copy review.

I don't know what I was expecting with this book. I didn't know the premise, so I had no preconceived notions.

This was a story about the slow deterioration of a marriage. Told from the viewpoint of the wife, Mena.

The prologue pretty much laid out how the story was going to go. The next fifty pages just expounded on the specifics.

This wasn't bad for a first novella. I was just expecting more.

[Kait Branath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was honored to receive an ARC of this novella! Sadly, it wasn’t for me but I can appreciate the idea behind it. I mostly had some technical issues with understanding the timeline, but I also didn’t understand the motivation behind the main character, Mena’s actions (or non-action, in some cases). I definitely think there’s potential here though!
Look forward to seeing how future works by this author progress.

[Laura McCloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Want a great story to relate to the world of finding yourself and standing up for what you actually deserve? Then this book is for you. The main character is one I connected with deeply and felt every emotion with her through this journey of finding herself in a place she never expected to be! This was a great, quick read that you’ll love!

[Renee Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I would give this novella a 4.5 stars.
Mena and her husband struggle through 10 years of marriage. This story is Mena's monologs of what is going through her mind as she struggles with her husband.
This book was engaging. The characters were well done and I wanted to keep going. This is not a book I expected to like as much as I did. It's a different type of my usual go to stories and I would recommend this novella.

I did recieve this novella as an ARC. My opinions are my own.

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am grateful to have been selected as an advanced reader for this novella. I appreciate and enjoyed the introduction to the characters and the often time relatable struggles that they face as a young couple. It felt a bit monotone at times but this may very well be the intro to these characters and where life is about to take them.

I am looking forward to the second installment and hopeful that the journey takes off and has a few more layers as the characters navigate a new chapter.

[Valerie Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ARC Review*

I would give this short story novella a solid 3.5 rating

This is the story of a young couple navigating early marriage and its complications with the transitions of young love to adult responsibilities and how that can sometimes be more than rough. The FMC was driven in her career and further pursued her education, while her husband was complacent in being stagnant in a job yet controlling of his wife. The story follows their journey for a few years of their early marriage and what ultimately leads them to a place where they have to make a decision about what's best for them moving forward. I felt I really related closely to this story through some similar life experiences and I liked that connection to this very much.

I felt the inner dialogue of the FMC to be sometimes too much tell and not show and I wanted to feel more of her emotions rather than being told how she felt. I thought the story could have been much more compelling with this type of emotional connection.

Thank you so much to M.C. Terriche and her team for selecting me to be part of their ARC team :)