Woman in Blue

by Eileen Goudge

Sisters separated as children are reunited as adults in this wise, funny novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Diary. Lindsay and Kerrie Ann Bishop were twelve and three when they were shunted into the foster care system. Thirty years later, Kerrie Ann, a high school dropout who has bounced from family to family, flies to Santa Cruz to meet the sister she never knew she had. With no job skills and no significant other, Kerrie Ann needs the help of her long-lost sister to regain custody of her six-year-old daughter, Bella.   Lindsay, who grew up in a loving adoptive family, has spent decades trying to track down her sister. When Kerrie Ann suddenly appears in her bookstore—a seemingly lost, but tough-looking young woman with pink streaks in her hair—she’s stunned. With help from an eighty-year-old exotic dancer, a bad-boy baker, and a sexy bestselling novelist, Lindsay is determined to help Kerrie Ann turn her life around. But Lindsay—and the sleepy seaside town of Blue Moon Bay—will never be the same. From the New York Times–bestselling author of Garden of Lies and other blockbusters, this is both “a touching story with wide appeal [and] a sharp example of dysfunctional family fiction” (Publishers Weekly).

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Audiobook, Womens Fiction, Book Club, Adult Fiction

410 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2009

About the author

I began writing at the age of eight and wrote my way through the lean years before I found success as New York Times' bestselling author with my first novel GARDEN OF LIES. To date I have published 19 novels and a cookbook. Every life experience I've weathered has found its way into my novels in one form or another: bad exes, births, deaths, divorces, romances, and even true crime. My heroines are like me: tough cookies who don't crumble.

My latest novel, Book One of my Gold Creek series, ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, is the story of a woman fleeing her abusive ex who finds refuge in a small California mountain town, where she's befriended by a group of women who call themselves The Tattooed Ladies and reinvents herself as a police sketch artist. Kyra "draws lines to stop crimes," as they say in the biz, never imagining she'll one day be forced to confront the biggest criminal of all: her ex.

I'm married to former entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon and the mother of two grown children. We live in Sacramento, California, where we remodeled a 1940's house for which I was the on-site project manager. Fortunately, multi-tasking is my superpower, so I was able to write a book and supervise a home remodel at the same time. The latter is sure to find its way into a future book. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see pics of my home remodel and other adventures.

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ms. Goudge has quite a following as I saw by the extensive line at BEA. But after reading "Blue Moon" she strikes me as a chick lit-ish writer that likes to reference contemporary pop culture and overuse cliches.

Not that there's anything wrong with chick lit, but reading about the story of Lindsay and Kerrie Ann (sisters separated by the foster care system when Lindsey was almost an adolescent and Kerrie Ann only three years old) had many parts that reminded me of the basic structure of the chick lit genre.

Lindsay, since being adopted, has lived a pretty privileged life with a nice home and her own business. Kerrie Ann was a throwaway child in the foster care system bouncing from place to place. Ending up not valuing herself but throwing her body at men she thought were interested in her. In the end she ended up getting together with a guy who was bad news, got pregnant, and lost her child due to a bad drug problem. As Kerrie Ann tries to clean up her life she finds out she has a sister who could help her turn things around as she fights an uphill battle to regain custody of her bi-racial daughter, Bella. Bella has ended up with a well-to-do African-American family and is being well looked after.

"Once in a Blue Moon" has your classical bad boy that Kerrie Ann is attracted to, in addition to the lackluster but successful boyfriend that Lindsay has wasted years away with. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the two perfect guys (with slight hitches) that of course (SPOILER) both sisters are destined to be with.

The Black father of Bella, Jeremiah, turns out to be the typical druggie bad guy who almost causes Kerrie Ann some serious trouble near the end of the book. While the only other people of color (The Barthholds, Bella's foster parents and Abel, Kerrie Ann's lawyer) represent the better end of the African-American personification.

The prose isn't that strong that sucks you in. At times Goudge gives some pretty basic descriptions of people (eye color, hair color, sometimes a key physical characteristic) in addition to focusing too much on clothing (as the sisters dress). Yes, we got it after the first couple of chapters that Kerrie Ann dresses raunchier than her more conservative sister Lindsay. And the cliched references to great sex and being treated like a lady during intimacy as well as how thoughts of this guy over that guy tend to be repetitive and none too interesting.

If you're already a fan of Ms. Goudge's work then perhaps you may like this one. Since this was my introduction I doubt I'd read some of her other books if they have the same formulaic plot and outcomes.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read with great characters that follows two sisters who find each other after years apart. As they battle their demons and help one another they also find love along the way. Recommended for women's lit fans who don't mind an edgy story with some twists.

[Georgiann Hennelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters. Kerrie Ann has a habit of disappearing.Lindsay was adopted by a loving family when their mom Crystal went to jail. Kerrie Ann wasn,t so lucky she bounced from foster home to foster home .As a teenager she ran away and became a drug addicted single mother. She lost custody of her daughter, now newly sober and free of drugs, she is back almost thirty years later.She wants to try and forge new bonds with Lindsay. Lindsay is trying to help Kerrie Ann regain custody of her daughter and along the way they discover what sister hood is all about. There,s some mishaps and mayhem but also romance which the sisters find in some unlikely places.

[Karen Sheldon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hadn't read a book by this author in several years...I'm so glad I read one of her books again. I remember her name and that I loved her intimate and real life stories. This was a wonderful story of two sisters sent into the adoption system at a very young age and don't find each other until they are both adults. It is great to watch the relationships of the two sisters and the people around them grow and mature. A very fine read.

[Nakesha Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was ok. I was expecting more, expecting different. I thought there would be more about how the sisters grew up. I thought they would have had more moments together. The way that Lindsay reacted to Kerrie Ann was off. You would think their ages were reversed. It became more about boyfriends and fiancées than sisters. It was an ok story just not what I was hoping to read when I read the synopsis.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really pleasantly surprised by this book. This is the story of sisters Lindsey and Kerrie Anne and their separation as young children and their rejoining as adults later in life. They’re separated and put into a separate foster homes when they’re young because their mother is an alcoholic and doesn’t take care of them. They get back together as adults when Kerrie Anne is in a similar situation and has lost custody of her daughter and is trying to regain it. Her lawyer suggests that she should find family and have them around to support her case. As their stories go on they learn how to reestablish their relationship despite having been raised very differently. Lindsey is very straightlaced and Kerrie Anne is very wild child. They both start to change and meet in the middle.
Lindsey was dating a lawyer who was very great on paper but no passion. She is a bookstore owner and ends up falling in love with an author who pursues her actively and wins her heart. Kerrie Anne ends up falling in love with the baker and coffee shop man that works in the bookstore. Also going on in the story is the fact that a big conglomerate is trying to buy out Lindsey‘s land to build a golf course and resort. She is holding back because her bookstore is all she has left as a memory of her adopted parents. The picturesque land in front of her is hers and she would like to leave it as picturesque instead of turning the town into another tourist trap. The author’s father is the one heading the conglomerate take over. When Lindsey finds out she is very angry and they take a break, but they get back together in the end. In the very end Lindsey gets to keep her land because the author discovers some incriminating evidence against his father that he uses as blackmail. Kerrie Anne gets custody of her child and Marries the baker. It is very happy ending. I thought the story was really entertaining and cute and I really liked both of the characters. There so many relationships within the story that it was very intriguing and kept me turning pages.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

***3.5 stars*** Since the book was published the title has changed to Woman in Blue, not sure why or that it matters. I found the book to be a little different than what I’m used to reading. Really enjoyed it!

Lindsey & Kerrie Ann are taken away from their mom and placed in foster care, in different homes. They are apart for 30 years or so before they’re reunited. The reunion isn’t all roses and rainbows. Each of the women learn how to deal with each other, and to lean on each other. They both have their own struggles which happened before they reunited, now their new found sisterly relationship will be tested to a certain degree.

Definitely want to read more books by this author.

[Debe Dahlke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it.. 2 sisters selected when young and put in foster care. They reunite and come to share their lives

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had an interesting premise but didn’t deliver for me. It couldn’t quite decide which story it wanted to tell, and though I cared about the central characters, I didn’t really get to know them enough to be invested in the outcome. I found the writing a bit juvenile, cliched & not very deep. The narrator was not particularly nuanced in her storytelling, which made the pace feel a bit too slow. I feel like there were too many missed opportunities here.

[Vanessa Druckman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am somewhat of a literary snob, reaching for trade paperbacks over popular thrillers or romance novels. But every once in a while, I enjoy a good page turner, a book whose plot sucks you in and demands that you sneak away to read it regardless of whatever you may be doing.

Once in a Blue Moon, by Eileen Goudge, is pure brain candy, beginning with the setting in a small coastal town in Northern California. Although the characters and the plot are sometimes predictable, I found myself increasingly caught up in the story, sneaking away to hide in the bathroom to grab a few more pages in peace.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three story lines merging to form the story:
Two sisters, separated by the CPS system when their mother is imprisoned, led very different lives, not seeing each other for 27 years. Surprisingly, it doesn't gloss over the mistakes of the bad parenting of one young woman who lost her child to CPS but is working to get her back.
Nor does it have the happily ever after for the sister who is fighting as the lone holdout to a developer. The sisters after battles won and lost, still have to live with their decisions and make a life.

I'd recommend it to others.

[Dianne Matthews · Rating 2 out of 5]

*sigh*
I thought I was buying a book about the relationship between two sisters. I was disappointed to discover that it was in fact a very predictable romance novel. I still finished it, but didn't really enjoy the book.
Having said that, it's my fault that I didn't check it out better before buying and if I had WANTED a romance novel, I might have given it a better rating. They're just not my thing.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I blame the editor. I was liking the characters and I was enjoying the plot but I had to abandon this book for the continuing offensive treatment of sexual harassment (perhaps it was her fault?) and an attempted rape treated as a silly anecdote when none of this needed to be part of this story at all!

[Agnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kerrie Ann and Lindsey....two sisters who found each other again after bein separated at a young age because their mother ended up in jail...two different lives, entwined at the end to make what we call "family"....truly a moving book.

[Angi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, held my interest. Writing was stilted and a tad juvenile, but still a good story with a happy ending.

[Jo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the storyline was promising but the writing and the narrator left something to be desired. I would not recommend it.

[Lisa Wilkes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in the library at one of our crew hotels; the premise was interesting, so I decided to give it a try. The first chapter, which is essentially a flashback to the sisters' early youth, hooked me. I connected with the characters instantly. My favorite person was Miss Honi, who was compassionate as well as quirky and sarcastic. As I progressed through the book, I found the sisters less and less endearing. As adults, they were tough to relate to. I consider myself somewhat well-versed in addiction; prior to becoming a flight attendant, I spent several years working with recovering addicts. Graduate school also taught me a lot of the psychological aspects of addiction and gave me hands-on experience in the field. I didn't find Kerrie Ann's sentiments/perspective an accurate reflection of the devastating grip of addiction; it often seemed her comments were forced, as though someone was writing about an unfamiliar subject matter and trying to make it sound authentic by using appropriate lingo and jargon. Lindsey, on the other hand, seemed uptight and tightly-wound. I'd even go so far as to label her annoying in some brief instances. I found it difficult to empathize with her. Her protectiveness over Ollie wasn't endearing; it struck me as creepy and controlling. Also, the outcome of her relationship with her boyfriend felt rushed and hollow. However, there were many bright spots in this novel. I loved the fast pace of the plot and just about every scene which included Miss Honi. She was hilarious. I felt Jeremiah's character was an honest portrayal of someone battling addictions and then backsliding, even with the best of intentions. The ending was sweet and sentimental, providing the perfect amount of closure. Overall, I enjoyed reading the book even though I had difficulty connecting with the characters at times.

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Separated as children and put in different foster homes, Lindsay lucked out with wonderful parents and now owns her beachfront home and a successful business. Kerrianne, however, has bounced around, ultimately ending up losing custody of her daughter because of drug abuse. When she discovers she has a sister, she seeks her out, looking for help. The sisters are as different as they can be. Lindsay is very conservative, wanting to be in control, but behind the scenes. She has a long-term comfortable relationship and is currently facing a battle for her land against a big hotel chain who wants to build a resort there. Kerrianne is flashy, loud-mouthed, with anger problems. She is her own worst enemy, mouthing off when she should be polite. As they live together (along with flamboyant elderly friend Miss Honey), they begin to change and grow, each learning from the other. There are complications--Kerrianne's ex showing up, Ollie's attraction to Kerrianne (Lindsay's younger employee), and Lindsay's new tempting boyfriend. But they find themselves coming together and working through these issues as they arise, discovering that they have back-up when they need it. I didn't particularly love these characters, rolling my eyes much of the time, but I enjoyed watching them learn to navigate together and helping each other to expand their horizons. There were a couple of exciting scenes that kept things interesting--Bella's problem with her dad (Kerrianne's 6yo daughter) and Randall's reveal (Lindsay's new boyfriend). And (according to Miss Honey), once in a blue moon, if you try very hard, things sometimes work out the way you want them to. All in all, I enjoyed this book very much. Julie Briskman is an excellent reader, but she didn't include a lot of inflection or variation in her voice, so her narration was good but not superlative.

[Gayle Cappelluti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eileen Goudge is an exceptional writer who draws her readers in to a world that seems real, familiar, possible. Here, we have sisters, Lindsay and Kerri Ann, separated in early childhood when their disinterested mother is imprisoned for dealing drugs. Where Kerri Ann goes off to an unstable life of multiple foster homes, promiscuity and drugs, Lindsay finds good fortune by being adopted one year after she comes to live with the only foster parents she's ever known. After Lindsay's parents pass, Lindsay takes over the oceanfront home they have left, runs her own bookstore/cafe, and continues in her lifelong quest to find Kerri Ann. She looks earnestly for the sister she lost so many years ago. It is only after Kerri Ann kicks her own drug habit and is dealing with her own legal issues that she finds her sister. Will they restore their relationship? Will the years of separation have created a chasm they can never cross? I won't ruin this sensational story by telling you what happens between these two very different young women. Let it suffice to say that hardship is a great teacher and love is something that time cannot erase. Each sister has a rocky road ahead. Will they cross their respective roads together?
In my work as a Youth Counselor, I always told y young clients that they need not be what they come from. This story is a testament to my philosophy.

[Janice Branning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are separated at a young age when their mother is arrested for drugs. Both are out in to foster care, Lindsay the oldest is adopted and Kerrie Ann goes from one fosterhome to another.
Miss Honi who was in their lives when they where children is now living with Lindsay.
Both sisters have troubles to over come, Lindsey is trying to keep her business and Kerrie Ann wants to get her child back from the family who wants to adopt her.
Enjoyed the book, but why does race have to play a part in the story when the child is Bi racial. Is it because if a white mother has a child and it come out looking black she can’t raise it to be black. And a black mother has a child and it comes out looking white she can’t raise it.
Today this question is very relevant, but the author didn’t see it at that time.

[Jeanette "Josie" Cook M.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This enchanting novel covers recovery and overcoming life's curves with many other incidents looming in the background of its characters' lives.

Goudge weaves in little tidbits about other books, authors, and literature. This makes added sense because of the quaint little bookstore included in the storyline that is situated in a small community by the water. Goudge keeps the reader grounded in her characters' lives and their relationships blooming along the way.

Wonderful and reflective on tense situations, including how one must handle and react to what is out of their control. The point of view is well done and bringing the characters to the reader that they want to keep close to their own hearts and never forget after the story ends.

[Kimberly Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet-ish sister story, an ensemble cast of of well-rounded characters, all with their good and bad sides (except Miss Honi - she's just a delight through and through.) Kerrie Ann had a much stronger character arc, and I thought she should have been the star of the show. I wanted more of her gritty struggle through foster care, and less of sister Lindsay's more idyllic adoptive upbringing.
I was a bit disappointed with the "love interest rescues the heroine" ending . . . I was really rooting for Lindsay to work her own way out of the deal with the shady developer. The handsome-hero swoop at the end was more than balanced by by Kerrie Ann's remarkable (still wholly plausible) slips-and-starts, self-driven turn-around.

[Linda Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

First let me say that I enjoy this author and her well developed stories. In this story, two sisters are sent to Foster Care when they are young. the older sister is sent to a wonderful loving couple and is later adopted by them. The younger sister is bounced from home to home and now has had her own daughter taken from her because of her drug use. At the thought of never regaining her daughter, she seeks out the older sister, who has been trying to find her. These two have lived such different lives in the twenty years since they have seen each other, the reunion is strained at best. With the help of an aging former exotic dancer (stripper) who cared for the girls when they were little, they slowly learn to know and love each other again. As the time goes by in trying to regain the little girl, they form a united front with many ups and downs, but in the end, both sister has found love and the child is returned to her mother.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Goudge is at her best when buried deep in the emotional turmoil of her characters, but she tends to become lost in unfamiliar surroundings. The inner voices of her male characters rarely ring true, and her attempts to bring realism to her characters' gritty sides fall flat. Her main characters would have been more convincing a decade younger... Kerry Ann, particularly, would be a better fit as an immature 23 than an immature 33. When in doubt, she falls back upon cliches. The sex scenes were rather more detailed than I needed. Also, the idea that Kerry Ann, with her age and background, gets hooked on reading through Judy Blume is pretty silly. I can only suppose the author had a soft spot for the books that were so relevant to her as a tween - they would have no relevance at all for Kerry Ann.

A fun read, due to the emotional depth of the protagonists - but not requiring more than one go-round.

[Denise Hurd · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book at a used bookstore and got it because it was a buy 2 get one free deal. It was fine. Nothing extraordinary. It had its good parts and its bad parts. I wouldn't really recommend it simply because it felt like a waste of time. It wasn't that entertaining and it didn't really make me see things differently. A part I really hated was how Lindsay was just straight-up cheating on her boyfriend for like half of the book and still had the audacity to look down on other people. Her boyfriend wasn't a bad guy at all, and it just felt so rude that she wouldn't even break up with him before having an affair with some random author. She kept it up for a while too, which I could not respect at all. Overall it was fine but little things like that bothered me and it just wasn't great.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of the story but found critical parts unbelievable. Lindsay had been searching for her sister Kerrie Ann for years and years with no luck. She had been obsessing over it yet she managed to find a neighbor from her past with little searching or effort. Then Kerrie Ann’s probation officer (or someone) found her sister just like that. The most ridiculous part was when the 2 sisters were finally reunited after all those years of being apart, it seemed like a gigantic let down. No heavy emotions. No surprise. Nothing really except generic talk. I lost interest and believability in the story. To me, that seem to be a big part of the story.

[Kathleen Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a really strong beginning with several interesting and likable characters. The storyline and setting intrigued me and had so much potential.

However… I wish the exploration of the relationship between sisters would have gone much deeper.

The older sister’s repeated chagrin over her younger sister’s physical appearance and clothing choices kept the momentum at a really superficial level. It also made big Sis more difficult to connect with.

Too many pop culture references, too many overly described sex scenes. There was a treasure trove of themes that deserved more attention.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about two sisters who grew up in two very different families and situations. Fast forward to present day and they are once again reunited. The younger sister is searching for help to a situation that she got herself into. The older sister has been searching for her younger sister all her life but now that she has found her is she more trouble than she thought.
The book tackles the difficult topics of drug abuse, foster care, and the family legal courts. It is completely fictional but does have some truth to the things mentioned above. I really found this book enjoyable even while it touched on difficult life situations.

[Elle Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The lives of two women intersect, both with cliche’d lives. There is some veiled racism that probably may have been vague when published, but just did not age well. It’s a tired story about women finding themselves in a messy situation, and here comes the prince to save help them save themselves.
This is not the worst book, and seems to be well written, but it was very predictable. From the moment you meet the characters, you know where they will end, and that just makes me lose interest very quickly.

[Katie O. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very page turn-able, beach read kind of book. It presents elements of the foster care dynamic over time/generations in an interesting and empathy-producing manner. The theme could be 'hurt people will hurt people' with a slice of 'live your life, people!' Dramatic issues are rather predictable, but the characters & motivations are nicely varied. Some solutions seem to easily reached. Other outcomes are more realistically determined. Big ideas (e.g. big vs. small business) are worked through in convincingly confusing-to-the-characters ways.