Otherwise Engaged

by Eileen Goudge

Can a New York City journalist exchange her subway pass for an SUV and find happiness? Can a small-town wife and mother take on the role of single city woman and discover a whole new life?

Jessie Holland is in search of a hot story for Savvy magazine when her editor poses a compelling question -- can you ever really go home again? Jumping on the idea, and with her love life currently at a crossroads, Jessie plans to return to her Arizona hometown and follow the path not taken -- with a twist. Her best friend back home, Erin Delahanty, is dealing with a crumbling marriage, a teenage daughter, and the demands of running a bed & breakfast. Needing to take stock of her life, she agrees to Jessie's she'll live in Manhattan for six months, while Jessie steps into Erin's shoes. But the choices and challenges they face take them by surprise...and what began as a daring magazine article will change both women forever.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, Adult Fiction

432 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2005

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 Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll admit it up front-I am a huge fan of Ms. Goudge's work. She has the ability to mix women's fiction with romance, tragedy, hope, and love in a seamless mix of words on a page. I began reading her work years ago, and I'm glad I never stopped. If I had, I never would have had the pleasure of reading OTHERWISE ENGAGED, a book that hit me particularly hard.

What woman-for that matter, what human-hasn't at least once in their life wondered what would happen if they could change places with someone who has a seemingly enviable lifestyle? Everyone that I know-from my children, to my friends, to my co-workers, to my mother-has, at one point in time, pondered the question "Who would you want to be if you could trade places with someone for one day?"

In OTHERWISE ENGAGED, best friends, Jessie Holland and Erin Delahanty, get that chance; one that few of us ever will experience. For Jessie, being a journalist in New York City is the epitome of everything she's ever wanted. She'd never in a million years exchange her middle-of-the-night take-out meals and trips on the subway for a middle-class, hum-drum lifestyle in the middle of nowhere. As for Erin, owning a bed-and-breakfast in a rural Arizona town is the fulfillment of her dreams, with a seemingly perfect marriage and a great teenage daughter.

What isn't so obvious is that Jessie and Erin are both suffering-Jessie needs a hot story to propel her career into overdrive, Erin and her husband are fighting almost non-stop, and both women want only to be somewhere else, someone else, for the time it takes to figure out how to fix whatever is wrong.

OTHERWISE ENGAGED is a wonderful book. Two best friends, both at crossroads in their life, decide to switch places-just to see, of course, if you can really go home again, if the "what ifs" are better than the reality, and if the grass is any greener on the other side. Highly recommended, Ms. Goudge once again proves that life is what you make it to be-and that, in itself, isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[Jaime Stricklin · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book was pretty interesting, but the actual story fell WAY short. I read through page 178 and then I just started skipping around to see what was going to happen. I think the author missed a chance to write a good book. A better story line would have been if Jessie had gone "home" and rediscovered love with Mike after all these years. The split story between Erin and Jessie just didn't work like it could have. I don't know quite how to express it, but I just couldn't grasp the feel for this book.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I marvel at authors like Eileen Goudge who produce a seemingly endless stream of entertaining chick lit. In this one, a city mouse from New York (Jess) and a country mouse operating a bed and breakfast in rural Arizona (Erin) decide to switch places for six months, mainly because of mutual man trouble. Somewhat unbelievably, both thrive in their new lives and each has her choice of two attractive males. The story leads up to the choices each will make after their Trading Places stint is over. It isn’t an original idea, but the book kept me entertained for a few hours.

[Shh I'm reading! · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of this book reminded me of The Holiday film with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. While the movie and its characters were charming, one of the main characters, Jessie, was not. I really have a problem with someone who can flip flop relationships like that. It's one thing to realize that you may have feelings for someone else and call it off. But to get engaged, continue to see the person you have a romantic interest in, sleep with them, stay engaged and continue sleeping with them? Not acceptable. I just couldn't see how Hunter would want to be with her after everything she did.

[Ann Mulholland · Rating 4 out of 5]

story of two best friends, one living in New York City, one in Arizona. With changes happening in tnier lives, they decide to 'switch lives' for 6 months. Each discovers things about themselves and find out that it's not always 'greener on the other side'.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read this author in awhile. Think of the tv show "Wife Swap" for a longer time period. I was glad both ladies chose with their hearts but I did feel like the last 30 pages or so were tying everything into a neat bow.

[Melissa (So Behind) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars Two friends switch lives when their own are at a crossroads. Nothing original despite an interesting premise. No depth.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice light read, fairly predictable. Overall a good book if you're looking for something easy.

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was the definition of a 3 star book- very meh. It's about 2 best friends who decide to switch spots. One (Jessie) lives in NYC and is dating a guy who has 2 tween kids and an ex wife. She works for a magazine or something and does an article about the switch with her best friend, Erin. Erin lives in their hometown and runs a B&B. Her husband has just asked for a divorce and their tween/teen daughter is struggling a bit. The women swap and both have other romances in their new situation. Jessie meets a guy named Hunter in the small town and also somewhat reconnects with her own mother. Erin meets a guy named Drew and has to decide if her marriage is really over. There is definitely some cheating and lying toward the end that I did not like at all. This book was quick to read, but I didn't have a huge desire to pick it up when I wasn't reading it and the quickness was because the plot was very basic.

[Lynne M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this book and was a few chapters in before realizing I'd already read it years ago. LOL.

This was a mindless read, and I found myself flipping through parts of it. I feel like the entire book was undeveloped, and the problems in the book were not really address with any kind of depth. Every male character in the story is described as so good-looking the female swoon when they enter. Oh boy. Did the author get lazy and decide to just make the men caricatures instead of somewhat realistic?

Erin's husband (though he may have been swoon-worthy, eye roll) was such a jerk. Both she and their daughter deserve better, in my opinion. Jess wasn't much better. Neither woman seemed like mature 30-something year old women. The author must have been a deadline or something, since nothing felt developed about this story.

[Jenn Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read...a typical story of people second guessing their life choices. I was intrigued by the self doubt that these women carried with them and it made me feel like I'm not the only one who questions if I made the right choice by picking the path that I did.

[Wendy Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have enjoyed every book I have read by Eileen Gouda and this one was no exception. Based on best friends who changed addresses and occupations for 6 months I originally it would be hard to keep readers interested but proved to be just the opposite. Well worth the read….

[Srishty Kaul · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my first reads. Beautifully written. You learn a lot about choices from this book. Must read if u are game for romantic reads

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was OK. Not the best book I ever read.

[Kristi Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply a Great Read! I Love, love Eileen Goudge's Books! They are always entertaining.
Life Sway with a little romance.....Who hasn't at one time or another about what if?

[Pt]

Good book for a vacation read.

[Sommer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical Chic-lit book. Quick and easy read and enjoyable.

[99Kylies]

DNF

[Inta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an easy read and creates the images of the things happening with no effort. It was like watching one of those Hallmark movies.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up as a freebie discard from the library. It was pretty cute for chick lit. It dipped its toe in some headier things, which isn’t a bad thing…more realistic.

[Yvonne O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jessie Holland goes back to her home in AZ and her friend Erin Delahanty (married to the brother of the boy Jessie left at the altar) takes her place in NYC when Jessie sells an idea to a magazine on "trading places" to see if homemakers an career women would trace places. In the middle of all of this, Erin's marriage is falling apart and her teenage daughter is left reeling. Jessie has to choose between a new love interest in AZ and her boyfriend back in NYC whom she has been trying to get to propose. In the end, everyone has a new outlook on life and things have worked-out for the best.

The concept of "life swap" was interesting, but some of the twists were on the unbelievable side. Money never seems to be an issue, Mike (the ex-fiancee) is over-the-top hostile, there are too many men throwing themselves at these two women, Jessie adjusts too easily to the bed and breakfast schedule (esp. when we just read pages and pages of how Erin could barely keep-up without her husband's help). Other than that, it is an easy read and gives the reader complete closure on all characters, even Jessie's mother, but the title is VERY misleading.

A real braindead beach read.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, think I read this book before and forgot. This was an interesting book not amazing though.

This book is about Jessie a single girl in new york and Erin (Jessie's best friend) who stayed in their small new mexico home town and is raising a family. As both are faced with obstacles in their life, Jessie needing a change in her career and Jessie's marriage is falling apart, they decide to trade places for 6 months.

The rest of the book is about how their lives change. As Erin is given the chance to have the life she was taken away from, living in new york and thriving, but she also has to choose what she wants to do for her family. While Jessie has to go back and face her past going back to her home town. Then she has to decide if she wants to go back to her life that she has made or the past she has face and become use to again.

It was an interesting book, kind of predictable at parts, but not a bad read.

[Jaclyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars feels a little harsh, but I can't really say I "liked" this book either. Maybe 2.5 is a better rating... Anyway, I read this book b/c my mom and sister-in-law both read it and liked it, and they rarely lead me astray. However, I wasn't all that captiaved by it and found it interesting that they both thought it was so good that I should read it too. I don't feel it was a waste of time necessarily, but I also didn't like it so much that I would really recommend it to others either. It's good poolside reading, but I've read so many chick lit books that I've liked better, that this one would be low on my list to pass along. I'm happy I borrowed it so I can just give it back instead.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fairly okay. But one line near the ended sort of ruined it and sucked it up for me,
"Is there such a thing as wedded bliss?" Jessie wondered aloud. "I mean, seriously," she turned toward Erin, "is there ever a day when you wake up next to your husband and think, 'my life with this man is perfect, I wouldn't change a single thing?"

"Erin snorted. "If that ever happened, I'd know I was still dreaming."

Well for basically being chick lit, that line ruined it, because a book centered around happy endings that doesn't even give you hope for happy endings is totally whacked. Because I for, one wake up more days than not thinking "My life with this man is perfect, I wouldn't change a single thing."

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one had been recommended to me by a friend, and I finally got around to reading it because it was chosen for a bookclub. I actually enjoyed it, while the idea is not "new" - people swapping lives for a certain period of time, to find themselves and figure out what they want - it was still enjoyable. I liked the main characters and found myself willing them to do things, lol. There weren't really any surprises in the plot at all, it was just a simple, good read.

[Joanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish I could do 3.5 stars for this one but I settled on 3 because although I enjoyed it, I'm probably not going to run out and tell everyone I know to read it. Lifelong friends Jessie and Erin are living very different lives, one in NY and one in AZ, and neither is really happy with how things are going. They agree to switch places for 6 months for a magazine article and to find out what would have happened if they had made other choices. Cute, fun, predictable-good beach read.

[Traci · Rating 2 out of 5]

I needed something a little fluffy after Love Among the Ruins. It was that, but it was also a little boring and predictable. I know that this type of book is supposed to be predictable, but normally there's a thrill involved, too. Not this time. Added to that, the characters weren't very well developed on the page. They changed, certainly, but most of the transformation occurred when the reader wasn't with them. Frustrating.

[Kelly Cehelnik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really enjoyed this book. At first the story seemed kind of overdone, two people are wishing they could turn back time and see how their lives could have ended up, but then it gets a little better with the fact that Jessie was originally from the same place that Erin is living. Therefore she had ties to the town and a history to play off of. Overall, I liked the characters, they weren't too annoying or over the top and the story line played out smoothly.

[K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me over a week to get through. Mainly because I was really busy, but also because it was a little slow to get in to.

I found Hunter's character to be a little bit of a random character based on the rest of the story.

It's somewhat predictable and the story doesn't seem to flow at times. Of course, this could be because I had to pick up and put down the book so many times.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little long in the page numbers. The story was unique, but at the same time the characters were a little flat. This was a quick read and nice fluff piece after some non-fiction reading I did. If you are looking for something that ends in the typical manner of boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back- then this book is for you. It's also a great pick up/put down novel.