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All We Have Lost
Kim Waters seems to have it all: her own PR agency, a loving husband and two adorable children. Then Kim announces that she's fed up plugging Flush toilet cleaner and writing sparkling press releases for mediocre products; she wants to write 'the great novel' and spend more time with her young family. She folds her business and settles down to a life of cosy domesticity.
If only it were that easy. The 'great novel' is, in fact, a great struggle. Life as a domestic goddess has (many) hidden challenges. And her relationship with her husband is rapidly losing its equilibrium.
As the perfect life Kim has built for herself starts to crumble comes the revelation that will make her doubt everything she had taken for granted…
Aimee Alexander is the pen name of bestselling Irish author, Denise Deegan. All We Have Lost was first published by Gill and Macmillan as Turning Turtle.
If only it were that easy. The 'great novel' is, in fact, a great struggle. Life as a domestic goddess has (many) hidden challenges. And her relationship with her husband is rapidly losing its equilibrium.
As the perfect life Kim has built for herself starts to crumble comes the revelation that will make her doubt everything she had taken for granted…
Aimee Alexander is the pen name of bestselling Irish author, Denise Deegan. All We Have Lost was first published by Gill and Macmillan as Turning Turtle.
- GenresContemporary
274 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
337 people are currently reading
694 people want to read
About the author
Aimee Alexander
30 books91 followersAimee Alexander is the pen name of bestselling Irish author, Denise Deegan. Denise writes contemporary teenage fiction under her own name. As Aimee Alexander, she writes contemporary adult fiction that focuses, largely, on family and relationships.
For more information visit: https://aimeealexander.com
For news on new books and offers and to receive a free copy of Aimee's short story, Checkout Girl, visit: http://eepurl.com/-II1X
Happy reading x
For more information visit: https://aimeealexander.com
For news on new books and offers and to receive a free copy of Aimee's short story, Checkout Girl, visit: http://eepurl.com/-II1X
Happy reading x
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
July 6, 2020
Interesting story, how life, careers, kids etc puts pressure on a marriage and the couple drift apart to the point of cheating.
The Hero cheats during the story but there are no details.
The heroine doesn't just take him back she makes him work for it.
After the separation the heroine is intimate with another man on one occasion.
The story explores the affects and reasoning around separation and forgiveness.
There is a HEA but it's left open, you don't see them living it.
The Hero cheats during the story but there are no details.
The heroine doesn't just take him back she makes him work for it.
After the separation the heroine is intimate with another man on one occasion.
The story explores the affects and reasoning around separation and forgiveness.
There is a HEA but it's left open, you don't see them living it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2020
This was a good one until 60ish % - a solid 4.5 stars. Halfway through, the badass wife confronts her cheating husband as soon as she finds out and even bursts into the boardroom during a meeting to confront the OW. It was so satisfying reading that scene! Then it sort of fell apart for me. The wife was made out to seem like she had tunnel vision not forgiving the husband which wasn’t the case at all. First, the heroine’s mother reveals that she basically had an open marriage where the father loved another woman and she dealt with it. Then the psychologist encourages the wife to work it out with the hero because of the children and finally the wife ends up cheating with her male bff to show the readers that she too can make unintentional mistakes like the husband did. I wish the author had focused solely on the husband and wife to work out their problems without citing these unnecessary random examples.
October 17, 2021
Finally a woman who when she finds out her husband has cheated... she kicks his ass out and throws his shit back in his face in front of the lover. And actually separates from him immediately.
I loved Kim. She was a strong albeit lost woman. She's been burnt out from her running PR company... she's sick of missing tucking her kids in. Sick of missing time to take a walk with her husband. She decides to quit her job to become a writer. She thought it would be her dream. But honestly, I think Kim just needed time off to reconnect with her family. And she does reconnect with her kids Chloe and Sam. I adored her children. Even though her kids can drive her crazy, Kim loves them crazily. Their scenes together were my favourite.
But her marriage deteriorates. Ian takes on a new job in banking. He starts working crazy long hours. Instead of spending weekends with his kids like he used to, he goes golfing. They start to fight and nitpick and nag each other. Resentments take over. Ian wasn't thrilled she left her job when his was so new. They both take on new roles in their marriage and in their family. Ian becomes the primary breadwinner. Kim a stay at home mother. He starts to treat his wife like his assistant expecting her to cook, do his dry cleaning. He makes comments about her appearance/weight. She resents his lack of time for the kids and her.
Kim does try to make her marriage work. She realises where they are headed if they don't try to work on it. She apologises to bury the peace even when she doesn't agree. She asks him to go to counselling. She asks him to take a holiday as family or go out on a date night. But Ian shuts her down and shuts her out.
And he chose to have an affair with his boss.
I was so satisfied and glad with how Kim reacted to Ian's infidelity. But I was surprised and disappointed in the people around her reactions. Her own mother seemed to come to Ian's immediate defense. She laid on the guilt trip hard on Kim that she has a family and should keep it whole for her kids. Then she tells Kim that her own father had an affair their entire marriage and she lived with it. I'm sorry, but Kim can be different. I loved how Kim refused to accept the affair. She refused to roll over for Ian and let him get away with his actions. She refused to set that example for her kids. She held him accountable. I'm glad she stood up for herself because nobody else seemed too. Kim's shrink immediately takes Ian side in her first session with him which shocked me. Peter kept telling her to look at things from Ian's perspective. Is that ethical? I'm glad Kim stormed out. I would have too. Even Conner, Kim's friend, at one point says it makes sense what Ian did. WHAT THE FUCK?
I liked Ian at the beginning. His and Kim's marriage did seem solid. But he started to get really nasty with her. He wouldn't listen or see reason. That bothered me. And I didn't like how when he goes to one counselling session with Kim, he pretty much just starts listing all the reasons why he had an affair. And all of them pretty much blaming Kim. I would of liked him to just try to atone for his behaviour towards his kids/Kim. But I guess he just kept hoping/waiting for her to let him move back home so they could get over it.
My biggest issue with this book was Conner. I adored him at the beginning and I liked how the author didn't make him perfect. He has his issues. He was Kim's best friend since childhood. He seemed like such a good mate.
But then the author turned him into a psycho and it felt like only to make a point. To redeem Ian in Kim's eyes. To make Kim make a mistake when she slept with Conner behind Sarah's back. Because all people make mistakes. So Ian could be the saviour. I was not a fan of that plotline at all.
I thought this book was well written. It was witty with great banter. It tackled complex situations but didn't drag it into darkness. It felt real life like and I liked that. I will definitely read another Aimee Alexander book
I loved Kim. She was a strong albeit lost woman. She's been burnt out from her running PR company... she's sick of missing tucking her kids in. Sick of missing time to take a walk with her husband. She decides to quit her job to become a writer. She thought it would be her dream. But honestly, I think Kim just needed time off to reconnect with her family. And she does reconnect with her kids Chloe and Sam. I adored her children. Even though her kids can drive her crazy, Kim loves them crazily. Their scenes together were my favourite.
But her marriage deteriorates. Ian takes on a new job in banking. He starts working crazy long hours. Instead of spending weekends with his kids like he used to, he goes golfing. They start to fight and nitpick and nag each other. Resentments take over. Ian wasn't thrilled she left her job when his was so new. They both take on new roles in their marriage and in their family. Ian becomes the primary breadwinner. Kim a stay at home mother. He starts to treat his wife like his assistant expecting her to cook, do his dry cleaning. He makes comments about her appearance/weight. She resents his lack of time for the kids and her.
Kim does try to make her marriage work. She realises where they are headed if they don't try to work on it. She apologises to bury the peace even when she doesn't agree. She asks him to go to counselling. She asks him to take a holiday as family or go out on a date night. But Ian shuts her down and shuts her out.
And he chose to have an affair with his boss.
I was so satisfied and glad with how Kim reacted to Ian's infidelity. But I was surprised and disappointed in the people around her reactions. Her own mother seemed to come to Ian's immediate defense. She laid on the guilt trip hard on Kim that she has a family and should keep it whole for her kids. Then she tells Kim that her own father had an affair their entire marriage and she lived with it. I'm sorry, but Kim can be different. I loved how Kim refused to accept the affair. She refused to roll over for Ian and let him get away with his actions. She refused to set that example for her kids. She held him accountable. I'm glad she stood up for herself because nobody else seemed too. Kim's shrink immediately takes Ian side in her first session with him which shocked me. Peter kept telling her to look at things from Ian's perspective. Is that ethical? I'm glad Kim stormed out. I would have too. Even Conner, Kim's friend, at one point says it makes sense what Ian did. WHAT THE FUCK?
I liked Ian at the beginning. His and Kim's marriage did seem solid. But he started to get really nasty with her. He wouldn't listen or see reason. That bothered me. And I didn't like how when he goes to one counselling session with Kim, he pretty much just starts listing all the reasons why he had an affair. And all of them pretty much blaming Kim. I would of liked him to just try to atone for his behaviour towards his kids/Kim. But I guess he just kept hoping/waiting for her to let him move back home so they could get over it.
My biggest issue with this book was Conner. I adored him at the beginning and I liked how the author didn't make him perfect. He has his issues. He was Kim's best friend since childhood. He seemed like such a good mate.
But then the author turned him into a psycho and it felt like only to make a point. To redeem Ian in Kim's eyes. To make Kim make a mistake when she slept with Conner behind Sarah's back. Because all people make mistakes. So Ian could be the saviour. I was not a fan of that plotline at all.
I thought this book was well written. It was witty with great banter. It tackled complex situations but didn't drag it into darkness. It felt real life like and I liked that. I will definitely read another Aimee Alexander book
July 5, 2020
This is a really good story. You watch the breakdown of a marriage slide into infidelity. Well done.
April 26, 2021
I like that we got to see the actual deterioration of the relationship before the actual cheating occurred. That was refreshing. I REALLY didn't like her mom, though. I hate when the main character has a family member pushing them heavily into forgiveness.
November 26, 2017
Disclaimer: I was given an ARC of this contemporary novel by The Book Club on Facebook & the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All views are my own.
I am a huge fan of classic novels, particularly those with strong female leads, but I also have an enormous soft spot for contemporary fiction. “All We Have Lost” features business woman, wife and mother Kim who really does seem to have it all. She runs a successful PR agency, is married to the good looking Ian – the love of her life, has two lovely young children, a great nanny to care for them and supportive family and friends. Kim knows her own mind, has life mapped out and is certain where she is headed. Or is she?
For one day Kim wakes up and realises that this isn’t the road she wants to be on at all. She rarely sees her children, her home is virtually run by another woman and her husband sees more of the children than he does her. Add to this her parents’ “perfect marriage” that Kim has placed on a pedestal since her father’s death, and suddenly Kim feels like she is in fact failing. She decides to wind the business down, let the nanny go and be an author who happens to be a stay at home mum. Her husband is on trial for a new job, she has always aspired to writing like her best friend Sarah and she is certain that she can work this around the needs of 2 preschool children. How hard could it be?
I think that any parent – particularly the mums out there – will be able to relate to this, working or stay at home! Of course Kim has no idea just how demanding caring for young children can be. A 2 year old just will not stick to your carefully constructed time table allowing mum time to write her novel whilst the tot naps. Add in cooking, housework and a bit of writer’s block into the mix and suddenly the grass isn’t greener on the other side. I really enjoyed the way that Aimee Alexander showed Kim’s gradual decline from a business woman in control, to a woman who was “letting herself go” and suddenly felt powerless to take back that control. How many of us can empathise with the gradual weight gain (gym, who has time to visit the gym with young children?), the lack of regular personal grooming time (feel grateful if your hair sees the backside of a brush daily, let alone regular visits for a blow dry at the salon) and the overwhelming tiredness that strikes before hubby even gets home (from his fourth late night of the week). But it should be ok if only Kim can start writing – and yet even this is not the easy task that she has imagined.
The author shows just how quickly and easily relationships can change – in Kim’s situation it is not just her marital relationship, but also that with her mother and her friends too. Failure to communicate leads to misunderstandings, jumping to the wrong conclusions, reading signals incorrectly and great hurt. At times I found myself becoming so frustrated with Kim and Ian, wanting to shout at them to stand still, take a breath and look what is happening. Kim seems to become completely hung up on her world at home, forgetting that the very things that she complains about in Ian in his new job were her not so long ago. Ian is so intent on making up for the fact that he is suddenly the main breadwinner and also feels he has to prove himself in his new job, that he becomes unable to communicate his concerns to a wife who no longer seems to have time for him. Aghhhh – I can see your relationship falling apart and yet neither of you can. It is a testament to Ms Alexander’s writing that I could also feel Kim’s envy for her friend Sarah’s life as an author, yet also hear the alarm bells ringing loudly to warn Kim that her decisions were having awful consequences and yet she didn’t seem to see it. Misunderstandings and knee jerk reactions have such devastating effects for all the people that Kim holds dear – including the children.
There are no schmaltzy happy endings for every character here. This is real life and certain actions cannot be undone or forgiven. I admire the additional change in the relationship between Kim and her mother – how a mother’s desire to protect her children can have devastating consequences if lies are uncovered, even years later. I laughed and I cried with the characters in this book and I found them to be believable. The visit to a single friend’s modern flat with 2 young children for a long weekend did make me smile – you will understand when you read it! The author even examines that age old chestnut – can a man and a woman ever be just good friends?
In my opinion an enjoyable contemporary novel about real life relationships that gets 4 stars!
I am a huge fan of classic novels, particularly those with strong female leads, but I also have an enormous soft spot for contemporary fiction. “All We Have Lost” features business woman, wife and mother Kim who really does seem to have it all. She runs a successful PR agency, is married to the good looking Ian – the love of her life, has two lovely young children, a great nanny to care for them and supportive family and friends. Kim knows her own mind, has life mapped out and is certain where she is headed. Or is she?
For one day Kim wakes up and realises that this isn’t the road she wants to be on at all. She rarely sees her children, her home is virtually run by another woman and her husband sees more of the children than he does her. Add to this her parents’ “perfect marriage” that Kim has placed on a pedestal since her father’s death, and suddenly Kim feels like she is in fact failing. She decides to wind the business down, let the nanny go and be an author who happens to be a stay at home mum. Her husband is on trial for a new job, she has always aspired to writing like her best friend Sarah and she is certain that she can work this around the needs of 2 preschool children. How hard could it be?
I think that any parent – particularly the mums out there – will be able to relate to this, working or stay at home! Of course Kim has no idea just how demanding caring for young children can be. A 2 year old just will not stick to your carefully constructed time table allowing mum time to write her novel whilst the tot naps. Add in cooking, housework and a bit of writer’s block into the mix and suddenly the grass isn’t greener on the other side. I really enjoyed the way that Aimee Alexander showed Kim’s gradual decline from a business woman in control, to a woman who was “letting herself go” and suddenly felt powerless to take back that control. How many of us can empathise with the gradual weight gain (gym, who has time to visit the gym with young children?), the lack of regular personal grooming time (feel grateful if your hair sees the backside of a brush daily, let alone regular visits for a blow dry at the salon) and the overwhelming tiredness that strikes before hubby even gets home (from his fourth late night of the week). But it should be ok if only Kim can start writing – and yet even this is not the easy task that she has imagined.
The author shows just how quickly and easily relationships can change – in Kim’s situation it is not just her marital relationship, but also that with her mother and her friends too. Failure to communicate leads to misunderstandings, jumping to the wrong conclusions, reading signals incorrectly and great hurt. At times I found myself becoming so frustrated with Kim and Ian, wanting to shout at them to stand still, take a breath and look what is happening. Kim seems to become completely hung up on her world at home, forgetting that the very things that she complains about in Ian in his new job were her not so long ago. Ian is so intent on making up for the fact that he is suddenly the main breadwinner and also feels he has to prove himself in his new job, that he becomes unable to communicate his concerns to a wife who no longer seems to have time for him. Aghhhh – I can see your relationship falling apart and yet neither of you can. It is a testament to Ms Alexander’s writing that I could also feel Kim’s envy for her friend Sarah’s life as an author, yet also hear the alarm bells ringing loudly to warn Kim that her decisions were having awful consequences and yet she didn’t seem to see it. Misunderstandings and knee jerk reactions have such devastating effects for all the people that Kim holds dear – including the children.
There are no schmaltzy happy endings for every character here. This is real life and certain actions cannot be undone or forgiven. I admire the additional change in the relationship between Kim and her mother – how a mother’s desire to protect her children can have devastating consequences if lies are uncovered, even years later. I laughed and I cried with the characters in this book and I found them to be believable. The visit to a single friend’s modern flat with 2 young children for a long weekend did make me smile – you will understand when you read it! The author even examines that age old chestnut – can a man and a woman ever be just good friends?
In my opinion an enjoyable contemporary novel about real life relationships that gets 4 stars!
April 13, 2016
3 Stars
When books give you so much realizations after reading it... that's the time when you know they're making a difference. This book is one of them.
All We Have Lost is an adult fiction that tells a story about Kim Waters, a very successful career woman who particularly works as an editor. She has a caring husband and two beautiful kids and her life has been perfect, until she decided to leave her job and follow her dreams of becoming a novelist. That's the time when all things change-- including her relationship with her husband.
This book was reality-based and it hit home. What happened to Kim all throughout her career-change journey was sad yet remarkable because it happens to some women especially those who experience career and relationship failures. It's a rare experience for me to encounter books like this that's why I was moved.
When it comes to the writing, I loved the style of the author especially because there was humor in it, but let me be honest. There were some scenes that I thought were unnecessary which made it difficult for me to enjoy. Otherwise, it was still a good adult fiction and very sensible. It taught valuable life lessons. The heroine, Kim, was also a great character to read about because of her strong-willed personality. (I actually loved the way she took notes in everything she did. I wish I'm organized like that!)
If you're in for some meaningful contemporary reads with family relationships as the main subject, I recommend you to check this book! :)
(Thank you to the author Aimee Alexander for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!)
When books give you so much realizations after reading it... that's the time when you know they're making a difference. This book is one of them.
All We Have Lost is an adult fiction that tells a story about Kim Waters, a very successful career woman who particularly works as an editor. She has a caring husband and two beautiful kids and her life has been perfect, until she decided to leave her job and follow her dreams of becoming a novelist. That's the time when all things change-- including her relationship with her husband.
This book was reality-based and it hit home. What happened to Kim all throughout her career-change journey was sad yet remarkable because it happens to some women especially those who experience career and relationship failures. It's a rare experience for me to encounter books like this that's why I was moved.
When it comes to the writing, I loved the style of the author especially because there was humor in it, but let me be honest. There were some scenes that I thought were unnecessary which made it difficult for me to enjoy. Otherwise, it was still a good adult fiction and very sensible. It taught valuable life lessons. The heroine, Kim, was also a great character to read about because of her strong-willed personality. (I actually loved the way she took notes in everything she did. I wish I'm organized like that!)
If you're in for some meaningful contemporary reads with family relationships as the main subject, I recommend you to check this book! :)
(Thank you to the author Aimee Alexander for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!)
December 14, 2015
*Warning* Since I mostly read romance books, this is more chick-lit and deals with a big trigger . It was written with some dry humor and I did like the little drama at the end including the believable resolution.
pass
June 1, 2023Open ending 😏
Marriage in trouble
He cheats
She leaves
She sleeps w OM
She goes back to cheating husband?
Marriage in trouble
He cheats
She leaves
She sleeps w OM
She goes back to cheating husband?
May 11, 2025
Kim thinks she has a good life and a good marriage. She loves her family. Her kids are great. Then her world comes crashing down when she checks her husbands messages and finds out her husband cheated on her with his boss. He says its already over but Kim is not willing to just pretend it didn't happen.
Ian wants to save his marriage but Kim isn't so sure that's what she wants. Marriage reconciliation after one of the partner cheats is a tough feat to pull off successfully as a author. There has to be a lot of work ( like individual and marriage counseling / therapy to find the why plus a ton of groveling. I feel like these aspects are touched upon here. I'd recommend this story.
Ian wants to save his marriage but Kim isn't so sure that's what she wants. Marriage reconciliation after one of the partner cheats is a tough feat to pull off successfully as a author. There has to be a lot of work ( like individual and marriage counseling / therapy to find the why plus a ton of groveling. I feel like these aspects are touched upon here. I'd recommend this story.
March 20, 2021
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing wasn’t bad. Story of family life. Then ends abruptly. Didn’t like the story. The mother characters side story upset me.
Writing wasn’t bad. Story of family life. Then ends abruptly. Didn’t like the story. The mother characters side story upset me.
November 24, 2017
When I first started this I didn’t think I was going to like it, it just seemed like the story wasn’t going in and when I came back to it I couldn’t remember what had happened. However I stuck with it and by the fourth chapter it all started coming together. It’s a really fast paced story and is written so well. The characters are all well written and you really start to care about them and what’s going to happen. It turned into one of those books that when I’m reading late at night and I know I should go to sleep that I didn’t want to put down. Fabulous
June 21, 2021
This was a good one. Decent angst. Slow to start but I saw how that was needed for us to understand the relationship before it all went to shit.
The ending though. It left me grossly unsatisfied.
The ending though. It left me grossly unsatisfied.
November 20, 2017
I did like the characters and the idea of The Deal. I did however find the developments in Kim's live far to quick. The change of her husband straight away, the struggle with the kids, the sudden 'it's hard being a housewife'. The plot itself was a really good one but I would have preferred it to be more realistic and slowly developing. And The Deal, which I thought was such a strong part of the story deserved more emphasis. At times I had to chuckle, especially when Kim tried to write and it did not really go to plan. Brilliantly portrayed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2021
I enjoyed how strong the h was and I believed the H was extremely remorseful but the ending was left to open for me.
Also side note the secert the mom revealed about the hs dad absolutely disgusted me. I can not for the life of me figure out why the mom would settle for that and then think she was the winner. She was delusional.
Also side note the secert the mom revealed about the hs dad absolutely disgusted me. I can not for the life of me figure out why the mom would settle for that and then think she was the winner. She was delusional.
February 1, 2021
Excellent
This is a very well written story! I found myself thinking of ways to solve this family 's problems. This of course caused me to read more and more before putting it down for the night. I'll be looking forward to more of your books.
This is a very well written story! I found myself thinking of ways to solve this family 's problems. This of course caused me to read more and more before putting it down for the night. I'll be looking forward to more of your books.
February 4, 2017
I saw Aimee Alexander aka Denise Deegan, speaking at a literary festival some years ago, and I knew from her covers which were dark, her extract, which was a rom com, and the way she spoke about writing, that she was one to read straight away. Of course I didn’t. Instead I went to Amazon, bought two of her books, constantly reminding myself I had to read her, with this hitting fever pitch as I watched everyone around rave over The Accidental Life Of Greg Millar … And again I didn’t get to her. Until Christmas time, and boy am I relived I did!
So the book begins with the lead arriving home to a darkened house after she’s missed her children’s bedtime again. The narrative, that of the first person, present tense variety, was perfect. We see Kim, the working mum who feels guilty all the time, who has done this one too many times and decides to give up life as she knows it to become a stay at home mum and a writer (yes!). This resulted in some very funny book issues, which I couldn’t get enough of (I loved how the protagonist had to come to terms with a best friend who had a book deal based off her notoriety while she was starting from the absolute beginning) would. My only issue actually was that the writer in me would have loved to see more of this.
This book struck so many chords with me. The feelings, the change of dynamic in the house, sometimes possibly perceived as opposed to actual, and the difference in relationship between Ian and Kim, who were such a great pairing. There were times in this that I took it upon myself to be mad for Kim as household tasks were now handed over to her, but with no please or thank you (would you know that I perhaps see some of our home situation here, lol?) and decisions they made jointly are suddenly solely the duty of the earner of the house (no fingers, stop typing, you are NOT going to do this!) There was an excellent portrayal of the mixed emotions that come with going from a career to staying at home with children, with the feelings of being content and happy to be with the kids sometimes being usurped by loneliness, an itch to do more, a niggling feeling that you’ve lost your place in terms of value in the world, as well as your rights in the household.
The pacing was excellent, with twists and turns, cliches that turned out not to be and side issues and back issues that I won’t go into as I don’t want to spoil it. I’ll tell you that this is what I would catalogue as a slightly darker form of ‘mom lit,’ and it’s one I’ll be recommending all around me. I really enjoyed this and will most definitely be reading Aimee Alexander’s books (see her catalogue here), again.
Rating: 4.5/5
So the book begins with the lead arriving home to a darkened house after she’s missed her children’s bedtime again. The narrative, that of the first person, present tense variety, was perfect. We see Kim, the working mum who feels guilty all the time, who has done this one too many times and decides to give up life as she knows it to become a stay at home mum and a writer (yes!). This resulted in some very funny book issues, which I couldn’t get enough of (I loved how the protagonist had to come to terms with a best friend who had a book deal based off her notoriety while she was starting from the absolute beginning) would. My only issue actually was that the writer in me would have loved to see more of this.
This book struck so many chords with me. The feelings, the change of dynamic in the house, sometimes possibly perceived as opposed to actual, and the difference in relationship between Ian and Kim, who were such a great pairing. There were times in this that I took it upon myself to be mad for Kim as household tasks were now handed over to her, but with no please or thank you (would you know that I perhaps see some of our home situation here, lol?) and decisions they made jointly are suddenly solely the duty of the earner of the house (no fingers, stop typing, you are NOT going to do this!) There was an excellent portrayal of the mixed emotions that come with going from a career to staying at home with children, with the feelings of being content and happy to be with the kids sometimes being usurped by loneliness, an itch to do more, a niggling feeling that you’ve lost your place in terms of value in the world, as well as your rights in the household.
The pacing was excellent, with twists and turns, cliches that turned out not to be and side issues and back issues that I won’t go into as I don’t want to spoil it. I’ll tell you that this is what I would catalogue as a slightly darker form of ‘mom lit,’ and it’s one I’ll be recommending all around me. I really enjoyed this and will most definitely be reading Aimee Alexander’s books (see her catalogue here), again.
Rating: 4.5/5
July 12, 2021
3.5-4 stars. Kim Waters has decided to reprioritize her life by quitting her job to be stay at home mom and to be an author. Her new identity is muddled between the daily grind of motherhood, housework and making meals. While she flourished in her career, she’s not feeling like such a winner these days. Ian, her husband, just started a new job and it’s occupying all of his time, where he seldom sees his family anymore. The marriage itself is treading on thin ice with more arguments and resentment. All of this feels real and very relatable. When Ian has to admit his betrayal, Kim takes a very black and white approach (obviously) and kicks him out. I did like her take-no-prisoners attitude, including the showdown at Ian’s meeting in the boardroom. However, the author does wrangle the story in a direction to offer perspective where people may make mistakes or have indiscretions, but it isn’t the end of a relationship or can’t be forgiven. The whole deal regarding Kim’s mom’s situation with Kim’s dad is far from conventional and favorable, but lets the reader see Kim trying to accept something out of the box because it doesn’t change the person on the inside. I really enjoyed this book except for the tangent toward the end where Kim had to deal with an unexpected threat, but the closure between her and Ian felt realistic and shows that she is stepping out of her solidly drawn boundaries..
July 26, 2023
1 star. Omg. Not great writing...and the author uses cliche, lazy writing to try to push the heroine to forgive and get through the cheating:
1. The heroine's father cheated on her mother, so her mother urges her to forgive the cheating hero.
OF COURSE - this is the most common recourse author's use...I see it in about 80% of cheating reconciliation books.
2. The heroine, after she learns about the hero's cheating, sleeps with her best guy friend / OM, who recently got married to another of her close girlfriend's. So she and her best guy friend cheated together. The cheater OM then urges the heroine to forgive her husband because now 'she understands how an affair might happen'.
Now that is creative!! And incredibly ridiculous. 1 star after that one. Seriously??? The author made the heroine cheat with OM so that OM could tell her to forgive her husband? I can't. Then the OM does a complete 180 and starts harassing the heroine and trying to steal her away from the hero.
Open-ended ending; they're still together but their marriage is left in a precarious state. So what's the point of this novel? Also there was just no grovel or passion from the hero. And not enough details about the cheating and extent of it. I needed the hero's POV; this was only in the heroine's.
1. The heroine's father cheated on her mother, so her mother urges her to forgive the cheating hero.
OF COURSE - this is the most common recourse author's use...I see it in about 80% of cheating reconciliation books.
2. The heroine, after she learns about the hero's cheating, sleeps with her best guy friend / OM, who recently got married to another of her close girlfriend's. So she and her best guy friend cheated together. The cheater OM then urges the heroine to forgive her husband because now 'she understands how an affair might happen'.
Now that is creative!! And incredibly ridiculous. 1 star after that one. Seriously??? The author made the heroine cheat with OM so that OM could tell her to forgive her husband? I can't. Then the OM does a complete 180 and starts harassing the heroine and trying to steal her away from the hero.
Open-ended ending; they're still together but their marriage is left in a precarious state. So what's the point of this novel? Also there was just no grovel or passion from the hero. And not enough details about the cheating and extent of it. I needed the hero's POV; this was only in the heroine's.
November 19, 2017
This is the first book I have read by Aimee Alexander and I only found out about her through an online book club. This definitely won’t be the last book I’ll read by this author as I love the way she writes.
Ian and Kim are a hard-working couple with two small children. Kim decides that she is not spending enough time with her children, so gives up her PR business to begin writing a novel alongside taking care of the children. This coincides with Ian starting a new job, which involves long hours. With Ian out of the house more and Kim taking a primary role in the child care, their relationship enters new challenges.
I really felt like I knew all of these characters really well, they were portrayed brilliantly and I really liked the pacing of this book; at times I really couldn’t put it down and was desperate to know what happened next. Although the characters go through a lot, there were some humorous moments along with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked – highly recommended!
Ian and Kim are a hard-working couple with two small children. Kim decides that she is not spending enough time with her children, so gives up her PR business to begin writing a novel alongside taking care of the children. This coincides with Ian starting a new job, which involves long hours. With Ian out of the house more and Kim taking a primary role in the child care, their relationship enters new challenges.
I really felt like I knew all of these characters really well, they were portrayed brilliantly and I really liked the pacing of this book; at times I really couldn’t put it down and was desperate to know what happened next. Although the characters go through a lot, there were some humorous moments along with plenty of twists and turns to keep you hooked – highly recommended!
August 27, 2018
I kinda liked Turtle Over
At first I thought this book wasn't my cup of tea. The protagonist was much younger, dealing with a life that is not relatable to me anymore. Then the writing caught me. Characters who grow, change, make mistakes, learn are very interesting to me. I'm easily bored with the "perfect" heroine. I did get irritated that the supporting characters would not let the main character feel hurt and angry for a time. Also the advice she was getting from shrink and mom was unrealistic and quick. My irritation was from liking the characters and story--I was hooked on from first chapter. I liked "...Rewind" by this author better,but thoroughly enjoyed this book.
At first I thought this book wasn't my cup of tea. The protagonist was much younger, dealing with a life that is not relatable to me anymore. Then the writing caught me. Characters who grow, change, make mistakes, learn are very interesting to me. I'm easily bored with the "perfect" heroine. I did get irritated that the supporting characters would not let the main character feel hurt and angry for a time. Also the advice she was getting from shrink and mom was unrealistic and quick. My irritation was from liking the characters and story--I was hooked on from first chapter. I liked "...Rewind" by this author better,but thoroughly enjoyed this book.
April 6, 2020
This book is rubbish.
It’s well written, I’ll give her that. It starts out charming and it drew me in. Then it let me down big time. By the end of the book I despised every character. I held out only in hopes it would redeem itself with a big twist- like this was HER novel she was writing and it was all made up- but no. It wasn’t clever enough even for that cheesy ending- it was predictable and reached far beyond what it was capable of- to the point that it was laughable by the end. It touched on a few deeply personal situations for me but rather than identify and enjoy a good cry about it I was just annoyed at the way it was treated and handled by the characters. Absolutely would not recommend.
It’s well written, I’ll give her that. It starts out charming and it drew me in. Then it let me down big time. By the end of the book I despised every character. I held out only in hopes it would redeem itself with a big twist- like this was HER novel she was writing and it was all made up- but no. It wasn’t clever enough even for that cheesy ending- it was predictable and reached far beyond what it was capable of- to the point that it was laughable by the end. It touched on a few deeply personal situations for me but rather than identify and enjoy a good cry about it I was just annoyed at the way it was treated and handled by the characters. Absolutely would not recommend.
May 21, 2021
Kim and Ian are SO in love. She owns a successful PR agency. He's working but not at his full potential. They have a housekeeper/nanny. When he gets the big important job he really wanted, Kim walks away from her agency to be a SAHM and write a novel. This is where I began to seriously not like the book. Kim is so unrealistic. At times she seemed to have the emotional maturity of a 12-year-old. And Ian goes from being a great husband to being a complete jerk.
As complications mount, the book picks up steam, and it has a very good trainwreck climax. But then it ends abruptly.
I appreciated the depiction of the theme, which seemed to be "we are all complicated people," or maybe, "nobody's perfect." But I didn't see any appreciable character arc in either of the mains.
As complications mount, the book picks up steam, and it has a very good trainwreck climax. But then it ends abruptly.
I appreciated the depiction of the theme, which seemed to be "we are all complicated people," or maybe, "nobody's perfect." But I didn't see any appreciable character arc in either of the mains.
July 21, 2021
Depth of Emotion and Characters with Incredible Realism!
I love this book, the characters so real with astonishing depth. I have read all her books and you won’t be disappointed in any of them. Beautiful stories, tears, laughter, such a depth of so many emotions! She has a great gift and I can’t wait till she writes more. I feel like I know the characters and I miss them when I am through. I struggled with them, watched them overcome and struggle again and on and on with such realism. She makes you feel you have actually lived through the different situations in her novels.
I love this book, the characters so real with astonishing depth. I have read all her books and you won’t be disappointed in any of them. Beautiful stories, tears, laughter, such a depth of so many emotions! She has a great gift and I can’t wait till she writes more. I feel like I know the characters and I miss them when I am through. I struggled with them, watched them overcome and struggle again and on and on with such realism. She makes you feel you have actually lived through the different situations in her novels.
November 17, 2017
Kim and Ian are happily married, parents to two young children, but like most working parents they’re like shops in the night. Kim decides to give up her PR business to write a novel just as Ian starts a new job in banking. But Ian is working long days and the ideas for the novel just don’t seem to come and before they know it it’s not such a happy marriage anymore. Everyone has secrets and everyone makes mistakes.
Another great book by Aimee Alexander. Believable characters and humour with a story that will break your heart.
Another great book by Aimee Alexander. Believable characters and humour with a story that will break your heart.
February 23, 2018
This was a very emotional book for me. The characters and their lives seemed so real to me. The struggle to be everything for your children, husband and parent, and yet is it possible to fulfil your own ambition? I know I couldn’t at the time, but although most of me felt sympathetic to Kim’s plight, part of me thought she was selfish to change the status quo. This book was well written and the reader gets to see the very human emotions and reactions to change. I found it quite cathartic to read.
April 14, 2025
I loved Kim Waters. She’s very independent, loving mom and overall great woman, Ian was great until he wasn’t. What he did to Kim was so despicable and I wish there was more explanation on why he was so neglectful. I liked Sarah and Connor too and was sad for both of them, I hope Connor goes to therapy and never slides back again. I enjoyed the story immensely and loved Kim’s sense of humor too
December 7, 2017
A new author to me and I loved this gritty domestic drama. Realistic but quite unlikable characters caught up in a web of marital deceipt. Who is in the wrong and who has been wronged - none of them are perfect. Thank you to TBC and to the author for the chance to read this title in exchange for a honest review.
May 13, 2019
An enjoyable book, centered on parenting a child with cancer. Sometimes sad, sometimes humorous - due to the child's charming dialog - with some romantic and family tensions thrown in. Held my interest, and, having had leukemia myself, the medical experiences were believable. Not heavy reading or especially insightful, never the less a good read.
May 13, 2021
I'm giving this 4 stars instead of 5 because it took awhile for it to grab me. In fact, I almost just stopped reading it. But then at some point it became so real and I became so involved that I couldn't put it down. This is a story about mistakes and misunderstandings and the hard road back. I will read more from Ms Alexander.
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