Sweet Life

by Mia King

What if you got away from it all--and then it all got away from you?

When her husband gets a new job, Marissa Price leaves the island of Manhattan for the island of Hawaii. Paradise seems like the perfect place to find herself, save her marriage, and reconnect with her daughter. But Marissa discovers her new life is less about beaches and beautiful sunsets and more about cows and lava flows. Their new home is a fixer-upper. But what most needs fixing--her marriage--is the first thing to crumble when her husband announces he wants time apart to find himself. Pulled in opposite directions, Marissa is faced with the most important decision of her life--a choice that will define who she is, what she wants, and where her happiness lies.

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

337 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Mia King is a national bestselling author of women’s fiction. She is the author of three novels, GOOD THINGS (Berkley Books, 2007), SWEET LIFE (Berkley Books, 2008), and TABLE MANNERS (Berkley Books, 2009). Her fourth novel, FRIENDSHIP BREAD, will be published in 2011 by Ballantine Books under the name, Darien Gee. You can find her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authormiaking or on her website at www.miaking.com.

Reviews

[⭒Christie ☽✯➳✯☾ · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hot Garbage! Shallow characters. Dime a dozen plot. Booooo 👎🏼

[Staci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely sweet! I really liked the author's first book Good Things and was not at all disappointed with her follow-up. Set in New York and then Hawaii, this book flowed very well and was a very enjoyable, easy read. At first I have to admit that I wasn't too crazy about the main character Marissa. I found her to be a very picky, hard-to-please, label crazy, self-centered brat. But after her family lands in Hawaii and things start to fall apart her character took on a little more dimension. The cast of supporting characters were very believable and I was absolutely pulled into the main island of Hawaii. The recipes in the back sound delicious but I'm not that ambitious so I settled for just reading them and dreaming of actually visiting Hawaii in order to sample some of these dishes.

[Brigid · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up because I loved Mia King's Deidre McIntosh books, Good Things and Table Manners. I generally like the idea of upending that fantasy everyone gets on vacation: why don't we move here?! Well, this answers that question. I do like that Marissa isn't a perfect wife and mother. She's a believable career woman struggling with a new role in "paradise" while her husband gets to live the dream. But as much as I like her for her faults, her faults are almost too much. It's not like she's your friend who is a little bitchy. She's that bitchy woman who may or may not be your friend.

The ending was abrupt. I'd probably have bumped this up to 3 stars had the book actually had a conclusion. I suspect the author bored of writing these characters and deemed the ending good enough.

While I'm sure the recipes at the end are delicious, they make no sense within the context of the book. In Good Things and Table Manners the main character does a lot of cooking. It's an integral part of the story. Adding in how to make the fritters just fit the tone of the book. Here, they were just gimmicky. There were only three items I recalled reading about, the rest were background. I did, however, really enjoy the introductions to each of the recipes - those were more in the tone I was expecting for the entire book.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because it looked cute. And I guess it was cute, but totally forgettable. It might have been the excitement of my new library card talking.

The story is predictable -- high-powered (and pretentious) NY career woman moves to Hawaii with her husband and daughter for his job as GM of a fancy resort. Their marriage starts to fall apart; she finds herself, and (not ruining anything here b/c you're not going to read it) they end up staying together. There were some cool details about the Big Island and life in Hawaii in general, but the evolutionary process of the mom/main character was one dimensional and boring.

But, once I start reading something, I have trouble stopping, and this was good to read in bits and pieces on my lunch break. Whatever. Yawn.

Back to Twilight! :)

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I had started reading it with hopes of finishing it during my plane ride this up coming weekend. But I couldn't put it down and finished it earlier than I hoped.

Marissa and her family have an opportunity to leave their life in New York behind and move to Hawaii where Paul has been offered a General Manager's position at a resort.

Mia King takes you through the ups and downs of moving to the Big Island of Hawaii from the mainland. Marissa's life connects with several ladies in somewhat unfortunate ways that turn out to be the best of friends with her.

This is the 2nd book of Mia's I have read and have enjoyed both of them. Both have been very well written and have delicious sounding recipes listed in the back that tie into the stories.

[Jessica Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up basically because it's set in Hawaii, and I am obsessed with all things Hawaiian. The story was not new - idiot husband moves family away from home, and then leaves (funny, this was the second book I read this week with this theme, but the other one was a memoir and much better reading). I liked the Hawaiian aspect, but I found myself constantly annoyed with the wife - who (I think) we are supposed to feel sorry for. Her character supposedly develops from a "typical" moneyed New Yorker to a person more "at one" with Mother Nature, but I still found her shallow and annoying. But it was quick read, and good enough for bedtime.

[Yoonmee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this b/c the author currently lives in Hawaii and I love reading all things Hawaii, but it's not great literature by any means. It's a quick, easy, relatively light-hearted read that falls into the good old "chick lit" category, but I'm not sure I'd recommend it to anyone searching for books about Hawaii -- unless they were looking for "chick lit books set in Hawaii," in which case, here's your book!

There isn't much character development, even for the main character, Marissa. She starts out incredibly annoying (stereotypical New York, rat race, materialistic, greedy, selfish, woman) and ends the book marginally less annoying. Paul, her husband, isn't very well fleshed out either. He begins the book incredibly annoying and selfish and ends the book looking like a huge wimp. But the stereotypes don't end there, my friends. There's the earth mother, hippie dippie, vegan mother (Kavena) who is haole (white) but adopts a Hawaiian name, is a masseuse, wears Birkenstocks, uses a baby sling, who moved to Hawaii a while ago and loves it there. There's also the spunky, older widow who inherited money (also haole). There's the local girl with exotic looks who dates a bad boy and ends up alone and pregnant (because that's what all the locals are like, right?). There's the good looking, wealthy, rancher who is not only good looking, but kind and good with kids. What a find!

If you're looking for a peek into what life is like in Hawaii, look elsewhere. If you're looking for some easy beach/plane reading that doesn't make you think and might leave you with some warm fuzzies at the end, this might work for you. Me, I was sorta annoyed by Paul, so I wasn't really left with any warm fuzzies, but maybe I'm a cynic. =P

One last comment: The recipes at the end of the book seemed like a desperate attempt to make the book more "hip" and/or to cater to the foodie audience. While I'm sure some of the recipes, maybe all, are delicious, there's no real connection to them and the story. I've seen this done in several other books, although usually the recipes are interspersed throughout the story, and it just comes across as if the publisher wants to market the book as a foodie book by adding in some recipes or including some mention of food in the plot. It's all marketing and it's kinda silly.

[Yin Chien · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is mainly about Paul and Marissa Price, a couple who decided to move to Hawaii, the paradise, with their daughter, Elizabeth 'Pansy' when Paul was promoted to GM, both of them believing that Hawaii will bring them a sweet life. But after two months, Marissa's marriage started to fall apart when she suspected her husband of having an affair with another woman.

I'm not particularly fond of any of the main characters in this book. Marissa seemed like a snobbish, materialistic woman who owns things that are only consisted of designer products. Paul wasn't much better either. He was kind of insipid, actually. He was very annoying throughout the book (except at the end), and this made me feel like punching him. He demandedd some time apart from his wife on Valentine's Day, and left the house without much explanation. Can anyone be more uncool than he?

I felt like the novel was dragging at many places. What can be summed up in the synopsis actually took 123 pages to be fully described. I think it would be better to reveal less in the synopsis if that is the case. However, the story gets better and better from the middle part towards the end. I didn't want to stop reading. I was anxious to find out whether Marissa would accept Tom's love. I wanted to know if Marissa's marriage will eventually end up with a divorce.

The supporting characters were more lovable in many ways. Jane, Kavena and Malia were wonderful people who played an important part in Marrissa's life - they were both tenants and supportive friends who offered advice and consolation to her whenever she needed them. She was really lucky to have met them.

To sum things up, Sweet Life is not an extraordinary novel that will leave you raving about its excellence, but it is still sweet, enjoyable and special in its own way. It offers you with a decent amount of Aloha and Hawaiian goodness that will leave you satisfied.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first the book seemed a bit too perfect, lame, but I decided to keep reading and it surprisingly turned out good. There was a lot more depth than I initially expected. It was fun to see the friendships build between Marissa, Malia and Jane.

When Marissa's husband Paul wanted to have some time apart, I thought he was selfish and lame, but it was a nice surprise to realize at the end he didn't have an affair and really just took some time apart. At first, Tom seemed like someone I wanted Marissa to end up falling in love (he seemed like a genuinely nice, good guy) with but then her not being divorced I didn't care to see her start another relationship, so it was a nice surprise to see she didn't hook up with him but wanted to stay with Paul and work things out.

I also appreciated how Malia's best friend Kate ended up not being a total snot and high-maintenance drama queen. Her life ended up taking surprising changes she never planned or wanted but were surprises that ended up making her really happy. It reminded me that what we may have always wanted/planned isn't necessarily what will make us most happy. Sometimes its what we don't expect that surprises us in a really great way.

[Warren Gossett · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was bored by the dull and unintellectual characters in this book. Perhaps some people want soap opera characters and comfort, feel good romantic novels. An upper middle class couple from New York City is given a corporate transfer to Hawaii. The wife says she misses the ballet, opera and glamour of the greatest city on earth. But their conversation seems focused on mundane things like rib eye steak, champagne, and chocolate cake. And by the way there is a 27 page section at the end of this novel of Hawaiian recipes. A sneaky cook book. It was a chore to read this book and find out who the author had decided to punish. No one. Except me.

[Karen Sage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun tropical easy read....mindless but enjoyable

[Jennifer R Worthington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the way the ladies all came together to live at the house & worked together so well.

[Leasa Mcintosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. To me, a simple book - would be a great Hallmark/LMC movie. Describes the island life well.

[Keanes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just ok. Good supporting characters. I did not like the ending. Her other books are better than this one.

[Joan Horkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very touching. Thoroughly enjoyable!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good summer read. I found the protagonist both relatable and infuriating at the same time. What does that say about me?

[Rebecca E Mentzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet read especially after being on the Big Island a year ago.

[Gina Shupp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book

[Becky Underwood Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy read.

[Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marissa and Paul Price, along with their daughter, are moving to the Big Island of Hawaii, because Paul was promoted. Marissa believes that everything will be perfect and their own little paradise, but as more time goes by, things start to fall apart for the Price family. First, their house isn't what they had hoped for and needs a lot of TLC. The adjustment to Hawaiian life isn't as simple as Marissa thought and to top it off, she thinks her husband is cheating on her and he says he wants time apart. Marissa is left to pick up the pieces and she realizes that she is going to have to make some big decisions that will effect her life forever. Mia King's Sweet Life is a delightful story that will have readers dreaming of their own Hawaiian paradise.

Marissa was a tough character to deal with. She's pretty pretentious and materialistic, but that's because she was living a luxurious life in Manhattan before her big move. She judges people too quickly and has a hard time adjusting to the Big Island, but that's one of things I like about the story. It was interesting to watch her change and adapt to the lifestyle and the people, which are the polar opposite of what she's used to. Also, the supporting characters were well developed and unique. And of course, I loathed Paul from the beginning. He was insufferable!

The setting was to die for. I am obsessed with Hawaii and have traveled to the Big Island, so I was able to visualize all the places she was talking about, especially Volcanoes National Park, which really stood out for me. King does a great job bringing the Big Island to life; it was as if I was on vacation there! I also loved the fact that King included Hawaiian recipes in the back of the book. I love when authors do that! It makes the story that much more authentic and who doesn't love Hawaiian treats? If you aren't sold, check out this macadamia nut biscotti recipe! Yes, please! Also, this story made me think what if....what if I left it all behind and moved to Hawaii? This thought has crossed my mind from time to time! :)

All in all, if you are looking for a beach read that will transport you to Hawaii, you must read Mia King's Sweet Life. I haven't read too many books that take place in Hawaii, but this one really captures the "Aloha Spirit." Now I am pining for a visit to Hawaii again!

[Lisa Kiguru · Rating 3 out of 5]

2023 updated review - I re-read this book today and enjoyed it. I had a greater appreciation for the way the women pulled together to help each other succeed. That was the best part of the story for me. I still feel that the character development is a bit herky jerky. Marissa’s journey of back and forth with Paul in HI ultimately seemed untrue to her NYC persona. I understand this is a woman on a journey self discovery, but at the end of it all this still was too sweetly resolved. Maybe Tom and Malia were meant to be together but again, that came out of left field for me. It was as if the writer was told that Paul and Marissa had to work things out. Suave Tom had better romance skills than Paul hands down! And why would she ever give Paul another look after all she sacrificed to move? And his valentine’s dinner break up was sooooo weak, what a jerk. Again, at the end of the day I’ve read this twice. This book is a like for me, but not a love.

An easy read. There were parts of book where a storyline would begin to develop and then immediately cut off to another, so there was no real character development. Overall I enjoyed the story line, but in the end it was just another story of love lost and found.

[Krissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a shame. I really thought I was going to love this book alot. I picked it out from my sister's bookshelf mainly because of the cover and the back. The story starts out very good, with a woman and her husband and her eight year old daughter moving to Hawaii because her husband gets transferred there. However, I got to Chapter 9 and made it through to the end. Then, I turn the page, and Chapter 8 starts all over again!! I guess it was a publishing mistake. So I go through Chapter 8 again, and then I find a page that belongs somewhere else entirely, I have no idea where. All I know is that it didn't fit with the page before it. So I kept reading it because I do like the story, but now the characters are talking about stuff that happened in Chapter 10, which I didn't get to read because they put another Chapter 8 in instead. How frustrating.
Other than that, the story is well-written. There are a few surprises in there. I really thought the main character would end up with a specific person, and she doesn't. If the chapters wouldn't have been all messed up like they were, I would give this book four stars.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It practically read itself. What I think I really liked about it is that it was a story about the friendship and teamwork between four women but the entire story was told from one character's perspective. I think when I read books about a group of friends, whether it's a knitting group, a book group, etc, I get annoyed by the constant change in perspective. Just when you want to know what happens next, the perspective changes again and the story-line shifts. This book is about what happens when an uptight, New York executive quits her job and moves to Hawaii with her husband and young daughter for his promotion. Two months after the move, her husband announces he wants a trial separation and Marissa is suddenly left to figure out who she is and what she wants without the benefit of her job, her nanny, her best friend or even a well-stocked grocery store. Good book. Good ending.

[Gail Baugniet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't my normal mystery novel genre, no murder to deal with or killer to hunt down. But the tension kept me reading.

The premise isn't unique: a woman follows her husband to him new job, from the island of Manahattan to the island of, well, the Big Island of Hawaii. Their new home isn't what they expected, and suddenly, the husband's life isn't what he expected. Now he wants to take time out to find himself, while the woman gets to live in the fixer-upper house and struggle to get by with their daughter. This story had my hackles up from beginning to pleasantly-unexpected ending.

Author Mia King never gives the reader a break as her characters keep the tension high until the end. Definitely a Goodread.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were certain aspects of this book that I liked, such as the Hawaiian setting and the "family" created from Malia, Jane, and Kavena. However, I didn't like any of the Price family characters - Paul decides to separate from his wife with no explanation as to why, Marissa is self-centered and seems to like people only after finding out that they're rich, and Pansy was completely unrealistic; what child is perfectly okay with moving away from her school (and friends) in the middle of the year, and also perfectly okay with her dad suddenly moving out of the house and living in a separate apartment? I lost interest in the book and didn't end up finishing it, so maybe it has a good ending, but I'm not invested enough to find out.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good basic chic-lit book. Marissa gives up her job as a consultant and life in NYC and moves to The Big Island of Hawaii with her husband and daughter for her husbands job at a resort. Buying a house that needs more than a little fixing up and adjusting to a life without her usual purpose, within a couple of months her husband Paul tells her he "needs a break" and moves out. Marissa takes on 3 different women as tenants to help with her finances and the book explores her quest to figure out what she wants and finds happiness. The setting is fun, the characters grow on you--a good beach/ vacation read.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book....it started off in a way that was somewhat negative. It was a wonderful read, about expectations, perceptions and reality. A group of women that didn't even all get along find each other's strengths, weaknesses and figure out that what you think you want in life always true, and first impressions can be very, very wrong, and we can always find something in ourselves to improve..but it's not a preachy book. It's just a great story about friends, spouses, children, co workers, housemates...and life itself. Highly recommend it if you want to spend some time in Hawaii.

[Marisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the book lacked the feelings of emotion in the writing for me, it wasn't humorous or "fly girlesqye" it came across flat for me. I also didn't warm up to the heroine very much I found her to come across as snobbish and not wanting to engage with barista's as they were not in the same pay grade as her, really, that was a bit off putting. The author Mai King had the concept, and if know she can pull it off better than this book, I have read her other book Friendship Bread" it was executed and showed true emotions the the characters. Sorry this book left me dissatisfied left me feeling the story was incomplete.

[Diane C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins in New York, where Marissa, her husband Paul and their elementary school aged daughter Pansy live a fast paced, high spending life in their apartment in Manhattan. Things take a drastic turn when Paul, on short notice, takes a hotel management job in Hawaii, giving his family one week to travel there and figure out if he really should do it. Their decision to move there, how it affects their marriage, the friends and colleagues they meet, all make for a wonderful story. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Definitely chick lit, a great vacation book, but good anytime. A fun read.

[Pammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet Life by Mia King is a predictable story about trials and tribulations of leaving Big City life in New York for rural setting on the Big Island (yes, even though it's paradise).
I know, same ole, same ole.
But my daughter and family recently had a year in Hawaii, thanks to hubby's job and experienced similar challenges to living in Paradise as described in King's novel: the giant bugs, the high costs of, well, just everything, the concerns about schooling, the challenges of finding appropriate housing, and even a field behind the house with mooing cows!!
It's a perfect beach read, or maybe even for a flight to Hawaii (even if it's an imaginary armchair flight)!