To Have and to Hold

by Jane Green

What happens when your Prince Charming turns out not to be so charming after all? In To Have and To Hold, bestselling author Jane Green offers a sizzling, highly entertaining look at romantic relationships after we say “I do.”

Alice knows she should be happy. A charming twenty-eight-year-old with a successful catering business, she’s always dreamed of a rose-covered cottage in the English countryside, filled with children and animals and home-cooked meals. Her favorite attire is comfy jeans, her best manicure features garden dirt under the nails. But when her teenage crush—the wealthy, dashing man-about-town Joe Chambers—wants to make her his bride, Alice is more than willing to play Cinderella to Joe’s prince. Never mind that he wants her to change—a diet, ice-blond highlights, stilettos, snooty gallery openings—and that he’s allergic to nature and kids. She tells herself she’s happy to sacrifice for love, and besides, with Joe’s stunning good looks and high-profile career at a top financial firm, every woman in London wants to be in her shoes.

But that’s just the problem. Despite Alice’s efforts to be the perfect wife, Joe soon reveals a penchant for being hopelessly unfaithful. When a notorious indiscretion with a female colleague forces Joe to transfer to New York, Alice’s life turns upside down. As Joe continues to sneak around, and her best friend’s beau offers a tempting glimpse of what real love could be like, Alice must decide how much Cinderella she can take before her deepest desires win out—and if she can summon up the courage to find real happiness on her own.

Delicious, witty, and packed with sparkling sex appeal, To Have and To Hold is an unputdownable read that will have you rooting out loud for its endearing heroine. A #1 bestseller in Britain, this latest tale from the beloved, utterly winning Jane Green proves that the search for true love doesn’t always end when someone dons a veil, and offers a lively, refreshing take on modern marriage.

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

352 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2002

About the author

Jane Green's twenty first novel, Sister Stardust, is out April 5th 2022.

She is the author of eighteen previous New York Times Bestselling novels, and known as one of the world's leading authors in women's fiction, with over ten million books in print, and translations in over 25 languages.

Previous novels have included The Beach House, Second Chance, Jemima J, and Tempting Fate.

She joined the ABC News team to write their first enhanced digital book— about the history of Royal marriages, then joined ABC News as a live correspondent covering Prince William’s wedding to Kate Middleton.

A former journalist in the UK, she has had her own radio show on BBC Radio London, and is a regular contributor on radio and TV, including as well as regularly appearing on television shows including Good Morning America, The Martha Stewart show, and The Today Show.

Together with writing books and blogs, she contributes to various publications, both online and print, including anthologies and novellas, and features for The Huffington Post, The Sunday Times, Cosmopolitan and Self. She has taught at writers conferences, and does regular keynote speaking, and has a weekly column in The Lady magazine, England’s longest running weekly magazine.

A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in New York, Green is bringing out her first cookbook: Good Taste , with Berkley in October 2016.

She is a storyteller for The Moth radio hour on NPR,
and lives in Westport, Connecticut with her husband and their blended family. When she is not writing, cooking, gardening, filling her house with friends and herding chickens, she is usually thanking the Lord for caffeine-filled energy drinks.


Jane's Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jane-Gr...

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Talia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alice has married her high school crush and lives a life of luxury. She no longer works, gets her hair colored every 6 weeks, lunches with high society, and wears the latest fashions. One small problem: she isn’t herself. Also, her husband, Joe, is a womanizing cad, cheating on Alice every chance he can. When an affair with a co-worker goes awry, Alice and Joe move to the U.S., where Alice buys a cottage in the country. She begins to find herself through a love of gardening, and when her best friend and her boyfriend come to visit, she sees what a real relationship should be. When Joe starts to stray again, Alice wonders if she will ever find true happiness with her life.

Ugh. Alice is a complete pushover and it’s almost enraging how her husband treats her throughout the book. The storyline itself is inane, and the dialogue is even worse, with unnatural sentences and phrases being used. The author is English, but half the book takes place in America, and I found myself thinking multiple times, “No American would say that.” Unlike other genre books by Sophie Kinsella and Meg Cabot, this story just made me depressed and hate men. I read chick-lit to give me an escape and because it’s fluff, not to bring me down.

[Booklover · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading i was like WTF,making mockery of vows and friendship

the wife Alice was blind to all the signs which keeps nagging the wife that something is fishy,she keeps herself busy by socializing and in their country house,the hubby Joe just can't seem to have control on his lust ,seemed to be any woman who walked by he wanted to have sex with her,he is addicted to sex and seemed to me he might have missed out some therapy sessions in teens that is why now at age 38 he needed counseling and therapy on how to control his sexual urges

Inspite of going through the hurt and pain after being betrayed,Alice gives the same hurt and pain to her best friend Emily,i was like "HOW CAN SHE",she knew how deeply Emily's feelings were for Harry but still

What really angered me was how each one of them got unscathed,they were making mockery of marriage vows and friendship,hurting people who really care and are there for them,mess up and complicate each other's life and walk out with no what so ever repent for their actions or apologize to the people who they hurted

at the end when Joe is thrown out he is in denial and he is sorry that he got caught he was expecting Alice to forgive him after all he is a red blooded male and she has forgiven him in the past(i skipped in between but one dialogue gave me this impression when he is thrown out)

This was my first book by Jane Green and was so so disappointed,i even have Babyville hopefully it is a better book then this

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

To Have and to Hold is a standalone, chick-lit novel written by author Jane Green. This story follows Alice and her seemingly "dream come true" life with her high school crush-now-husband Joe. How do you know if a relationship is healthy for you? Well I guess you would start off by not completely losing who you are in the process. Alice slowly comes to this realization as Joe's significant faults are discovered. However, Alice is not without her own faults, and her relationships with old and new friends are also integrated within this story as life comes full-circle for her. The plot of To Have and to Hold is not remarkable or life-changing, but I found it quite entertaining! Even with the frustration that comes with watching someone be wronged over and over again, Ms. Green ensures that her readers laugh and feel the comfort and satisfaction that comes with witnessing someone find the peace they so deserve. I really enjoyed this book and if you enjoy Jane Green's writing style, you'll likely enjoy it too!

My favorite quote:
"I saw it and thought you'd love it, and rose quartz is supposed to bring love into your life." Joe raises an eyebrow. "Sorry, Joe. I didn't mean a new love. It's just meant to make everything more loving I think. Not you, just, Oh God." Emily stumbles. "I think it is meant to make your life nice, OK?" "Oh Emily, stop being so silly. Whatever it's supposed to do, it's lovely. Help me put it on." Alice bends her head forward for Emily to do up the clasp. "Oh and the woman in the shop said you have to program it first." Emily adds as an afterthought. "You have to clean it by dropping it into water and vinegar, then leave it in direct sunlight for a day, then stare at it while you clear your mind and envision a clear white light going through it. Then it's yours and clean, but you mustn't let anyone else touch it or it'll become impure." "Emily," Joe says quietly. "Yes?" "When exactly did you lose your mind?"

[Mikey B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read on how collecting started, at first with the Lordly and wealthy. The first collections were very general - in an age of universal wisdom and corresponding universal illiteracy! These early collections were everything – stones, plants, cadavers, art books… Later collectors became more specialized and in our current age more accessible. In fact everyone becomes a collector and everything collectible by mass production. Children become indoctrinated at an early age to collect.

Some of the early chapters are somewhat esoteric.

The author makes an interesting comparison between serious collections (or collectors) and autism - also between immortality and collections. The collection is the persons’ view of utopia.

Some good quotes:
Page 139 Collectors refute Gertrude Stein’s claim ‘a rose is a rose is a rose’ (Gertrude Stein was herself a collector)
Page 157 The most important object of a collection is the next one
Page 157 Conquest is followed by disillusionment and the necessity for further conquests

[Tia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can you say love is blind? This book really drove me up the wall. It seemed so far fetched my head was spinning. Not only did it make a mockery out of friendships and loyalty, it made one out of the vows and love people are given. The heroine was a total dumb ass, she seemed oblivious to everything, I swear if a tornado went straight through her home, she wouldn't blink and eye or notice. The heroines husband was a arrogant gross pig which had me turning green sometimes. How the heck can you marry someone like that? If you know the person, eventually you have to see their "true" personality. I wanted to remove the husbands nuts and castrate him. He was childish, immature at times and a couple blows to the head would be delightful and probably help him see things more clearly. I would NOT read this book EVER again. I am just so frustrated and UGH!! *kicks wall*

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been sitting in my tbr book pile for so long that I can't actually remember how I acquired it. I had never heard of Jane Green before I picked this up so I didn't know what to expect but I actually really enjoyed the book.

This book reminded me of one of those entertaining lower-budget films about love. The films that have sort-of famous actors; the movies that are so cheesy and clichéd but you enjoy them all the same because they just work. They're a little far-fetched and predictable but they're just a pleasure to watch. I enjoyed the book the exact same way I would enjoy one of these movies. This doesn't actually work for a lot of books but it did with this one and that's why I decided to give this book 4 stars.

I loved Alice. I've seen a lot of reviews on here that criticise Alice for being stupid but I don't think she was stupid or oblivious at all. She knew what Joe was doing, she even said she always knew at one point. People have to understand that sometimes you see all the obvious signs but you're in denial and that's not stupidity in my opinion. Alice was deeply unhappy and lost and it's only when she comes into herself that she finally decides to do something about her cheating husband. I loved how that all unfolded. Joe was emotionally abusing her, he was manipulative and he knew exactly what to say to get what he wanted from her. She really stood no chance against him at the start. I absolutely despised Joe. I hate reading books where cheating is justified and Joe justified it constantly. It was never his fault though and his passages really ticked me off. I loved Alice & Emily's friendship. I loved how they treated each other and sometimes I got so wrapped up in their conversations that I would forget that I was reading a book. They made me laugh and I think their friendship is a good example of what a real friendship should be like (for the most part!).

I loved the many different POV's. It removed the mystery and it gave you an insight into so many characters. This doesn't work with every book but it definitely worked with this one. I also loved how the ending told us what happened to all the characters. Not all books tell you what happens and sometimes it's just nice to know.

I would recommend this to chic-lit lovers. Yes, it makes you hate men for a bit but it's also kind of empowering. You don't need a man to make you happy. You just need to be happy with yourself. That's one of the best kinds of messages you can put out there. I would read more by Jane Green as I enjoyed her writing style for the most part. She rambled a bit with some descriptive passages but overall I think she's a good writer. I couldn't put this book down. I just wanted to know how everything would turn out!

[Mayu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fue una lectura insoportable. Una protagonista sin autoestima alguna, un cerdo cabrón por marido, una historia deprimente y llena de escenas poco gratas. Sin duda, no fue en absoluto como yo esperaba. Y fue una de esas obras que me hicieron odiar un poquito más el chick - lit. No me gustan los cabrones, no me gusta que las mujeres no se amen a si mismas, no me gusta que alguien sienta que no vale nada y que por eso se merece que su marido, le sea infiel, y la trate como a un felpudo. Esta es una novela sobre como JAMÁS deberíamos dejar que nadie nos tratara ¬¬

[hidefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

De Jane Green solo había leído un libro anteriormente, hace ya bastantes años, pero aun así sabía exactamente lo que esperar de ella: una historia ligera, que enganche, con unos personajes lo suficientemente interesantes como para querer meterte sus vidas y especialmente una lectura con la que no haya que pensar mucho, que a veces es lo que apetece. Y sí, exactamente eso me encontré al leer Hechizada.

Alice siempre se ha considerado a sí misma una chica normalucha, y nunca ha tenido demasiada suerte en el amor. Por eso no se cree que justamente un hombre como Joe Chambers, que parece tenerlo todo (es guapísimo, encantador, inteligente y rico) se haya fijado en ella. Casarse con él ha sido como un sueño hecho realidad, aunque ya para empezar la boda no se pareciera en nada a como ella siempre la había imaginado y que haya tenido que cambiar casi todo de ella misma para estar a la altura de su marido.

Cinco años después, Alice y Joe siguen felizmente casados... Bueno, más o menos, porque Joe siempre está trabajando y casi no se ven, a Alice esa vida glamurosa que llevan no le acaba de gustar y encima ahora, a causa del trabajo de Joe, se tienen que ir a vivir a Nueva York. Pero una vez en Estados Unidos Alice cumplirá por fin su verdadero sueño: vivir en una encantadora casita en el campo, una casa que perteneció a una escritora que tenía muchas cosas en común con Alice y que hará ver a esta que su matrimonio es de todo menos de color de rosa.

Últimamente me está apeteciendo mucho leer chick-lit, un género que he tenido unos años abandonado. El otro libro que leí de Jane Green me gustó mucho, así que Hechizada supuse que sería una apuesta segura y por suerte he acabado satisfecha después de su lectura, aunque no es un libro romántico de esos que te haga suspirar y te llene de buenas sensaciones, precisamente. Aquí el amor no está idealizado, es más bien crudo.

Y es que Hechizada está narrado a través de múltiples puntos de vista, de todos los personajes involucrados. Sabemos qué piensan personajes como Alice, Joe, Emily, Harry o Josie... Pero también otros muchos personajes secundarios que no aportan demasiado y que realmente no necesitaban su propio punto de vista. Así que, aunque Alice desconozca (o finja desconocer) qué hace su marido cuando no está en casa, el lector lo sabe en todo momento, y me voy a detener aquí un segundo porque necesito desahogarme: Joe es el personaje más repugnante que me he encontrado en mucho tiempo.

Joe parece el hombre perfecto, pero es un misógino de cuidado, siempre acostumbrado a lograr lo que quiere y que ve a las mujeres como meros accesorios. Veamos: Joe quiere una mujer que sea sumisa, maleable, que se peine y vista como él quiere, que cuide de él, que le vea como un dios y que, por supuesto, sea inferior. Una mujer guapa a la que llevar colgada del brazo para presumir de ella y poco más. Por eso se fija en Alice, porque ve que tiene potencial para convertirse en lo que él quiere, una mujer que esté dispuesta a complacerle en todo. Alice está tan enamorada que decide que no le importa que no tengan absolutamente nada en común, decide ser lo que Joe cree que ha de ser una buena mujer. Penoso, ¿verdad? Es mucho peor. Joe quiere que su mujer sea todo eso, pero cuando una mujer es todo eso, pierde su atractivo sexual y necesita buscar emoción en otra parte, porque le excita conquistar a mujeres que sean independientes, saborear el placer de lo prohibido. Joe tiene una larga lista de amantes, pero de entre ellas destaca Josie, una compañera de trabajo con mucho carácter que no parece necesitarlo. Claro está, también se enamorará de Joe, y buscará la manera de mantener el interés de este hasta que, si tiene suerte, Joe decida dejar a su mujer por ella. ¡¡Penoso!!

El papel de la mujer en este libro no es precisamente un modelo a seguir, porque Alice cambia de arriba abajo, suprime todos sus deseos, solo para poder complacer a un hombre que ni siquiera la quiere realmente, solo quiere lo que él desea que ella represente. Con Josie tres cuartas partes de lo mismo. Emily es algo distinta, y por suerte Alice se va dando cuenta con el tiempo de que esa felicidad que ella cree sentir es totalmente falsa, que solo podrá serlo si se quiere a sí misma, si vuelve a ser la persona que era antes de estar con Joe.

El libro es muy frustrante en ese sentido, porque Joe es asqueroso y no entiendes por qué alguien como Alice aguantaría tanto tiempo a su lado, cuando ni siquiera disfruta el estilo de vida que le proporciona estar con alguien como él. La forma que tiene Joe de justificar sus infidelidades es repulsiva, y, encima, cuando ves que sí hay otra persona que es perfecta para Alice, que la entiende y la quiere tal y como es ella, también te da pena porque la situación de esa persona pone a Alice en un gran compromiso.

Así que Hechizada no es un libro recomendado para aquellos que busquen a una protagonista fuerte, segura de sí misma y que no necesite a un hombre para validarse a sí misma, porque eso no es lo que encontrarán aquí. Aquí encontrarán a una mujer sin dignidad y sin autoestima a la que le costará mucho darse cuenta de que lo que le va a hacer realmente feliz no es un hombre, sino ser fiel a ella misma.

Hechizada, al menos, tiene un buen mensaje, y es el de que no tenemos que aceptar cambiar todo lo que nos define para ser aceptados por otra persona que nunca nos querrá como somos realmente, y, como dice Alice en cierto momento, los cabrones tienen su punto sexy pero son maridos horribles: mejor buscar alguien bueno, que nos cuide, y con el que podamos formar una vida en común y envejecer.

Además, si algo tiene este libro, es que te entran ganas de comprarte una casita en las afueras, vivir una vida tranquila, pasar tus días dando paseos por la playa con tu perro y cuidando de tu jardín y contemplando las estrellas y disfrutando del silencio por la noche. El estrés de la ciudad apesta cada día más.

En definitiva, un libro que entra bien y que da lo que promete. Estoy segura que Green tendrá a protagonistas más dignas en sus otras novelas.

[ꕥ Ange_Lives_To_Read ꕥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice had a schoolgirl crush on Joe. When she runs into him years later he's still gorgeous, rich, charming. And he's ready to settle down - with Alice! She can hardly believe her luck. And starting with the wedding, she changes every single thing about herself to be what Joe wants.

This was an excellent read; intelligent chick-lit. The characters were real and believable. Even the lying, philandering husband and the women willing to cheat with a married man are portrayed with a degree of sympathy, not as cardboard villains but as flawed humans with problems of their own.

I saw where the story was going pretty early on, but it was still a treat to follow the fates of all of these people and especially Alice's rediscovery of her true self. I would eagerly read more by this author.

[Miriam Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book but a book that was definitely written 15 years ago. I’m so glad that romance/fiction has moved away from the classic story line of man marries woman, man changes everything about woman, man cheats on woman and woman finally figures out that she has a backbone in the last 20 pages of the book and becomes happy. I like Jane Green and I liked this book but it didn’t have much substance

[Julie]

Just a bit of light reading for a change. Chic Lit.
Wife of a serial adulterer who has changed her into someone she is not wises up when they move to the USA. She finds a house in the country, finds a mind of her own and dumps him.

[✴ Cindy ✴ · Rating 3 out of 5]

All telling and no showing. I expected more from an accomplished author.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As frustrating as it was, I liked it. As many times as a screamed at the book, I couldn’t put it down. By clicking the link above, you find that the book is about Alice who wasted 6 years of her life married to an insecure man-child, Joe, who cheats on her repeatedly in the book with various (usually younger) women. She leads an unhappy life being someone her husbands wants to be in London, but finds herself in a small town suburb in Connecticut.

I’m not even going to try to be unbiased. I hate cheaters. When I read about them in books, I just want the female character to go Angela Bassett from Waiting to Exhale on their ass. (If you havent seen that movie, you should rent it…or watch it on Oxygen since it seems to be playing every other week).

Watching Alice just be in denial about her husband nightly activities with other women was frustratingly painful. I felt bad for her, but I was also furious with her. Even if she didn’t know her husband was cheating, she wasn’t happy at all. I would’ve left a long time ago. But the signs were there and she ignored them. I wanted her to find out sooner than she did. I wanted pain, suffering and retribution from Joe. I wanted the second half of the book to be more about her and Harry. I feel like Harry’s apparent feelings for her were a bit out of the blue, but you can kind of see how that happens.

I liked that the ending was happy for Alice and she finally stood on her own two feet and was strong enough to walk away. Even though I think she’s an idiot, I did feel a bit bad for Joe’s latest victim, Josie. Once a cheater, always a cheater in Joe’s case.

It was a good, quick read. I ended up finishing it in less than a day and a half (if you don’t include breaks where I had to work). Though I wish Alice would’ve wised-up sooner and have a chance to develop something with Harry (as Jane Green says, “That’s a story for another time”), I recommend this book.

[KA · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh the hilarity.

I have been known to love Jane Green. Jemima J is great, and several others have excellent characters and moments.

But this was too much. Wish I could remember the specific horrors right now, but needless to say it was far more caricature-y than usual and everyone in it was stupid and unsympathetic.

I guess I learned don't marry for money and try to be someone you're not? haha.

Reading this back to back with Erica Jong's mid-life account of Connecticut divorced life (Parachutes and Kisses -- oh 80's title) was absolutely laughable.

[Helena Wildsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something so moreish about Jane Green's books and this one was no different! In fact, I'd have quite happily devoured all this in one sitting. If you love to be totally immersed in lovely thick dreamy books that are beautifully written - this is the one for you.

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

3.5 stars. This book is definitely not going to be for everyone. I don't know what it is about Jane Green but she can write a character that is so relatable and charming (even though my life is nothing like hers). The plot of this book is HEAVILY based on cheating and crappy relationships and at first it was off putting and I considered DNF'ing but as the book went on I was more and more entertained because of my investment in the characters. Alice is married to a wealthy financial planner in London and lives a life of expensive parties, etc. However, her husband is a serial cheater. He cheats with a lady in his company so his boss says his only option is to transfer to NYC, thus ending the inter office relationship. They move and get an apartment in the city as well as a weekend house in Connecticut. Alice comes into her own in the suburbs and they reconnect at first, but then her desire to be in jeans with no makeup and his desire to continue living a luxurious life causes problems and he starts cheating again. In the end, she ends up with someone else, as does he, and its all hunky dory. This is really just a slice of life as we watch Alice figure out who she is and what she wants.

[Devon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book. Loved the ending

[Rea Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Jane Green books, with bookends being my favourite. When I was in the library I saw Spellbound which is a book of Jane Green which I have yet to read and obviously I couldn't walk over it.


The main character in Spellbound is Alice who you instantly warm to in Green's clever way of introducing you to her characters. Alice is married to Joe who I instantly disliked he moulds Alice into his ideal trophy wife encouraging her to dye her hair blonde and lose weight and wear designer clothes. They lead a very executive life, invited to every high profile dinner, dance or party.


Anyone may think Alice should be the happiest woman alive with this kind of lifestyle and a gorgeous husband but truth is this isn't the real Alice. The real Alice dreams of a nice house in the country tending to her garden a very low key life.


Joe is a serial womaniser and often goes home with a different woman after ring Alice to inform her he will not be home as he has to work late yet again. Alice has her suspicions but never talks about it to Joe.

Alice and Joe have a life change after Joe is caught with another woman by his boss and is given his only option.... to move to New York.

It is whilst in New York that Alice starts to feel herself as they manage to have to homes one in Manhattan for Joe to be close to work and one little cottage in Connecticut which Alice has always dreamed of. Thing is with Alice feeling more herself and building the life she has always wanted in Connecticut, things get a bit rocky for the couple. Will their relationship be able to survive?


This book was defiantly upto the high standard of Jane Green's better books. I found the first chapter a bit of a struggle but once past this the story flowed nicely. I didn't feel that there were any predictable parts to this book, there were constant twists happening. Jane describes the two main characters well letting you warm to Alice and wanting her to finally be herself and be happy and also describing Joe making you feel slightly cold towards him like you usually do with womanisers.

I love the way the ending of the book takes each of the characters from the book and tells you how they ended up later in life. I have always wondered after reading books what would actually happen to the characters and this answered all my questions. In my opinion an outstanding ending.

I would recommend this to anyone who has read and enjoyed Jane Green's book as I personally think this is up there with her 3 best books.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Le he dado 4,5 estrellas.

Me ha encantado muchísimo esta lectura.
La trama gira en torno a un matrimonio en el que él es guapísimo, rico y muy 'glamuroso', mientras que ella no es ni rica ni glamurosa pero se ha terminado convirtiendo en lo que él quería para complacerle.

Alice es una mujer muy guapa, atractiva y modesta, todo lo contrario a su marido, pero está tan enamorada de él que se ha perdido a sí misma. Ha sido mi favorita desde el inicio hasta el final. Quería abrazarla todo el tiempo. Y luego tenemos a Joe, el típico novio cabronazo. Es el personaje que peor me ha caído, pero no voy a contar por qué razones, ya que es un spoiler. Ambos protagonistas están súper bien construidos.

Además, hay otros personajes como Emily y Harry que, aunque no son protagonistas, aparecen la mayoría del tiempo. Emily es la mejor amiga de Alice desde el instituto, y también me encariñé muchísimo con ella.

El estilo de escritura tan único de esta mujer me ha encantado. Narra brevemente el punto de vista de cada personaje secundario, lo cual es lo que más me ha gustado porque conoces cada pensamiento de los personajes sin que se convierta en relleno para la trama. Además, así conoces mejor a cada personaje sin descentrarte de los protagonistas ni de la historia. Por eso, también me ha parecido que el final es increíble narrativamente hablando.

Escribe de una manera muy realista, es decir, no parece que estés leyendo una historia ficticia. No utiliza un lenguaje empalagoso ni cursi, lo cual me ha recordado un poco a Sally Rooney.

Me ha gustado un montón. Estuve muy conectada a la historia y a los personajes, y es muy entretenida. Sin embargo, creo que es una historia que o te encanta o la odias, porque no es un libro que cambie tu vida ni que te provoque emociones súper intensas. Creo que es un libro que podría tener más visibilidad, ya que, al menos en BookTok, no es famoso ni nada, y sinceramente, es algo que se merece.

Lo recomiendo muchísimo a cualquier persona que le apetezca leer algo entretenido o simplemente cuando no tenga nada que leer, porque no es para nada una historia aburrida ni complicada.

[Imas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ini merupakan buku pertama Jane Green yg kubaca.Buku ini dibeli saat mengikuti diklat di Yogyakarta, Des 2011 dengan harga obral,tujuannya untuk hiburan dimalam hari berhubung kamar di Wisma Balai Diklat Yogyakarta tidak disediakan TV. TV hanya ada diruang makan dan lobby.(Disuruh belajar boo..hehe). Tapi ternyata sampai diklat selama seminggu berakhir,buku ini ngga sempat dibaca karena kami lebih banyak menghabiskan waktu untuk berburu batik dan kuliner di sekitar Jogja sehabis mengikuti kelas..:) Jadilah buku ini baru dibaca akhir Maret, menemani cuti seminggu selama di Jakarta,tapi baru tuntas setelah di Pontianak lagi..ini sdh blm ya reviunya..

Spellbound tadinya aku pikir cerita yg ada magic-magicnya..ternyata ngga ada sama sekali. Spellbound menceritakan seorang Alice yg menikah dengan pangeran impiannya sejak dibangku sekolah, bertemu lagi setelah sekian tahun dan bam..tiba-tiba sang pangeran jatuh cinta dan mengajak menikah. Kelihatannya sederhana sekali proses pernikahan the country girl dan prince charming ini.Namun mimpi lebih sering terlalu indah dibanding kenyataan. Pada akhirnya, manusia akan capek berpura2.Aku jarang baca Chicklit,tdk tau chicklit2 yg difavoritkan, tp menurut aku buku ini lumayan,cukup menghibur dan ringan sebagaimana mestinya chicklit.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite of Jane Green's books. The plot isn't so much what makes me love this book, but the scenery is so descriptive, so lovely...this is a book that you read just to luxuriate in the setting. You can almost smell the cool country air, and become immersed in the small town buzz. It made me want to paint, to draw, to lock myself away in the country, and bake homemade pastries, while enjoying a women's group book club, followed by antiquing and a great cup of coffee!

Joe is such a womanizing cad, it almost makes Alice laughable. She seems to go through about three different personalities in this book. A few of the choices that Alice makes cause her to be snivelling and pathetic, while other choices are so extraordinarily bold, and totally out of character that they are not really believable, especially considering the wonderful friendship that she shares with Emily.

The story is good, but the vibe, the feel, the experience and setting of this book are nearly as good as a lovely holiday. Jane Green always entertains, and this book is no exception.

[Bhavya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars
I... Don't know how to review such books. I mean it wasn't bad, but I didn't enjoy it either.
Neither did I want to put it down. Like what do I even say about such books?
We know before getting into the story that guy is unfaithful. But you don't exactly get mad at him... You just don't care about him one way or the other.
The girl. Woman, I mean. You can say that this is the story of her finding out her true happiness lies in making herself happy, but we already knew that. She already knew that. She just didn't work for it. And then she did.
This is not a story which keeps you at an edge. It is just series of events strung together, the kinda thing you would watch (read) without getting too involved, or too concerned.
So, yeah. I'll let you make whatever you can make of it.

[Alison Kagen]

Dreadful, a really disappointing book - offers such promise & delivers almost nothing at all. Poorly written, pretentious (footnotes all over the place but missing from important & obvious areas), clumsy (no captions for poorly reproduced illustrations, lengthy quotes for no benefit). Could have been great: describing collecting from small/minor to major, exploring the "why" not just the "what". Actually there is some "why" but it's inadequate, superficial. I've given 1 star - probably not the worst book ever written or that I'll ever read, but I did read much of it, & it would potentially offer some inspiration over collecting as an interesting human activity.

[Jocelyn (foxonbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, predictable and perfectly readable, this was good chick-lit and perfect for plane trips

[Birgitt Krumboeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit too predictable for my taste, but still a good holiday read! The question is also, what does the trophy wife do for money.... Does she have a work visa for the States?!

[Carol · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story about a trophy wife did not hold my interest. Perhaps I am no longer interested in reading chick- lit of this theme; however, I will select another book by the author.

[Hannah Polley · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars would be more accurate but I am feeling generous.

I have read this book so many times as I was first given it as a teenager and I have always enjoyed it.

Lovely Alice has married her teenage crush, the handsome Joe. After Joe’s indiscretions at work force them to make a fresh start in America, Alice finally finds herself and leaves her cheating husband.

It is an easy read and has a nice happy ending, however, I do feel that both Alice and Joe need more depth to them as characters. From the beginning, it is made clear that Alice is the good guy and Joe is the bad guy and there isn’t much more description to their characters all the way through.

A feel good and quick read.

[Leonor Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read. I love the attention it brings to the path of self love, self respect and self discovery (or rediscovery). This book reminds us that not only there are different types of people and we need to accept then for who they are and not our projections of them or what they could be, but also that we are supposed to make ourselves happy and not depend on others to do that or ti dictate or worth. Alice is a strong woman who found the strength in her true self and broke free of the expectations of others.

[ERICA S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ho preso questo libro un po' di anni fa e finalmente ho avuto l'occasione di leggerlo anche se devo dire che mi ha un po' deluso.
Pensavo di avere tra le mani un chick lit, un romanzo divertente, con una protagonista un po' maldestra ma simpatica ed invece ho trovato una storia un po' noiosa, seria con una protagonista insicura, senza stima di se stessa, con due fette di prosciutto davanti gli occhi spesse da far paura.
Alice è sposata da cinque anni con Joe, un uomo affascinante e seducente, con un lavoro di alto livello. Ma Alice per compiacere il marito ha nascosto il suo vero io, le sue aspirazioni ed è diventata una specie di bambolina da esibire alle feste e ai vari party. Ma questo non è tutto....perché il caro maritino è un traditore seriale, il tipo da una scappatella dietro l'altra e quindi da riunioni fino a tarda sera, cene di lavoro, viaggi di lavoro. Ed ovviamente la povera moglie, di cui, però, è molto innamorato, non sa nulla. Mentre leggevo volevo urlare "Alice svegliatiiiii!!!": è vero che la moglie è l'ultima a sapere le cose ma qualche dubbio ogni tanto no???!?!?!.
Verso la fine la storia si movimenta un po' e migliora ma la narrazione sembra una semplice esposizione dei fatti ed è molto impersonale e non fa entrare in sintonia con i personaggi.
Mi aspettavo davvero qualcosa di più.

[Rod Mar Aless · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is very addictive.