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The Divorce Planner
When her daughter suggests Darcy Madison attend her ex-husband’s wedding, Darcy enlists the help of her colleague, divorce attorney Victor Costello, to pose as her dashing young date. But when Victor proposes to Darcy at the reception, Darcy forgets they are pretending and says, “Yes!” Between her false engagement to Victor and her daughter’s suggestion to have a double wedding, Darcy falls even further in the fantasy of being a blushing midlife bride. The longer the masquerade continues, the more Darcy starts to wonder what is love and can it last forever in a world where divorce is the only language she knows?
Unknown Binding
Published May 20, 2019
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About the author
Angela Lam
22 books148 followersAngela Lam, formerly Angela Lam Turpin, writes across genres, from sweet contemporary romances to candid memoirs to sexy thrillers and everything in between.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 20, 2019
You can read all my review on Blog - Books Teacup and Reviews
The Divorce Planner revolved around Darcy who was 50 something, professionally divorce planner trying to mend relationship with her daughter by planning her wedding. In between juggling the divorce planning and wedding planning, she found someone who changed her belief, made her to think about love again. The book was about divorce vs wedding, love vs logic and realism, second chance to love, and midlife and married life crisis.
What i liked-
I loved many things in the book. Writing and plot was fabulous and gripping. It was third person narrative from Darcy’s POV. Her voice was charming that pulled me into the story right from the beginning. Humor, romance, drama, conflicts, and insights everything was there to make the book enjoyable.
Book started with Joyce calling her mother Darcy to plan her wedding. But the thing is Darcy was the divorce planner not wedding planner who was against marriage. She vowed not to marry ever. Darcy was so sure of no true love, no happy ending, no fairy tales and no forevermore and adamant all things related to love and marriage end disastrously. But when she met Victor at gala event and later for business, all her beliefs threatened to go wrong. Things got even worse when they attended Darcy’s ex-husband wedding as fake madly-in-love couple.
I was curious to see how they will get out of their lie, what they will experience once their fantasy ended and were forced to come back in reality, will Darcy break her vow and give love a second chance, and how they will confess their true feelings. There were little surprises here and there that kept the story gripping and exciting.
The best part was characters, especially Darcy. She was my favorite character in the book. Like her name she was man in women’s body- realistic, cynical, and practical. Darcy’s story of her previous marriage, how it ended horribly that affected her relation with her daughter, how she failed to mend it ever since the divorce, and how a party planner Darcy turned to divorce planner. It showed endurance, patience and strength. I liked her cynical thoughts on marriage, love and divorce. The way she handled her clients, work life, social Life and daughter’s wedding all at once was admirable. Darcy’s emotions throughout the book were perceptible. I could feel her exasperation, confusion, fear, and struggle. As a mother I could see how difficult it might be to cope with Her ex-husband, Nathan and daughter, Joyce who were irritating and blamed Darcy for anything that went wrong with them. Many times I put down the book to think how Darcy might have dealt with them for so many years.
First chapter and I already hated Nathan. He repeatedly blamed Darcy for their divorce. He was liar who turned everyone against Darcy even their daughter. And now that she is planning Joyce’s marriage he called her a bad luck for their daughter’s marriage! No wonder Darcy is a divorce planner.
Joyce was no better than Nathan. She loved her dad more than Darcy even though he cheated Darcy. She was Bridezilla who wanted her mother to put her work and clients on sidelines to organize her perfect wedding and she didn’t even appreciate all Darcy did for her till date. Not just that she threatened to fire Darcy!! She was petulant, controlling and spoiled person. But things changed by the end of the book and I liked the way both father and daughter realized their mistake, it was realistic.
Here comes my second favorite character of the book. Victor, 37, so younger than Darcy that he could be her eldest son. Handsome divorce attorney at Darcy’s best friend’s firm, workaholic, sensitive and romantic. He was such a gentleman, sweetheart, and perfect marriage material, it was surprising he never married or didn’t have life outside work. I loved him when he asked Darcy to take him as a date to her Nathan’s wedding and his logics for it were fabulous.
All characters were relatable, I could understand their feelings and emotions. I felt like I was part of their story. Those Books and Booze club discussion were fun to read. All members of the book club were interesting and unique. I even loved their little stories after climax and their discussion on Darcy’s love life. It made me want to find a book club with regular meet to have that kind of fun.
So many things happened between climax and end. This portion was felt longer but was filled with humor, drama and lots of emotions. I loved the way characters realized their mistakes and tried to make things right between them. End was good and fun. Another good book-to-screen kind of story. I would love to see this as a movie.
why 4 star-
Everything about the book was enjoyable but it was little predictable. Sometimes characters acted childishly. Joyce telling all private details of Darcy to everyone, Victor sharing things to Tyler before consulting Darcy, Nathan and Tanya’s friend belittling Darcy and Victor! They were all adults and I wished they acted accordingly.
Overall, it was entertaining, romantic and relatable chick-lit with interesting characters and their views on marriage and divorce.
*** Note: I received e-copy of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. ***
The Divorce Planner revolved around Darcy who was 50 something, professionally divorce planner trying to mend relationship with her daughter by planning her wedding. In between juggling the divorce planning and wedding planning, she found someone who changed her belief, made her to think about love again. The book was about divorce vs wedding, love vs logic and realism, second chance to love, and midlife and married life crisis.
What i liked-
I loved many things in the book. Writing and plot was fabulous and gripping. It was third person narrative from Darcy’s POV. Her voice was charming that pulled me into the story right from the beginning. Humor, romance, drama, conflicts, and insights everything was there to make the book enjoyable.
Book started with Joyce calling her mother Darcy to plan her wedding. But the thing is Darcy was the divorce planner not wedding planner who was against marriage. She vowed not to marry ever. Darcy was so sure of no true love, no happy ending, no fairy tales and no forevermore and adamant all things related to love and marriage end disastrously. But when she met Victor at gala event and later for business, all her beliefs threatened to go wrong. Things got even worse when they attended Darcy’s ex-husband wedding as fake madly-in-love couple.
I was curious to see how they will get out of their lie, what they will experience once their fantasy ended and were forced to come back in reality, will Darcy break her vow and give love a second chance, and how they will confess their true feelings. There were little surprises here and there that kept the story gripping and exciting.
The best part was characters, especially Darcy. She was my favorite character in the book. Like her name she was man in women’s body- realistic, cynical, and practical. Darcy’s story of her previous marriage, how it ended horribly that affected her relation with her daughter, how she failed to mend it ever since the divorce, and how a party planner Darcy turned to divorce planner. It showed endurance, patience and strength. I liked her cynical thoughts on marriage, love and divorce. The way she handled her clients, work life, social Life and daughter’s wedding all at once was admirable. Darcy’s emotions throughout the book were perceptible. I could feel her exasperation, confusion, fear, and struggle. As a mother I could see how difficult it might be to cope with Her ex-husband, Nathan and daughter, Joyce who were irritating and blamed Darcy for anything that went wrong with them. Many times I put down the book to think how Darcy might have dealt with them for so many years.
First chapter and I already hated Nathan. He repeatedly blamed Darcy for their divorce. He was liar who turned everyone against Darcy even their daughter. And now that she is planning Joyce’s marriage he called her a bad luck for their daughter’s marriage! No wonder Darcy is a divorce planner.
Joyce was no better than Nathan. She loved her dad more than Darcy even though he cheated Darcy. She was Bridezilla who wanted her mother to put her work and clients on sidelines to organize her perfect wedding and she didn’t even appreciate all Darcy did for her till date. Not just that she threatened to fire Darcy!! She was petulant, controlling and spoiled person. But things changed by the end of the book and I liked the way both father and daughter realized their mistake, it was realistic.
Here comes my second favorite character of the book. Victor, 37, so younger than Darcy that he could be her eldest son. Handsome divorce attorney at Darcy’s best friend’s firm, workaholic, sensitive and romantic. He was such a gentleman, sweetheart, and perfect marriage material, it was surprising he never married or didn’t have life outside work. I loved him when he asked Darcy to take him as a date to her Nathan’s wedding and his logics for it were fabulous.
All characters were relatable, I could understand their feelings and emotions. I felt like I was part of their story. Those Books and Booze club discussion were fun to read. All members of the book club were interesting and unique. I even loved their little stories after climax and their discussion on Darcy’s love life. It made me want to find a book club with regular meet to have that kind of fun.
So many things happened between climax and end. This portion was felt longer but was filled with humor, drama and lots of emotions. I loved the way characters realized their mistakes and tried to make things right between them. End was good and fun. Another good book-to-screen kind of story. I would love to see this as a movie.
why 4 star-
Everything about the book was enjoyable but it was little predictable. Sometimes characters acted childishly. Joyce telling all private details of Darcy to everyone, Victor sharing things to Tyler before consulting Darcy, Nathan and Tanya’s friend belittling Darcy and Victor! They were all adults and I wished they acted accordingly.
Overall, it was entertaining, romantic and relatable chick-lit with interesting characters and their views on marriage and divorce.
*** Note: I received e-copy of this book from the author, in exchange for an honest review. ***
Read
February 24, 2020Can a woman whose life has been defined by divorce ever allow herself to believe in love? Angela Lam explores love of all kinds in her charming novel, The Divorce Planner (The Wild Road Press), which centers around a complex and loveable protagonist with a personal vendetta against marriage. While packed with moments of heart-fluttering romance, the book also investigates the countless challenges of relationships with extraordinary insight, tackling the pain of divorce, the resentment stemming from past disappointments, the often problematic bond between a divergent mother and daughter, and the lies we tell each other — and ourselves — about love. The novel shines due to its many intriguing contrasts: fantasy and reality, truth and pretense, divorce and marriage, pain and fulfillment, among many others. All deeply inform the way the characters, and we the readers, recognize and pursue true love. The Divorce Planner adeptly walks the lines between happily-ever-after and the struggle to maintain the everyday love we need in our daily lives.
Darcy Madison has a chip on her shoulder. When she found out she was pregnant at only 21 years old, she happily married the father of her child and prepared for a fairytale future. Working long hours to support her young daughter Joyce and her “inventor” husband Nathan, she found her familial relationships growing steadily more strained and less secure. Catching Nathan with another woman became the nail in the coffin, and after an ugly divorce, Darcy was forced to create a new life for herself. Working as a divorce planner to fund her estranged daughter’s education doesn’t exactly allow her a luxurious existence; instead, she lives with roommates, wears the same dress to every event, and spends Friday nights at her beloved Books and Booze Club eating chicken wings and arguing about literary love and loss. Now fifty, Darcy doesn’t foresee a happy ending in her own future, especially after participating in countless divorces. When Joyce announces her engagement and asks Darcy to plan the wedding, Darcy feels nothing but doubt and frustration while dealing with her daughter’s perfectionism and controlling personality. To add insult to injury, Joyce requests that Darcy attend her ex-husband’s wedding. The only upside is the charismatic divorce lawyer Victor Costello, who Darcy can’t help but be attracted to. Things get complicated when Victor proposes to Darcy at Nathan’s wedding; it’s all a ruse for revenge and a laugh because Darcy and Victor certainly don’t love each other and certainly won’t stay in this pretend relationship. Right?
With Darcy and Victor’s false relationship taking center stage there’s never a shortage of romantic drama and hilarity in Lam’s novel. The true surprise is how beautifully and sensitively the relationship between Darcy and Joyce plays out. Their mother-daughter tie is frayed due to both physical and emotional distance, and both women have to learn the art of compromise if they ever want to reach a better understanding. Adding additional depth, Darcy’s clients’ stories impact her own life and offer a glimpse into the human condition. Darcy’s friendships are also crucial to the novel, depicted both entertainingly through the book club and more seriously in coffee dates with her best friend, adding another welcome layer to the loves reflected in the book. Lastly, Lam pinpoints the social scrutiny that a middle-aged woman falls under when attempting a new relationship and the way the ghosts of marriages past haunt the present unless some serious self-awareness intervenes to save the day.
All in all, the reader will find themselves flying through The Divorce Planner’s many entertaining twists and turns while simultaneously contemplating the nature of profound love and successful relationships. Lam’s characters are deeply flawed and thus deeply genuine, so it’s impossible not to wish them happiness in the end. Meanwhile, the reader feels happiness all the way through this winning novel. The Divorce Planner will appeal to anyone who needs a little confidence that love is not only possible, but, with some effort and compassion, quite probable indeed.
Darcy Madison has a chip on her shoulder. When she found out she was pregnant at only 21 years old, she happily married the father of her child and prepared for a fairytale future. Working long hours to support her young daughter Joyce and her “inventor” husband Nathan, she found her familial relationships growing steadily more strained and less secure. Catching Nathan with another woman became the nail in the coffin, and after an ugly divorce, Darcy was forced to create a new life for herself. Working as a divorce planner to fund her estranged daughter’s education doesn’t exactly allow her a luxurious existence; instead, she lives with roommates, wears the same dress to every event, and spends Friday nights at her beloved Books and Booze Club eating chicken wings and arguing about literary love and loss. Now fifty, Darcy doesn’t foresee a happy ending in her own future, especially after participating in countless divorces. When Joyce announces her engagement and asks Darcy to plan the wedding, Darcy feels nothing but doubt and frustration while dealing with her daughter’s perfectionism and controlling personality. To add insult to injury, Joyce requests that Darcy attend her ex-husband’s wedding. The only upside is the charismatic divorce lawyer Victor Costello, who Darcy can’t help but be attracted to. Things get complicated when Victor proposes to Darcy at Nathan’s wedding; it’s all a ruse for revenge and a laugh because Darcy and Victor certainly don’t love each other and certainly won’t stay in this pretend relationship. Right?
With Darcy and Victor’s false relationship taking center stage there’s never a shortage of romantic drama and hilarity in Lam’s novel. The true surprise is how beautifully and sensitively the relationship between Darcy and Joyce plays out. Their mother-daughter tie is frayed due to both physical and emotional distance, and both women have to learn the art of compromise if they ever want to reach a better understanding. Adding additional depth, Darcy’s clients’ stories impact her own life and offer a glimpse into the human condition. Darcy’s friendships are also crucial to the novel, depicted both entertainingly through the book club and more seriously in coffee dates with her best friend, adding another welcome layer to the loves reflected in the book. Lastly, Lam pinpoints the social scrutiny that a middle-aged woman falls under when attempting a new relationship and the way the ghosts of marriages past haunt the present unless some serious self-awareness intervenes to save the day.
All in all, the reader will find themselves flying through The Divorce Planner’s many entertaining twists and turns while simultaneously contemplating the nature of profound love and successful relationships. Lam’s characters are deeply flawed and thus deeply genuine, so it’s impossible not to wish them happiness in the end. Meanwhile, the reader feels happiness all the way through this winning novel. The Divorce Planner will appeal to anyone who needs a little confidence that love is not only possible, but, with some effort and compassion, quite probable indeed.
May 21, 2019
Divorce Planner Darcy has been asked to plan her daughter Joyce's wedding. How does that work when you no longer believe in marriage? Well, Author Angela Lam takes on a relatable and entertaining read from the POV of our 50-ish heroine.
Darcy bears the blame for the demise of her marriage and the dissolution of her relationship with her daughter. After being introduced to Joyce and Nathan, the level of cynicism and dislike for the institution of marriage became very apparent. Between Joyce divulging personal information regarding Darcy and Nathan playing the victim to anyone who would listen. It was no wonder that Darcy moved from party planner to divorce planner. Nathan was quite horrid as a human being. He took no responsibility for the marriage ending. Joyce simply agitated to me as well to no end. How could her mom be the cause of everything that goes wrong in her life? (sigh)
But wait who's that knocking on the romance door? A sexy younger hardworking divorce attorney that goes by the name of Victor that's who. There is no better time to change your mind on marriage and all that comes with it - love, romance, love. Victor is what you would hope your man would be. He was mannerable, accountable and a romantic, who just so happened to tickle Darcy's fancy. Yes, I said, "tickled her fancy". (smile)
Darcy was relatable on so many levels for me. For years, I was cynical when it came to marriage. It has lost some of its meaning, its value and the respect it once held. So, I could relate to her stance. Especially when said marriage resulted in divorce because of adultery that she was to blame. I still wanted to strangle Nathan and Joyce up until the end even though things came together for the trio.
All in all, this was an easy fun read that was well-executed. Yes, it was a bit predictable, but I still had fun getting to the end.
Darcy bears the blame for the demise of her marriage and the dissolution of her relationship with her daughter. After being introduced to Joyce and Nathan, the level of cynicism and dislike for the institution of marriage became very apparent. Between Joyce divulging personal information regarding Darcy and Nathan playing the victim to anyone who would listen. It was no wonder that Darcy moved from party planner to divorce planner. Nathan was quite horrid as a human being. He took no responsibility for the marriage ending. Joyce simply agitated to me as well to no end. How could her mom be the cause of everything that goes wrong in her life? (sigh)
But wait who's that knocking on the romance door? A sexy younger hardworking divorce attorney that goes by the name of Victor that's who. There is no better time to change your mind on marriage and all that comes with it - love, romance, love. Victor is what you would hope your man would be. He was mannerable, accountable and a romantic, who just so happened to tickle Darcy's fancy. Yes, I said, "tickled her fancy". (smile)
Darcy was relatable on so many levels for me. For years, I was cynical when it came to marriage. It has lost some of its meaning, its value and the respect it once held. So, I could relate to her stance. Especially when said marriage resulted in divorce because of adultery that she was to blame. I still wanted to strangle Nathan and Joyce up until the end even though things came together for the trio.
All in all, this was an easy fun read that was well-executed. Yes, it was a bit predictable, but I still had fun getting to the end.
May 24, 2019
i think a Mother/ Daughter plan a wedding ...depends on what kind of relationship you have with your Mom ...but either way ...that can and would get interesting to say the least. it is a lot of pressure to keep it small or keep it big ...it can get out of hand. gotta keep every one happy ...but it is so important to keep the bride or maybe the mothers happy. but maybe u r lucky enough to have a mom /MIL who doesn't care either way??! not. lol!! weddings are hard. wish i had made my smaller. more just our close friends and fam. u live and learn. maybe listen to your older friends if u r getting married any time soon. have a small wedding but a huge party afterwards??! that would be more fun. second chance romance, mid life crisis. totally new to Angela Lam's writing .. enjoy her writing style. will look forward to more from her soon. i love that book cover ... so cool!!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews