Chronicles of a Midlife Crisis

by Robyn Harding

There are two sides to every breakup.

Lucy had no clue that her husband of sixteen years was about to bolt. Now she's dealing with shock, loneliness, and girlfriends who alternately pity her and provoke her. She also-unbelievably-is apparently competing with her own teenage daughter for a new man's attention.

Trent pictured freedom, self-discovery...and maybe some sex with actual passion. So far, he's mostly watching hockey in a hotel room and wondering what's next. Being middle-aged and married isn't easy. The jury's still out on being middle-aged and single...

There are two sides to every breakup. In this witty, heartfelt novel, Robyn Harding explores them both-and takes us on a journey through the end of a marriage and the beginning of something new...which may or may not be something old too.

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Robyn Harding is the bestselling author of several books and has written and executive produced an independent film. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her family and two cute but deadly rescue chihuahuas.

To learn more about Robyn's books visit: http://www.robynharding.com. Or follow her on Instagram: @rhardingwriter
or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorRobynH...

Reviews

[Cassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a quick read. Easy to follow. Simple characters, simple storyline. That's about all it had going for it. Quick and easy.

Not a single character in this book was likable. Each one was very shallow and so self-centered! And a couple of them were just plain crazy!

Lucy- She was nuts. Always screaming and throwing things and freaking the F*** out! I can see being upset that you husband has decided to leave you after 18 years of marriage, which, I'm sorry, but how do you not realize that at least something is wrong? That can't be a total surprise. She was so damn wishy-washy. Do I want him back? Do I want him to stay away? Blah Blah Blah. Give me a break. He walked out on you and is banging some young psychopath. Do I want to be with this teen heartthrob? Ugh. She sucks. I would have left her too.

Trent - What a selfish idiot. Not only does this guy leave his wife and daughter "out of the blue" but he turns things around like they are his wife's fault. I would never let him back into my life. Especially after getting himself a girlfriend! Sorry dude, you "bone" another chick, you don't come back. Like he has any right to be mad or jealous or anything when his "wife" starts dating another man. That she isn't even really dating! What a moron.

Samantha - Typical cliche teenager. If I had to read 'whatevs' one more time, I might have screamed. She was so annoying. She thought everything was 'disgusting.' Any teenager I know would think it was cool if their mom was dating a celebrity. Totally unrealistic.

Annika - What a psychopath. I was thinking the words "restraining order" before they were ever mentioned in the story. Maybe if Harding writes a follow up book to this and makes it a thriller about how Annika stalks and tortures Trent and Lucy after they have reconciled that would be worth reading.

Wynn - The way they kept referring to Wynn as "Cody" was annoying the hell out of me. I am so sure some teen hearthrob (even if he was really 27) wants a relationship with some 40 year old housewife with a daughter. Maybe if the 40 year old housewife were Demi Moore. And did he REALLY think a reality show idea would work with Lucy and Sam?

Camille/Hope - Two cliche best friends. Camille the crazy party 'F him!' girl, and Hope the "He'll come back" girl. Hope made me sad. Her life choices seemed pathetic. Camille was just there. Nothing abut her really left any sort of mark.

Now let's talk about the sheer absurdity of the ending of this book. Life is falling apart around all of these characters, but Alas! Lucy decides to make bags! Problems solved! Um..WTF?!? Where did this bag idea come from? And are these grocery bags? Why are they in a fashion runway show if they are grocery bags? It made no sense at all.

When I started typing this, I had given this book a "2 star." Now that I have written and thought about it some more, I'm knocking it down to a "1 star." This book sucked.

[M · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a really enjoyable read but the ending was left open (will they reconcile or won't they? I hope the do!), so I was left a little unsatisfied

[Marisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library Request This was narrated in two points of view The wife Lucy and the Estranged husband Trent it is endearingly honest, witty, and at times achingly childish behaviour from the parents. The story of a man rising to the challenge of rescuing his relationship with the woman he loves-as he embarks on a life altering journey on the heels of a mid life crisis. It is an authentic meditation on the demands of marriage and parenthood, the regrets of abandoning ones family for a fleeting sexual encounter, should be really evaluated and I think this book tried to capture. Trent said it best when reflexion on his situation and living alone and how his actions and the ripple effect it has on everyone, he said he should have tried to spice up his marriage try to rekindle their passion by bring home a French maid costume for his wife instead of leaving as he did, as it destroyed all their lives because of this bad decision. I enjoyed the book. Even if the childish behaviour of the adults was trying my patience at times.

[Layla · Rating 2 out of 5]

All the characters (all of them!) were so immature that this was strange to read, verging on unbelievable. I wish the h had gotten her groove back the way the husband did. He slept with the OW many times and only stopped when she turned out to be a psycho.NB: technically he didn't cheat because he left his wife before the sexy times occurred. Either way, if he was getting some, she should have gotten some too. (She did kiss another guy, but the only sex she had was with her husband.) Intercourse disparity aside, I REALLY liked that the h didn't take him back immediately after his groveling...and maybe never will? The book leaves that up in the air. The ending was ambiguous, which I appreciate in theory, but in this case seemed seemed abrupt and left too many things unresolved. Also the "finding herself" career switch was abrupt, nonsensical and just kind of jammed into the story at the last minute.

[Lyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This my last book review for 2019.

I enjoyed the writing style of Ms. Harding. She went right to the heart of the issue, a couple separating. She alternates each person's point of view as you progress through the story.

From the moment Trent tells Lucy that he’s moving out and needs to find himself, you also find out that Lucy’s job requires her to work long hours. No wonder this marriage is falling apart! The separation, an affair, both hurt to the core and childish reactions because of emotional traumas. This story is engaging.

Despite all the upheavals, you see Trent and Lucy come to a mature understanding that they are still a family. I very much enjoyed the path they chose to follow and the maturity they both gained from this experience.

[Brandy Rivers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two things Robyn Harding does best 1) write amazingly complex characters that are easy to relate to, 2) make you laugh until you almost cry. Well, she's back with her amazingly witty characters and banter. I would compare her style to candy... you know you should be doing something else with your time, but just can't help yourself... and keep reading until the very last page. Lucy and Trent are two of the richest characters that I've read in this genre in ages... I wish there was more.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I had counted how many times the author used “hot” - whatevs (LOL) it was way too many. This was very juvenile and just plain dumb. All the characters were dreadful and boring. The book was repetitious and could have been 100 pages shorter.

This is the 4th book I’ve read by Ms Harding in the past week - 5 stars for the others, but I could barely stay awake to finish this one.

[Rhonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed...was even more "chick lit" than I expected.

Husband decides his marriage is stale, attracted to a younger babe at work, separates from his wife, runs around, teenage daughter goes off the deep end, etc.

So predictable.

[Amber Stratton · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a ton of drama in this book. It flipped back and forth between. Husband and wife going through a separation. There were so many things thrown in and I couldn’t help but laugh at the daughters language! Lol. This could truly be made into a sitcom. I was so glad the end was way better than I thought it was going to be though!

[Sarah]

I really enjoyed this book because it was from the view point of both the man and the wife. Instead of what you would normally expect, which would be one person going through the mid life crisis, this story has both main characters go through mid life crisis. It shows how differently a man and woman react to particular situations. There was a lot of witty remarks and very biting sarcasm which I really enjoyed and it had me laughing out loud quite a few times. The ending is not traditional and I think that made me like the book all that much more.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book strained credulity. Hard-core. And the male character was a complete jerk. So since the book goes back and forth between the husband's and wife's perspective, I spent half the book in the head of a guy I wanted to kick in the nuts. I wasn't a huge fan of her other book, Unravelled. It's a good bet I won't bother with anything else by this author.

[Christina maki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book. But found Trent to be a real ass. He decided to go for greener pastures and then blames Lucy for her indiscretion that ends up in the tabloids for all that happens. How ironic is that.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think many people find themselves in the trap that comes with being married for a number of years and finding they want excitement. So...Trent leaves his wife & child to pursue a relationship with an attractive co-worker. From this point, his life falls in ruins at his feet. So true to reality...

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started reading this one line by accident and then could not put it down. Not my usual fare and it got totally unrealistic in the last third but still enjoyed it nonetheless. Will be checking out her other works!

[Robin Josephson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick easy read

I do go back for more books by her. They entertain and are quick reads. I love them for in between heavier stuff.

[Jessica Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny! Quick, easy fun read!

[Nerissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a 3.5 to 4 star read for me.

I think the book was really well done and well written. I thought the characters behaviors, though often reprehensible, stayed true to character throughout.

The H was a selfish man but in a very child like way. He just went about things all wrong. It's interesting because he separated before he slept with the OW which is much better than most of the men in these cheating novels but he still left her and wanted other women. I actually think that he thought he would be fine to go back to her if things didnt pan out with his first choice and when that didnt work out that way he had a stunned innocence about him that he couldnt quite believe that this was the case. He really got his just deserts and so you felt a little bad for him, but his continual lack of real remorse and blame shifting was a bit delusional. Sad even. But when things went bad for his wife, instead of running to her side, he tried to use that to his advantage. Instead of trying to get the daughter to understand, he made them both the victims so that he could have his daughters love again and then so he could use the situation to get back into the home with his wife. I was so glad that the wife turned around and said no at the last minute. His behavior after that continued to show his childishness and lack of taking responsibility. Those occasions when he did admit that it was all his fault, there was still a tinge of victim mentality to it. It was interesting because he had these moments of clarity, but then his weakness/victim/martyr mentality would drag him back into obnoxious and weak thoughts.

I did and didnt like the ambiguity of the ending. That it was left open the way it was, I like to think that eventually she would take him back fully into a relationship, but firmly on her terms. which is still probably more than he deserves. He could have done so many other things than leave and then get a girlfriend that he had been lusting after within a week or so of leaving. He even recognises that. His actions in trying to hurt her for ignoring him were a perfect example of his childish behavior. He never thought that she may have a good reason for ignoring him (as if him leaving the marriage without any warning before hand wasnt good enough) so he lashed out by taking his OW to his daughters art show not even 1 month after he walked out. Well that back fired magnificently 1) because she had a good reason and 2) because he didnt just hurt her, he broke their marriage for good and 2) he hurt and embarrased his daughter as well. The disrespect was massive and he didnt realise that until it was too late. He really was an idiot much of the time.

So all in all, I'm really glad she didnt rush to take him back and that the ending was the way it was. Anything else would have been to easy for this man that really need to learn that there are consequences to your actions and that other people have feelings and there are repercussions beyond what you can imagine that happen from those actions. And really, just to for him to grow up.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 1 out of 5]

Trent and Lucy are in their 40s, have been married for 16 years and have a 15 year old daughter named Samantha. Trent comes home from work one day and says he needs to find himself and is leaving. Lucy is stunned (he's never given her any indication of how he was feeling) and figures he'll be back home shortly.

Trent has had his eye on Annika, a colleague, for about a year and now that he's "single", they get together right away. She starts planning their future and all he wanted was a fling but she's hard to get rid of (she was way to extreme to be believable). In the meantime, Lucy, who works as a props procurer on a TV show, has suddenly attracted the attention of Wynn, a 27 year old who plays a 17 year old character, who's never given her the time of day before (really?!). Against her better judgement, she goes along with it hoping for a revenge fling but Wynn wants more (a young fella with morals?!). In the meantime, Samantha starts rebelling.

I've read a couple books by this author and liked them but I didn't care for this one. I found it too unrealistic and the characters unlikable (especially Samantha who is a super stereotypical spoiled teenager). Trent learned he should have been careful what he wished for ... he got the life he wanted but realized it wasn't all it was cracked up to be so was ready to go home and was shocked that Lucy wouldn't forget/forgive him for "banging" Annika. Lucy learned there are consequences for her actions when she lets things move forward with Wynn (double standard?!).

It's written in first person perspective in Lucy and Trent's voices (the chapters are labeled). It was written in 2008 and is dated as there are references to Richard Dean Anderson and Richard Hatch being relevant at the time. The ending comes quickly and abruptly and I wasn't buying it. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2025/01...

[jules0623]

A quick, easy read for anyone who enjoys reading about characters who are unlikable caricatures of a man having a mid-life crisis, a clueless wife, bratty teen, and crazy mistresses who apparently can't get enough of these stupid, selfish MCs. And seriously, could the author have fit in any more fat shaming comments. Jesus. So disappointed in this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and enlightening! This is one of those books that I would have found lacking before I was married and find almost fascinating now that I have been married for 5 years, which I realize is nowhere near the character's 18 years of marriage!! I loved the different points of view and honestly would have loved the point of view of the teenager as well! Definitely recommend if you are looking for a light read inbetween some more intense ones!

[Katherine M Arsenault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This book was easy to follow. There was some suspense but the bratty daughter drove me nuts. Overall good book that doesn't require a lot of thinking.

[Gianna M. Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, I really enjoyed it. Ended differently than I expected.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. More like a California midlife Bridget Jones’ Diary - the writing style not the plot.

[Insanity47 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Author

This book was great and very realistic.
The Author has a way of relating her stories to possible true life scenarios.

[SandraBarg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Read

I really liked this book, but felt somewhat cheated by the ending. I wish it had gone a little farther into what would happen.

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick fun read. It just abruptly ended with no resolution.

[pamela mayberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read, good

[Angela Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Virginia Johnson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5. It was a nice, quick and easy read with a simple storyline, but holy cow every character was unbelievably immature.