Book Review: A Week at the Lake By Wendy Wax

A WEEK AT THE LAKE

By: Wendy Wax

Published: June 23, 2015

Publisher: Berkley

Fiction



Emma, Serena, and Mackenzie have been best friends since college. Every summer they have gathered at Emma's family's lake house to catch up on life and relax. But, the last five years, these friends haven't been in touch with each other at all and there haven't been any gatherings at the lake house. Then out of the blue, Serena and Mackenzie receive an invitation asking them to come to the house this summer. Emma has a secret she can no longer keep and has chosen to get her friends together to celebrate her daughter, Zoe's, 16th birthday and unbeknownst to Serena and Mackenzie, finally share her secret. When Serena and Mackenzie are on the way to the lake house, they get a text that Emma was in an accident and she is now in a coma. Both of Emma's friends try to understand why she invited them now, while hoping they get a chance to find out.

The beginning of the book moved along quickly. I enjoyed getting to know Emma, Zoe, Serena, and Mackenzie and their history together. Since Emma and Serena are famous actresses, it added a bit more to the story including Emma's estranged family and the paparazzi that surrounded the hospital. There was some climatic moments after the accident while waiting to see if Emma would ever wake up. Frankly, once the story moves to the lake house, the pace of the novel slowed down and I, just wanted to get to the big reveal of the secret, which wasn't revealed until the last fifty pages. I was pretty sure I knew what the secret was and I was correct. Most of the novel is quite predictable including the romance piece. But, I still found reasons to continue reading and enjoyed the banter with the characters.

Each of the characters are flawed and you will be able to relate in some way to their situations. Of course there is a happy ending even after the betrayal is revealed. The reader is reminded that telling the truth is more important than trying to protect friendships.  A WEEK AT THE LAKE is a great light read for tucking in your beach/pool bag and reading under the sun.

Side note: I love the cover. It says summer and relaxing and is a perfect image for the story.

Favorite Quote: "There was no room on her life raft for the oversize emotions that swamped her." 

Wendy Wax - source

Wendy Wax is the author of numerous popular contemporary fiction novels including TEN BEACH ROAD and OCEAN BEACH.  For more on Wendy, check out her website, HERE.  You can also like her on Facebook, HERE and follow her on Twitter, HERE.


To purchase a copy of A WEEK AT THE LAKE, click the photo below:

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this novel. This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any way for this review . If you choose to purchase the book through the above link, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com reviews. 

Book Review: While We Were Watching Downton Abbey By Wendy Wax

WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY

By: Wendy Wax

Published:  April 2, 2013
Mass Market Paperback: December 31, 2013

Fiction




As a huge fan of "Downton Abbey", I was curious to see what this book was all about.  Even though I have heard of Wendy Wax, I haven't read any of her books, but will certainly be adding them to my list of to-reads in the future.

In WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY, we are introduced to three very different women who all live in the gorgeous downtown Alexander.  They are brought together when Edward Parker, the British concierge of the Alexander, offers Sunday night showings of "Downton Abbey" in the club room.  

Samantha is married to Johnathan Davis, part of Atlanta's oldest and richest families.  Samantha has lived her life in gratitude to Johnathan for saving herself and two siblings after their father and mother died in a car accident.  When her siblings continue to drain Johnathan of his fortune and continue to embarrass their family, she wonders why Johnathan continues to stay married to her. 
Samantha continues to keep a brave face and fake her happiness all while under the watchful eyes of her mother-in-law, who may surprisingly become her biggest ally.

Claire, an accomplished author left the suburbs after sending her only daughter off to Northwestern.  Claire moves into the Alexander to spend a year writing her third novel.  Claire spent her whole life working multiple jobs while writing and caring for her daughter as a single mother.  Now with a whole year in front of her, she can't seem to find the words to create her next novel.  Admitting that to her publisher and her daughter could mean the end of her career.

Brooke is recently divorced from her plastic surgeon husband.  Throughout their marriage, Brooke worked multiple jobs and raised their children to get her husband through medical school.  Now that his practice is booming, he no longer needed her and left Brooke for a someone he could practice his plastic surgeon skills on.  Brooke, her two daughters and their dog are constantly put in the path of her ex-husband and his new "Barbie" girlfriend.  While Brooke continues to feel completely inadequate compared to the other people living in the Alexander and to her ex-husband, she finds a new calling as a professional mom. Edward Parker hires her to handle a 6-year-old birthday party as part of his Private Butler business and has maybe just given Brooke a new look at life without her husband.  

Wendy Wax has a great talent in creating characters the reader can both imagine and care about. From the very beginning, I found a piece of each character that I could relate to and began to root for them through each chapter.  With all the different characters and storylines, Wax finds ways to blend them all together without confusing or losing the reader. 

While reading the character's stories we also find their lives connecting with those in "Downton Abbey".  The merging of the novel with the show made for an interesting piece to the novel that was subtle, yet thought-provoking.  I found that even though the initial descriptions of the characters would make them unlikely friends, their friendship became very believable and necessary. 

I really enjoyed the story and even though parts of the book were predictable, I was pleased with how the character's lives were concluded in the novel.  I was able to guess some of the outcomes, I just didn't know how they were going to get there which is what I loved about the book.  I certainly enjoy a novel that can showcase women's friendships that are caring, fun, and with them supporting each other rather than being catty and spiteful.

I think this would make an excellent book club choice, especially for fans of "Downton Abbey". There are discussion questions included at the end of the new mass-market paperback version if you need them. But, I think your group would find plenty of topics to discuss without the questions. You will also find the first two chapters of Wax's novel TEN BEACH ROAD included in the back of the book. 

Wendy Wax - source

Wendy Wax is the author of numerous popular contemporary fiction novels including TEN BEACH ROAD and OCEAN BEACH.  For more on Wendy, check out her website,HERE.  You can also like her on Facebook, HERE and follow her on Twitter, HERE.

Thanks to Penguin Group for providing me a copy of this novel for this review.  This review is my honest opinion. I was not compensated in any other way for this review.  If you choose to purchase the novel through the above link, I will make a small commission without you paying a cent more for your purchase. Thanks for supporting SincerelyStacie.com. 

Book Spotlight: While We Were Watching Downton Abbey By Wendy Wax

WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY

By: Wendy Wax

Published:  April 2, 2013
Mass Market Paperback: December 31, 2013

Fiction

Many women are spending their Sunday nights watching Downton Abbey and I am one of them.  I've been reading WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY by Wendy Wax and even though I am not quite done with it, I wanted to tell you about it right away.

This book was originally published in April, but has now been re-released in a mass-market paperback.  I have to admit, I haven't read from a mass-market paperback in quite awhile.  It took some getting used to the smaller print for me.  But, the story is so engaging and I am finding myself identifying with the characters and not wanting to stop reading.

Samantha's marriage has been complicated by love and compromised by a shattering family betrayal.  Claire, an empty-nester and struggling author, is wondering if clinging to old dreams can be more destructive than not having any dreams at all.  And after countless battles with her faithless ex-husband, Brooke is coming to terms with the fact that her life is not the fairy tale she thought it would be.

But, when Edward, the concierge of their historic Atlanta apartment building, invites them for weekly screening of an addictive television show, the four of them embark on a season of surprises as they forget a bond that will sustain them through life's hardest moments - all of it reflecting in the unfolding drama, comedy and convergent lives of "Downton Abbey". 

Wendy Wax - source

Wendy Wax is the author of numerous popular contemporary fiction novels including TEN BEACH ROAD and OCEAN BEACH.  For more on Wendy, check out her website, HERE.  You can also like her on Facebook, HERE and follow her on Twitter, HERE.

I am looking forward to sharing my review with you next week, but if you can't wait until then, purchase your own copy now at the link below.