SANDWICHED

Author: Jennifer Archer ISBN: 0373230346 7/2005 CHICK LIT Publisher: HARLEQUIN/NEXT

Her free-spirited elderly mom's moving in, her previously do-gooder teenage daughter's sneaking out, her prize-winning bulldog can't get it on and her soon-to-be ex-husband can't get his mind off girls half his age? A. HAVE A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN B. RUN AWAY C. EAT MASSIVE QUANTITIES OF CHOCOLATE D. SEE A COUNSELOR CiCi Dupree chooses C. She doesn't have time for a breakdown, can't afford to run away, and she is a counselor. Until she fears her daughter - - and even her widowed mother - - are repeating her mistakes. CiCi realizes she has to do something, because after all, her family ties might be a bit frayed, but the could still bind nonetheless . . .

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

There is just something about reading about a woman going through a midlife crisis that just makes me want to get off of the couch and get myself a man! After the first few chapters of SANDWICHED, I really grabbed on to CiCi's life and felt like I could relate to what she was going through in some ways—she is afraid to be alone after her husband leaves her for another woman, her daughter wants to be independent from her, and even her mother has found a man to fill the void in her life since her father died.

In all three woman's cases, there is a little bit of all of us in them. Whether it is the mother that is afraid to let go of her teenaged daughter or the daughter who just wants her mother to back off so she can find out who she is; or maybe an
elderly mother and grandmother trying to move on with life, once her husband has died, trying to be the referee between her daughter and grandchild while still finding some excitement in mere existence. In one scenario or another, everyone can say that they have been there, done that.

SANDWICHED is a good old-fashioned feel good book. It was a riot to watch CiCi finally get what she deserved—a little lovin' all for herself, with a gorgeous younger lawyer man who makes her feel special and pretty again. Ms. Archer's wit
and humor will have you laughing out loud and thinking, “Oh my Lord, did she just do that?" Although, the first few chapters were a little “iffy” for me, but when SANDWICHED picked up speed, did it ever!

I was happy to read this book about a woman that we can all relate to on one level or another. SANDWICHED made me think about the relationships in my life and where I want to be in 15 years. It made me laugh and cry, but mostly it made me hope that when I am 70 years old, I will be able to look back over my life and remember my first date or that first kiss, or the first time I held my child, and know that I have lived and loved well.

Kristal Gorman