THE OTHER WOMAN

Author: Jane Green ISBN: 0452287146 6/2006 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: PLUME

What can a bride do when her mother-in-law becomes The Other Woman? Newly engaged, Ellie is thrilled to be accepted into the loving Cooper clan—which seems like the perfect family she never had—until she begins to realize that Dan’s mom, Linda, is a little too involved. Dan and Linda talk on the phone every day. Twice a day. As Dan and Ellie’s intimate civil wedding ceremony gets transformed into a black-tie affair, Ellie begins to wonder if it’s possible to marry the man without marrying his mother. As troubles mount, Ellie turns to her friends—glamorous Lisa, who always looks like she’s just stepped off a runway, and wonderfully frazzled Trish—and tries to rediscover the independence she once had, and the man she still loves. But it seems that having a child and saving a marriage means growing up in ways she’d never imagined . . .

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Jane Green has written a delightfully insightful look at family, relationships, love and life. Ellie is longing for a large family, but as her wishes come true she realizes this may not be the fairy tale she imagined. It brings to mind that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it."

This tale is full of real life trials and tribulations. Most of these events center around every woman's worst nightmare, the dreaded mother-in-law. Ellie makes her fair share of mistakes and learns along the way that things are not always as they seem. Yet in the end, family is family, for better or worse.

Green has managed to keep the humor flowing, but has not forgotten the heartache that makes this an endearing story for the reader. I found myself sympathizing with Ellie and later wishing she would let up a little. It takes quite a writer to make the reader keep switching sides. THE OTHER WOMAN will make you rethink how you view the people in your life.

Amanda Rutherford