The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr

Have you ever read a piece of fiction, but it felt like you were reading a memoir?  The characters were just so real that they couldn’t be fake?  That’s what happened while I was reading The Life She Wants by Robyn Carr.  I snagged this book from the BookExpo a couple months ago and it has been sitting on my shelf since then.  I was hesitant to start reading because, even though I was pretty sure that Robyn Carr wrote romance, the back of the book made zero mention of any sort of intimate relationships, outside of friendship.

Emma Compton and Riley Kerrigan were inseparable as children.  They knew each other’s secrets, fears, hopes, and dreams.  So when Riley slept with Emma’s boyfriend it was understandably one of the most painful moment of Emma’s life.  To outsides, Emma recovered nicely enough. She moved to New York City, met a wealthy financier, and got married.  When Emma’s husband is found guilty of stealing his client’s money he commits suicide and leaves Emma to deal with the repercussions. Though Emma knew nothing of his theft, no one believes her, and she’s forced to leave New York and return to her small hometown in an attempt to hide out.  Trying to rebuild her life she confronts ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, and angry ex-clients while trying to balance feelings for a man from her past.

This book made me feel a whirlwind of emotions.  At times it felt as though Emma Compton was a real woman and I was reading her diary from the most depressing time of her life.   I wanted desperately to reach through the pages and just give her a hug.  I felt her anger and her sadness and her frustration at her situation.  I had to remind myself, frequently, that this was just a novel and Emma was safe in the imagination of Robyn Carr.  Anyone who has ever had a falling out with a friend will commiserate with Emma, or maybe Riley, depending on who was at fault for the falling out. 

This was an excellent novel.  After reading as many novels, from as many different authors as I have, I can say that Robyn Carr has a pretty interesting writing style.  I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is that makes her different, but I’m confident that it had something to do with how real she made the whole experience.  I, also, enjoyed the characters and the story that Robyn wove.  It was a tale that I had not read before, and we all know that romance novels can get a little bit repetitive sometimes.

I had a few frustrations with the book, of course, but it’s hard for me to explain what they are without giving away a somewhat interesting twist in the plot.  So, I’ll just try to vaguely explain my one major disappointment. Due to her husband’s actions Emma is constantly being watched by people to see if she got away with any of her husband’s stolen money.  When it finally becomes clear that Emma does not have any money (other than 9,000 in savings of her own money) I expected more of a moment.  I wanted to demand apologies from the assholes (pardon my French) who didn’t believe her and I wanted to laugh in their faces.  I was denied that and I am still a little bummed about it.

I, also, felt that there were one too many plot points.  There’s her friendship with Riley, her love interests, the ex-boyfriend, her shitty step-mother, the issues with her husband’s ex-clients, her new job, the FBI… and more.   I could have done with a little less, but overall I was very pleased with my read. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their romance contemporary and realistic, and their books full of plot.  The romance certainly doesn’t dominate this novel like it might others which gives other relationships a chance to shine, like that of the best friend. 

The Life She Wants come out September 27, 2016!