When I picked up this book, I thought I was getting something light and fast. It was definitely a fast read — I got sucked in and finished it in a day — but it was not light. Have tissues at the ready, especially in the middle of the book. But it was a really good, unexpected read.
Kay Bright’s mother recently passed away , and while Kay cleans out her childhood bedroom, she finds a list of what she wanted to accomplish before she turned 30. Kay is now in her early fifties and realizes that the only thing she has accomplished from the whole list is having children, and she got that done much earlier than she planned, having dropped out of college to have her son. The book opens with her packing a bag and leaving her husband. Her husband, while reliable, is obsessed with building and running his businesses and treats her more like an employee than a spouse.
Kay’s best friend lives in Australia, and Kay makes a spur of the moment decision to fly to Australia — a trip which her husband would never go on with her or allow her to go on alone without making her feel incredibly guilty — because she hasn’t received a letter from her best friend in six months. There’s also a subplot/alternating chapter style with Kay’s adult daughter Stella, who is trying to figure out her own complicated love and professional life while struggling to leave the nest.
Really, though, this is a book about living your best life, giving yourself the opportunity to be the person you want to be, and avoiding getting trapped by everyone else’s expectations for your life, an amazing message that so many of us need to hear (says the stay-at-home mother of two young children.) Definitely recommend this one.
Disclaimer: I received a free arc from NetGalley and Bookouture for in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion.