Author: Trish Morey
ISBN: 9781489257796
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date:
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
The Trouble With Choices is a stand alone contemporary romance set in the picturesque Adelaide Hills, nice and close to home for me but I still can’t seem to get my head around the physical location. This is a story that stands completely on it’s own; though if you have read Cherry Season you will recognise the characters, these are Dan’s three sisters and the rest of their family.
Told in alternating, not evenly, chapters the story is told by Sophie, Beth, Hannah and Dan’s best friend Nick. We get into the heads of our main characters and learn more than we could if it was narrated by a third person. The Faraday family is quite close, they spend a lot of time together and they share a lot of themselves with each other. This is a family that has had it’s fair share of heartache and are ready to look forward to a bright and happy future. There are a lot of secrets being kept under wraps for a close family but you know that by the end of the book they will all see the light of day.
Sophie wants to find love, true love, and she’s looking so hard that she sees it everywhere. It takes an unexpected conversation to make her see maybe she’s in love with the idea of love, she decides it’s time to step back and concentrate on herself for a while. She was dumped on the eve of her brother’s wedding, with an uber romantic and expensive hotel room booked for the night. Sophie is heartbroken, but she also doesn’t want to waste the hotel room so what better place to find a willing partner than at a wedding.
Beth has had her true love, a young love that left her a heartbroken young single mother when her partner died tragically in an accident. Beth doesn’t think she will ever find love again, and she’s not sure she wants to let go of her first love. Between her job as a paramedic and her 10yr old daughter she doesn’t have time to try and find a man.
Hannah is Beth’s older twin, she is the serious career-driven sister. She is married to her job as the local vet and isn’t interested in the traditional roles of wife and mother.
The Trouble With Choices explores the many dynamics of relationships, the consequences that often come from the choices we make and family.
The Faradays live in the Adelaide Hills and all of the siblings make a habit of checking in regularly on their ageing grandparents. Hannah is starting to notice some concerning behaviours but nothing that can’t be explained by getting older. Morey explores ageing and the gradual decline into dementia, and the effects on the family.
There are so many things I loved about this story, and these characters. Morey allows us into the hearts and minds of three very different sisters, who aren’t as different as they thought. The situations are sensitively explored and I was left feeling for all of the characters.
I am struggling to find the words without telling the story, I can’t get my head in the game and I can’t articulate the thoughts I have about the book. It doesn’t help that I have read another book and a half since finishing this one.
The Faraday sisters are all carrying some pretty hefty romantic baggage and that has affected their ability to form new relationships. I was left completely understanding their hesitations but still wishing for them to work through their issues, and hopefully share them with their sisters, so they could move forward and find happiness.
A lot of the subjects addressed are pretty serious but Morey’s characters all have a great sense of humour so the story has it’s share of light-hearted moments and amusement.
I really enjoyed this story of family, of moving forward, of letting go and of realising that you are worth it and you deserve happiness. A beautiful story complete with weddings, babies and an unexpected litter of kittens. I would definitely recommend this book.
You can find follow Trish on her Facebook page, Twitter and her website.
Thanks to Harlequin Mira 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading The Trouble With Choices so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!