The Woman Most Likely To... (Avon Light Contemporary Romances) [Mass Market Paperback]

Now, at 38, Susan's taken a month off work to spend time at the family home with her recently widowed mother, Lydia, and her daughter, Becca. Lydia, after a long marriage to a harsh man she never loved, is learning what it's like to enjoy some freedom. Becca, who has recently learned that she's pregnant, is trying to escape a bad relationship with a loser boyfriend. Susan and Jon join forces to help their daughter through this difficult time in her life and in the process rediscover their passion for each other.

The author is a good writer and I enjoyed the sub-plots with Lydia and Becca. However, even though I normally love `second chance' stories, I had some major complaints about the book. (1) From the first page to the last page the pace is incredibly slow. Because it was so slow, I often found my mind wandering and had to force myself to focus on the book. (2) I never really figured out exactly what was keeping Susan and Jon apart. I understood her reasons for not marrying him at 16, but they're in their late 30's now and nothing is standing in their way. The reader, or this reader at least, never believes the reasons given--which basically boils down to `he never loved her for who she was'--because Jon never did or said anything to indicate that it might be true. Because of this, I found all her internal anguish silly. In my opinion, her thoughts often seemed like those of a teen-ager rather than a grown woman. (which surprised me a great deal because she was such a strong character in every other aspect) As a result, I didn't truly care if she ended up with a `happily ever after' or not. I did, on the other hand, want Jon to find his `happily ever after' but frankly by the end of the book I was kind of hoping that he'd find it without Susan.

I loved all these women, I ached with them and rejoiced with them. I loved seeing a grandmother who broke out of her structured, rigid life to find the free spirit inside of her. I loved Susan, the book's heroine, working so hard to do the right thing for both her mother and daughter. And I loved Jon, Susan's hero even if she couldn't quite trust all the evidence. He was everything I've come to expect from a Jennifer Greene hero--strong and vulnerable at the same time. It warmed me to see these two come together for the sake of their daughter...and for themselves.

Don't hesitate on this book. It'll make you laugh and cry and just plain feel good. It's a keeper!