Veena’s review of A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay, Book 3) by Susan Mallery
Women’s Fiction published by Mira 28 Feb 17
Ms. Mallery returns to Mischief Bay in which Pam was a focal point in the first book in the series. She’s been living a busy fulfilled life in the intervening two years since she was widowed. She’s been John’s wife most of her life and vows to remain so even when she meets an attractive man who appeals to her on many fronts. Can she take the major step to find love again?Along with Pam, there are two other women who take center stage in this story: Pam’s daughter Jen and Jen’s best friend Zoe Saldivar. Jen is obsessed with being a perfect mother to her baby son such that she has become prone to anxiety attacks and is drifting apart from all her relationships. Help is offered to her from a very unexpected source, and the story takes a very interesting turn for her as she makes the journey to finding herself to become a great wife, a great mother, daughter and friend.
Zoe is lonely, but her aloneness is really brought home to her when she is trapped in her attic without a phone or any other means to call for help. She makes her journey to dig herself out of her loneliness by exploring ways to change her life to add more richness and color through various initiatives. She reaches out to her best friend Jen’s mom who helps brainstorm ideas. Through Pam, Zoe meets Steven, who has been nudged into her life by Pam.
These three simple relationships get complicated because now Zoe is dating Pam’s son and Jen’s brother Steve. Her attractive father seems to be courting Pam and Pam seems to be responding, much to the chagrin of her children. Steven’s advice to his mom about using condoms is slight awkward but is funny when Pam uses that same line with Zoe’s dad.
An unexpected event suddenly changes the dynamics of all these relationships. Interestingly and unexpectedly, Pam reacts very badly, severely damaging some of her relationships. Having felt like I really knew Pam well from the previous two books, I was really surprised and disappointed with her reaction. The author is definitely right when she says ” Friendship isn’t just one thing—it’s a million little things,” and they’re all complicated as hell.
Despite the richness of the characters and the complexity of human emotions, I have to admit I did not enjoy this story as much as the earlier two.
Grade: B-
Summary:
From the bestselling author of The Girls of Mischief Bay and The Friends We Keep comes a twisty tale of family dynamics that explores what can go terribly, hysterically wrong when the line between friendship and family blurs…
Zoe Saldivar is more than just single—she’s ALONE. She recently broke up with her longtime boyfriend, she works from home and her best friend Jen is so obsessed with her baby that she has practically abandoned their friendship. The day Zoe accidentally traps herself in her attic with her hungry-looking cat, she realizes that it’s up to her to stop living in isolation.
Her seemingly empty life takes a sudden turn for the complicated—her first new friend is Jen’s widowed mom, Pam. The only guy to give her butterflies in a very long time is Jen’s brother. And meanwhile, Pam is being very deliberately seduced by Zoe’s own smooth-as-tequila father. Pam’s flustered, Jen’s annoyed and Zoe is beginning to think “alone” doesn’t sound so bad, after all.
Friendship isn’t just one thing—it’s a million little things, and no one writes them with more heart and humor than book club sensation Susan Mallery!
Other books in this series:
