Flirting with Forty
by Jane Porter
Published by 5 Spot Publishers
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Reviewed by Amy L. Loos
Jackie Laurens is newly divorced mother of two who is rapidly approaching forty. She's torn between the heartache of the way things used to be, the way life is now, and coming to terms that it'll never be the same again. Which completely stinks!
That is until Jackie's good friend Anne arranges a girls' trip to Hawaii to celebrate the big four-o. But fate steps in and Anne cancels at the last minute, leaving Jackie to decide if she'll take the leap of faith and travel alone or head back to her "safe" but slightly unhappy life.
Enter Kai--the oh-so-hot surfing instructor who is almost half of Jackie's age. Sure, protocol dictates and common rationale insist that Jackie stay away from this new man who makes her feel bold and beautiful. But Kai does what none of Jackie's friends could do: he challenges her to look at herself and life with a new set of eyes. As their relationship develops, Jackie's torn between wanting the newer, sexier, I-can-do-anything life that she develops with Kai in Hawaii against the traditional single mom life she leads in Seattle.
What makes this book truly enjoyable isn't just the setting (who doesn't love Hawaii?), and characters (good friends with well-meaning intentions, and a hunky surfer dude to boot!), it is the way Porter allowed her protagonist, Jackie Laurens, to suffer with the challenges of her life.
Sure this could've been a glossy, mid-life crisis book, but instead the author allows her protagonist to shine by way of heartache and change. Life isn't always easy, sometimes it's like a bag of garbage, filled with day-old decisions, moldy leftovers from days gone by and smelly indescribable emotions that leave us wanting newer, fresher, recognizable produce for our lives.
If you're hungry for a great read, where the heroine isn't Miss-I-can-do-it-all-with-a-smile-on-my-face-just-to-spite-my-ex sort of book, then I suggest diving into Flirting with Forty. You'll be glad you did.
Armchair Interviews agrees.