Love, Suburban Style
by Wendy Markham
Published by Warner Books
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Reviewed by Jenny Salyers
The fatal day that everything fell apart, Meg Addams decided to leave Manhattan for the wholesome suburban, small-town lifestyle of Glenhaven Park where she grew up. She assumed that moving out of the big city wasn’t going to be a problem for either her or her 15-year-old daughter Cosette. Well, other that re-adjusting their lives from the rhythms of the city that never sleeps, to those of small town living. However things Meg hadn’t expected were making that transition a less-than-easy experience.
Glenhaven Park had changed in Meg’s absence. Many of the inhabitants were wealthier than the blue-collared inhabitants Meg grew up with, and the main street has been invaded by upscale boutiques and posh eateries. On top of everything else, Meg had not expected her house to be truly haunted (although it had that reputation when she was a kid). She also did not expect her next-door neighbor to be her high school crush. Neither did she expect the fact that he was a hunk and that she still found herself attracted to him.
What follows is a wacky story of homecoming, romance and finding ones place in new but familiar surroundings. Meg and her daughter bump into each other (teen conflict combined with the added stresses of moving), their home has un-earthly co-inhabitant, and then there’s their new neighbor, Sam and his two children. While Meg and Sam try and figure out their attraction to each other, Cosette and Ben (Sam’s eldest), find themselves attracted to each other and in a fledgling relationship of their own.
Wendy Markham has written a contemporary romance that will please the older chick lit fan with a quick-paced and movingly funny plot. This book has a quirky and funny look at life as a single mom, dealing with major life changes, a teenage daughter who is testing her limits, a ghostly inhabitant who may or may approve of sharing a house with Meg and Cosette, and a growing attraction to her neighbor Sam.
Armchair Interviews says: A great light-hearted romantic story for a relaxing summer’s day reading.
Author’s Web site: http://www.wendymarkham.com