A Girl's Guide to Moving On: A Novel

I have only recently begun reading books by Debbie Macomber, only because I already have a long list of favorite authors, but I am head over heels for this one...sweet and warm with fascinating characters. The fact that anyone at all rates this book with one or two stars boggles my mind, and I can only wonder at their taste in books.

My favorite character in "A Girl's Guide to Moving On" is Nikolai, from the Ukraine, a totally sweet and caring man with a heart of gold, so loving toward Leanne, divorced after thirty-five years of marriage to a cheater who didn't deserve her, that my eyes well up in tears nearly every time Nikolai gently shows his love either by deed or by words.

There are some quirky characters in this book as well, such as Rocco, who is rather gruff and finds it hard to admit his feelings toward Leanne's former daughter-in-law, Nichole, whose husband Jake was also a cheater, but I like him despite his quirks.

Once I finish this book, I intend to at least use the library to find as many other Macomber delights as I can manage. I'm not sure they can live up to this novel!

I thought the premise was original. In A Girl's Guide to Moving On, a woman and her daughter-in-law both divorce their spouses at the same time and for the same reason: the father and son are both cheating husbands. The women (one is around 60, the other around 30) move to a new city and rent apartments across the hall from each other. They help each other (there is a 3-year-old child involved). Both women start new lives, working and moving forward. Each falls in love, and there are the usual roadblocks and resolutions, but even though the plots (two run simultaneously) are predictable, they're very well done. I don't want to spoil it, but the older woman faces a tragedy that forces her, because she's a good person, to make a sacrifice. And I would have, too. There are some powerful themes running through this book, and the one about loyalty and family really resonated for me. Plus Macomber is a fine writer. She doesn't overwrite or underwrite, and I was in tears more than once. The characters are multidimensional (except Shawntelle was kind of a cartoon, but she was a pretty minor character) and relatable. I tagged this novel OA fiction and boomer-lit because of the older woman starting over, a theme I love. Although don't read it for that--Leanne didn't explore age-related themes other than briefly expressing dismay over her aging body. If you love contemporary romance, you'll love this story.

The set-up may sound odd at first: a middle-aged mother offers support to her daughter-in-law following her son's infidelity. Then, emboldened by the daughter-in-law's strength in divorcing her son, the mom finds the courage to leave her own adulterous husband. The two women, in two different stages of life, then support one another in moving past their painful divorces.

It works, as do the new, and apparently off-beat rationships with men in both their lives. Along the way, each of the women finds additional support from other women--friends and sisters.

Debbie Macomber understands ways women relate and has shown multiple examples in this fun and fulfilling story.

A second theme is second chances. Several characters who've made mistakes find people willing to let them grow and try again. We also see at least one significant example where a second chance is unwarranted and consequently withheld. In both circumstances, we see people grow, eventually learning from mistakes, misunderstandings, or misjudgments.

Debbie digs a bit in this look into human nature and the nature of human relationships, both those between romantic couples and those between friends, freebies, or rivals. The results make for a good read.

Debbie Macomber is one of my favorite authors. Her latest novel, A Girl's Guide to Moving On, is definitely one of my favorites so far. This is book two in her New Beginnings series, but can be read as a stand-alone book.

Leanne and Sean have been married for thirty-five years, and have a grown son named Jake. Jake is married to Nichole, and they have a young son named Owen. Nichole becomes more than a daughter-in-law to Leanne, and the two women have a very close friendship as well. Leanne has known throughout her marriage that her husband has had numerous affairs, but for her own reasons, she has always chosen to ignore Sean's infidelity, regardless of the pain it caused her. One day she overheard her son asking Sean for advice because he has gotten another woman pregnant. Leanne sees this as the wake-up call she has ignored for too long...her son is now following in his father's footsteps. Leanne tells Nichole about the affair, and Nichole files for a divorce. Seeing Nichole find the strength to start over, Leanne also files for divorce. Both women move to downtown Portland and into apartments across from each other. The women become each other's support through this painful process, and this is when they devise the list of ways to help get through it, and they called it A Guide to Moving On.

Nichole is trying to deal with all of the emotions that are part of a divorce, and is having a hard time with it because it has been two years since she filed, and the divorce has not been finalized yet. Jake is trying to win her back, but Nichole knows she will never be able to trust him again. Following the steps for survival through her divorce, she volunteers at Dress for Success, helping women entering the workforce to dress for the interviews and employment. In addition to this work, she also works as a substitute teacher for the Portland School District. Through her own mistake while she was upset one day, she meets Rocco, a tow truck driver. It is clear early on that there is definite chemistry between these two, but Nichole is reluctant to start a new relationship. Rocco has a fifteen-year old daughter, Kaylene, and enlists Nichole's help in finding her an appropriate dress for a school dance. Rocco is the complete opposite of Nichole's ex…he is more of the biker type than the country club type of guy, but they end up becoming involved in each other's lives. It is definitely a relationship in progress, with some unexpected twists thrown in.

Leanne has her own share of problems, as her husband has taken away what little self-esteem she had left. She is trying to move forward, and uses Nichole's courage as her own inspiration to survive. She never expected she would be starting over at this point in her life, but tries to make the best of it. She volunteers at the Community Center, teaching English as a second language. There is one student close to her own age that Leanne has a soft spot for, and his name is Nikolai. Nikolai is from the Ukraine, and has been living in the US for five years and recently became a citizen. He is a wonderful baker, and after every class, he gives her a loaf of bread that he baked. He is definitely old school, with old school values, and I thought he was so charming. He meets her at her car when she arrives for class, and walks her to her car after class. The chemistry is there, but unfortunately, Leanne doesn’t realize his true feelings for her.

I could give more detail, but don’t want to give out too much and end up spoiling the book. This is a book about betrayal and the strength and courage it takes to move on. It is also about the bond between these two women, and the friendship they share. The emotions they go through are very real, and are portrayed in a very realistic way. As much as these women wanted a guide to follow, they find out that life doesn’t always go as easy as planned. There are some definite and unexpected twists in the story, but I loved the way the author dealt with it all. This is a beautifully written story about the pain of divorce, and also the will to not let it define the women going through it. I would definitely recommend this book!

I was given an advance copy of the book from Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Girl's Guide to Moving On

Debbie Macomber's Girl's Guide to Moving On tells us how two women deal with life after divorce. Leanne has been married for thirty-five years and always turned a blind eye to her husbands infidelities. She thought that was what wives did. She lived the good life, belonged to the country club and took care of their beautiful house.

Nichole was married to Leanne's son, Jake. Jake took after his father and also had many infidelities. He was never found out until he got the last one pregnant. Leanne did not want Nichole to go through life as she did by turning her back on her husbands indiscretions. She over heard Jake talking to his father about the pregnancy and decided to tell Nichole.

Nichole was heartbroken. No matter what he said Nichole knew she would never trust Jake again and left him and filed for divorce. Jake didn't believe she would go through with it and that after she calmed down they would be back together. For two years Jake did all he could to stall the divorce. He loved her and wanted her back. He was desperate and ended up using their three year old son to get to her. But it did not end up the way he thought it would.

When Nichole left Jake, Leanne got the strength to leave Sean, her husband. This is the story of how they move on....life after divorce. They each find someone new but have a hard time learning to trust. I really enjoyed this story. If you love a really good romance with a nice happily ever after, then this is the book for you

Nichole and her mother-in-law, Leanne, are new divorcees after Nichole has found out her husband has been cheating on her. The two women grew very close during their married years, and have decided to keep their close relationship while they were going through their divorces. To help them move on, the ladies created a small list titled “A Guide to Moving On.’ This list consisted of four simple things to help them learn how to be on their own and find their passions.

1. Don’t allow yourself to wallow in your pain.
2. Cultivate new friendships
3. Let go in order to receive
4. Love yourself

At a glance, I assumed this book would revolve around the list and be an actual guide to how to move on from a relationship. However, once you read further into the book, you can easily connect the points on the list to actions the women are taking in their lives and creating their new paths in life.

I found myself connecting with Nichole more than Leanne but both characters are easily relatable. This book is very character driven and that is what makes it so great. I especially liked how Macomber brings the ex-husbands into the book because it gives a great perspective of how the women were in their marriage.

Macomber truly highlighted the women’s struggles through their divorce and strives to become independent, strong women. I loved seeing Nichole come out of the situation she was in and truly enjoyed seeing Leanne learn more about herself. No matter how hard their struggles, the two women stayed true to themselves and each other. You can drastically see the growth of these women through the book. In the beginning, both felt unloved and insecure because of how their ex-husbands treated them. By focusing on themselves and living by the “Guide to Moving On” both were able to find exactly what they were looking for.

Both women also find wonderful men along the way named Nikolai and Rocco. The two men couldn’t be any more different but are just perfect for Leanne and Nichole in their own special way. Nikolai is an immigrant from Ukraine and has a very old fashioned outlook on love. I enjoyed his small gestures of love that he showed Leanne. Rocco is a bit rough around the edges, has been incarcerated and belongs to a motorcycle club. Of course, I was drooling all over him through the pages. The way he showed his love for Nichole was simply amazing and I COULDN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT.

This truly is “an inspiring novel of friendship, reinvention, and hope, A Girl’s Guide to Moving On affirms the ability of every woman to forge a new path, believe in love, and fearlessly find happiness.

I enjoyed this book as I do most of Debbie Macomber's books. The part that bothered me the most however was the relationship between Nicolai and Leanne. Nicolai was almost compulsive in his relationship with Leanne. He showed up at her home unannounced and he was jealous of her relationship with her first husband who was dying. When Nicolai and Leanne had a "falling out" near the end of the book over this relationship I really wished that it had been the end of him in her life. He just seemed too pushy and not the type of man I could see her with. I could almost see him as a potential stalker. I did like the way the book handled the situation of how to proceed with your life following a divorce and I liked the relationship between Leanne and her former daughter in law as they struggled to find meaning in their new lives as single women. Overall it was a good book barring the character of Nicolai.