Skipping a Beat: A Novel

This is a very difficult book to review because I can't reveal too much with giving away spoilers. So with that in mind I'll speak a little generally here.

I will first admit that I LOVE chick lit. Love it! However, after a while the books written in that genre do tend to follow a formula. Nice, yet quirky girl discovers: a) her husband is a cheater and plans to leave her for a younger bimbo, b) she loses her job through no fault of her own, or c) she realizes that she is nearing some big milestone (30th birthday or similar) and discovers that she forgot to grow up. Then various mishaps unfold until the girl finds a happy ending.

You need to know that this book is not like that at all. Instead of a cartoonish main female character, a kooky best friend, and a one dimensional love interest you get real characters that you care about. I love the nuances of these characters, flaws and all. The author has created a story of marriage, drifting apart, staying together out of convenience and regret that is spun so beautifully that by the end of the book you will be bleeding for these characters.

If I had one little piece of criticism it would be that the end wrapped up everything up in a tight red bow. Though I suppose if it hadn't I would have been bitterly disappointed. I had a very satisfying and ugly cry that only a truly excellent book can give you.

I finished this book a few weeks ago and it still is having a positive effect on my life. Maybe not big changes but it really makes you think about your own selfish ways, being materialistic and taking things for granted. This is the first book I have read by this author but it made me immediately order her other novel, "Opposite of me" because her writing really draws you in. At first the book was a bit slow. The main character could get a little annoying and very materialistic. But the way the author details and goes in depth about why the main character is the way she is today, and the background stories on each character were wonderful. This story was a different take on romantic love story and falling back in love after a marriage falls apart, then going back to the beginning of why you fell in love to start putting back the pieces to realize that love is more important than money. I look forward to reading the authors other novels and recommend this book to everyone. A great read, and wonderful touching story. I think it would make a great movie too, or at least one that I would go see :)

I love this author! I went back to her catalog to buy all of her books after reading You Are Not Alone. I was not disappointed. The main characters Julia and Michael were high school sweethearts who stayed married but, lead separate lives.

The author divides time between Julia's internal dialogue, her best friend, and Michael along with Julia. This couple went through the beginning stages of becoming a power couple. Both came from nothing and made their way to becoming very wealthy. Along the way they both seemed to want a closet of clothes, a safe with cash and jewelry and a 9+ figure bank account. They value money and assets because of their childhood. If you have a gambling father who literally lost the house I think the value of assets will be a high priority. Michael's father put him in a position that made him succeed. He used that to drive himself into success.

This is a great story about young love, goals and loss. I say it is a must read. Wait for the epilogue!

Since I have not known this author to write "fluff stuff" I was not expecting this to be a light read. However, I did not expect this book to elicit the powerful emotions that were forthcoming. "Skipping a Beat" is a beautifully written, compelling, journey into a situation that is truly remarkable in it's ability to touch areas of the heart not often reached by most novels. It exposes things about the people involved and, perhaps, the reader, that we would rather not admit, even to ourselves. Good people are maybe not so great when all of the layers are peeled away and we are faced with life changing decisions. The issue of forgiveness is also an important one. How long should we hold onto wrongs done to us when, in reality, a truly good person lets go and goes on. It would be difficult to read this book without a handy handkerchief and even more difficult to forget its message. Read it and weep!!!

Saying I loved this story just isn't enough! I woke my husband up in the wee hours of the morning sobbing after I finished it, just to tell him how much I loved him. Days after reading this novel, I found it sticking with me, and it is definitely one I could pick up and read again after a while.

Sarah has a knack for how to tell a beautifully woven story, with rich characters, and poignant plot elements. Her characters grab you initially, and I found Julia instantly likeable and I loved watching her grow throughout the novel.

I love the intense look at a marriage and what it takes to make it work after years. I found the flashbacks of how Michael and Julia first fell in love and the first years of their relationship, coupled with their current state of their marriage to be refreshing. I found myself campaigning for Michael to hopefully be able to win Julia's heart back as more and more complexities of their life together came into the forefront.

I've recommended this book and Sarah's previous one, "The Opposite of Me" to everyone I know. Sarah knows how to grab a reader's attention and keep them there. :)

Can't wait to read more of Sarah's novels!!!

I'm disappointed to be able not to give this book 5 stars because the author's first book "The Opposite of Me" is one of my favorite books of the past year. There was so much hype about "Skipping A Beat" that I expected a story that I couldn't put down. I read it quickly, but it seemed lightweight - not enough depth to the characterizations of the main characters.

Mike, now Michael and Julie, now Julia, are two poor kids from West Virginia. Michael invents "Drink-Up" and becomes a very successful, extremely rich workaholic. Julia has a successful event planning business and they seem to have everything. But that's only on the surface. In reality, they have lost their easy intimacy that had when they were younger and are like ships passing in the night in their marriage.

The books opens up with Michael dropping dead of a cardiac event and being brought back to life. His entire personality changes and he makes drastic changes to his lifestyle which Julia is not sure she is happy with. They try to find each other again, each becoming a better person by the end of the book. The "surprise" ending is not a surprise because of the first sentence of the book which is "When my husband died the first time..."

Even though I had been married once, I've now been divorced for over 17 years, and I just couldn't relate to the story, which I feel is my fault and not the author's. 3.5 stars out of 5

A really nice piece of storytelling. Pekkanen creates a story that's easy to read and entertaining. While her style definitely fits into the "Chick Lit" genre (a polarizing style), she does a great job of adding some meat to the normally spare bones that often plague such books. This is a great beach/summer read. The story had heart, and provoked thought in its reader. I'll definitely be looking for more of her work.

As described in detail by other reviewers, this is a very interesting concept and will keep you reading till the last page with anticipation. I felt a lot of compassion for both Julia and Michael --- as well as for side characters.

I would highly recommend it, but hold back on that fifth star - perhaps it is not as engrossing as I would like? This is the second book I have read by Ms Pekkanen, and it is better than the first, which I liked a lot, I might add. She will go on my list to watch.

Julia and Michael were high school sweethearts from West Virginia. They moved on together in life: college, marriage and Michael building a company worth over 70 million dollars. Julia built her own business planning parties and events.

Because of her childhood Julia insisted on a pre-nup. She wanted to be assured she had security. She wanted their finances kept separate. Little did she know this would be important later on for both her and them together?

As the years passed by they became so busy and forgot the importance of each other which is something so many couples go through. Michael was driven by success. He could not stop. Julia began to feel lost. Things looked rosy on the outside but what went on behind closed doors?

Then a "life changing" event took place. Their lives changed forever in so many ways. He no longer wanted to be business driven but to find the love and romance they had found over 30 years ago. Could they find the people they once were? Could they regain the love, trust and fun that were the foundation of their relationship all those years ago? They had been best friends. Could they still be with all the life changes Michael was making on their behalf?

As women we need to value our girlfriends. They can be our rock. We just do not know it until they are needed. Isabella was that friend for Julia in ways neither of them imagined just as Julia had encouraged Isabella.

And then life threw another twist of fate. But Michael still had a surprise for Julia. Something Julia never knew about. And there was the ultimate gift..... As always, Isabella was by her side. Again!

You need to read this book and re-evaluate your life as a person and as someone in a relationship. I laughed and I cried. It made me think of my husband and what we had, have now and still have to come.

I have read four of Sarah Pekkanen's books but this one grabbed my heart and soul. It will do the same for you.

Everyone has their own reading tastes, but this book just wasn't it for me. The storyline was great, but the execution was awful. The author used flashbacks waaaay too many times. Every time one of the main characters did something major, there was usually a flashback that followed that explained why whatever it was that happened was relevant.

Also, OK, I get it, the main character likes opera, I love music too, but the whole opera thing was totally overdone. Quoting lyrics from songs and dropping opera names and characters over and over again was too much for me. Not to mention, it really did absolutely nothing to propel the story forward, had nothing to do with the plot, and had no ties to the ending.

The storyline regarding the best friend was also just okay. Well, no, actually it was better than okay, it was compelling. And I liked the character of the best friend a heck of a lot better than I liked the main character. I guess what was upsetting to me is that the author tries to weave in the best friend's story, but it kind of seems to get dropped and forgotten, even the main character isn't around to answer her phone during the climax of the best friend's story. But then once we get caught up with the best friend, her story kind of ends abruptly and is overtaken by other events, and it left me wondering what happened with the friend? Will she be alright? How will she move forward?

I finished reading the book not because I was so drawn in and had to see what would happen. No, I finished the book just for the sake of finishing a book. Therefore would I recommend the book? No, not really. If I saw a friend reading it would I grab it from their hands and throw it on the ground and tell them to stop wasting their time? No, not at all. It's not a great book by any stretch, but it's an okay read to pass the time.