romance

I think after this I am pretty much done with the Mischief Bay series. This book really aggravated me since I think Mallery wants her cake (write a contemporary romance) but then she there feels like there is very little romance and people just running around acting like assholes for most of the book until the very end.

"A Million Little Pieces" follows two characters who should be familiar to readers from the first book, Jen and her mother Pam from "The Girls of Mischief Bay." It's been about 2 years since that first book. Jen was pregnant in the first book and Pam was dealing with being widowed. Now two years on, Jen is a mess freaking out that her young son is not talking. Pam has gone on with her life and is happy, but a potential romance has her thinking if she is ready to be alone forever. The third person this book follows is Jen's best friend Zoe. I tried to like Zoe, but I was over her after Mallery took a real bad direction with her story-line.

The characters felt very flat in this one. It was hard to feel sympathy towards Jen since she was acting shrill and insane through most of the book. Someone mentioned post-partum depression and I wish that more of the characters pushed her on talking to a doctor. Instead her mother and Zoe hold an intervention and even I was all "you both suck so hard right now." I also cringed when Zoe's mother is all you need to have sex with your husband more cause who cares if you are barely sleeping and freaking out about your son. I felt like at times I had time traveled back to the 60s with some of the comments Pam was making.

Pam was okay at first, I just don't care about her weird dog. She also turns into an uber asshole when a story-line involving Zoe and her son comes about. I mean...she had good points, she just went about it the wrong way. I was honestly team no one during this whole thing.

Zoe. Nope. I just could not with her entire ludicrous story-line.

The writing was okay, I just found myself bored. Flip flopping between the three women was not done very well. I found myself missing the other characters from the first two books more.

The setting of Mischief Bay is a good one. I just wish that Mallery was doing more with it. I don't know if it would help to age down or up the characters or what. Or maybe just focus on one person one story-line. Nothing really gelled here for me in this one. ( )

4.5 stars.

A Million Little Things is a delightfully engaging and captivating addition to Susan Mallery's marvelous Mischief Bay series. Although this latest release is the third installment in the series, it can be read as a standalone but I highly encourage readers to pick up the previous two novels in this wonderful series.

Zoe Saldivar has not noticed how solitary her life has become until she is accidentally locked in her attic. Vowing to make some changes, she tries to reconnect with her best friend Jen Beldon, but with Jen obsessing over her eighteen month old son, Jack, there seems to be little room for friendship in her life. She is also friends with Jen's widowed mother, Pam Eiland, who, after listening to Zoe's problems, decides to play matchmaker between her young friend and her son, Steven. Their budding romance is going surprisingly well when Zoe receives very unexpected and life-altering news. This complication has a surprising effect on virtually everyone's relationships including Pam's relationship with Zoe's dad, Miguel Saldivar. Will Pam continue to alienate the people her life? Or will she figure out a way to repair her mistakes before it is too late?

Zoe has recently ended her five year relationship and she is regretting some of the choices she made based on where she thought their romance was headed. While she misses some aspects of her former career, she is not sure she wants to return to it. While she mostly enjoys her current job, Zoe is uncertain whether working from home is right for her. She would like to begin dating again, but she has few opportunities to meet men. When Steven offers to help her with a home repair, she is surprised by how attractive she finds Jen's brother. Their relationship is off to an uneventful beginning when Zoe gets very unexpected news that leaves her very uncertain about her future with Steven especially after Pam's shocking reaction.

Jen has been a stay at home mom since giving birth to Jack and while she has her son's best interests at heart, she is extremely over-protective of him. Although Jack is a happy, healthy and well-adjusted little boy, his failure to reach a certain milestone has Jen desperately searching for answers. She is also quite worried about her husband, Kirk's new job with the LAPD and she dislikes everything about his new partner, Lucas. With her anxieties reaching a new high, Jen resents everyone's suggestion to relax and not worry so much about everything. She receives advice from a very unexpected source but will she act on it?

Although Pam has been widowed for two years, she still feels married to her beloved husband. She has a busy, fulfilled life and she loves to travel. She has a great relationship with her children, but she is very frustrated with Jen's obsession over keeping Jack safe from anything that could possibly harm him. When Zoe receives news that turns her life upside down, Pam's first concern is for what this information could mean for Steven. Instead of her loving support, she stuns everyone with the advice she gives to her son. With several of her relationships on very shaky ground, Pam stands by her opinion, but will she eventually change her mind?

A Million Little Things is a touching novel with three interwoven storylines that are heartwarming and thought-provoking. All of the characters are well-developed with realistic strengths and weakness that are very easy to relate to. The story arcs are quite diverse and it is quite fascinating watching the various characters try to overcome the problems they are facing. The romance between Zoe and Steven is very sweet and despite outside conflict and a stunning development, their relationship lacks unnecessary angst or drama. Another outstanding installment in Susan Mallery's Mischief Bay series that old and new fans are going to love! ( )

A neurotic mother that resolves her issues. ( )

ARC Review: A Million Little Things (Mischief Bay) By Susan Mallery

Count on Susan Mallery to put her sense of humor on display while penning an insightful yet entertaining story of love, change and the crazy cycle of life. A Million Little Things has complication written all over it, yet is laid out in such a way, that it becomes a relatable quest of self - discovery while teaching the value of family, friendship and moving forward. Zoe deals with a breakup, an ever changing friendship and an attraction to the most unlikely candidate. While paving her way through the chaos of her life, she learns that to truly find happiness, a person has to take risks and accept the things one can't change. Valuable wisdom delivered with candor and heart. ( )