Book Review: Redesigning Rose by Lydia Laceby

Summary: 

Rose Parker's husband has been lying. About everything.

When a conversation with her husband triggers questions, Rose Parker uncovers alarming answers that shatter her perfect life. But it is only when she shoves her belongings in her SUV and drives off that Rose realizes just how far from perfect her life actually was. She has nowhere to turn.

While debating between distressing sleeping arrangements-her mother’s house full of questions or a hotel room with too much solitude-Rose bumps into an acquaintance from her gardening class and allows bubbly, exuberant Becky to indulge her in a wild night full of whiskey, weeping, and whispered confidences. Suddenly, Rose has a new friend, a roof over her head, and two gorgeous men moving her out of her marital home.

As Rose struggles to settle into her new life, she remains determined to comprehend her past. And with time and distance and especially wine, comes knowledge. Frank wasn’t the only one lying to her. Rose was lying to herself.

Release Date: June 16, 2013

Age Group: Adult

Source: Review copy from author

Reviewed By: Kelli

Review:

What a great read!  I'm loving contemporary fiction right now, and Redesigning Rose was such a perfect example of why I love this genre.  Redesigning Rose has a strong lead character, great female friendships and a sweet love story to boot.  

Rose, the protagonist, is smart, strong, and finally standing up for herself.  The book starts with the revelation about her husband's illicit dealings, which have wrecked their finances and their marriage.  Rose decides to leave her husband: the only problem is, she has nowhere to go.  She bumps into a friend from garden club, Becky, and Becky convinces Rose to stay with her until she gets on her feet.  Becky is also separated from her husband, so the two women have that in common.  Becky and Rose are fast friends, and I loved their relationship.  Becky brought out a different, freer side of Rose and that was a lot of fun to read about.

Rose goes through a lot of self-discovery in this book.  I love that she doesn't completely blame her husband for everything that went wrong in her life.  She examines her own actions and beliefs, and figures out where she went wrong too.  Rose is truly shaken by her husband's deception, yet she doesn't let it crush her.  She's determined not to repeat her past mistakes, and not to jump into a new relationship before she's dissected her marriage.  

I loved everything about Redesigning Rose.  From the well-developed characters, the character growth, the imagery, to the love story, this was a perfect book.  This was my first time reading Lydia Laceby and I'll definitely be back for more.