Being single and living in New York with a busy Italian family can be difficult enough as Angela Russo already knows. In her family, they always want what is best for her and have no problems letting her know their opinions. As an event planner, she is waiting to make her mark in her job so that she can take on bigger projects. That is why it is critical that she pulls this one off without a hitch. Not only that but her best friend Lindsey has found her soul mate through the wonders of internet dating and believe Angela should give it a try. So much is changing around her that it is hard to please everyone especially in her family and it seems her once peace of mind comes from cooking with her Italian grandmother known as Nonna who conveys a love of cooking while dispensing out bits of sage wisdom.
Is it possible that life hands things to you and at times we simply let them slip through our fingers without thought that our happiness may have been right in front of us through a series of chance encounters all along? So Angela decides to give it a go and dreams that her match might just live in the coastal charming cottage she has on her office bulletin in Maine, so they is where she begins her search. She never imagines that she might one day be telling her own children and grandchildren how their parents met, through a internet dating site that spelled love at first sight and would lead to happily ever after. Ah but not everything is as it appears and even though Angela has a date scheduled to coincide with her arriving in New York to meet some very influential clients, she isn't prepared for the disaster at her job that will leave her questioning everything. Is falling in love really all it's cracked up to be even though everyone around her seems to have no problem finding it but her?
In the latest novel The Way Life Should Be from Christina Baker Kline, she gives readers a glance at the world of Internet dating for a struggling single woman living in New York. The characters she writes about feel like real people as they weave in and out of Angela's life. My favorite is definitely Nonna, who shares her passion for cooking as well as her passion for life in the time that they spend together. She makes Angela realize that all her choices need to be hers and not at the whims of well-meaning family and friends, because in the end, it will be the life she is left with. She can be happy or unhappy but only she can be the one to make that choice. Along the way, Angela makes some brave choices leaving her entire life and family behind to follow a dream even though it doesn't materialize the way she dreamed. It teaches her more than advice does and along the way she meets some really great people who will be there for her when she needs them the most.
I received The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained in this review are strictly my own. There is a reader discussion guide and some fantastic recipes I can't wait to try at the conclusion of this novel. I give this novel a 4 out of 5 stars. There is some sexual content and profanity but overall the story is well written and I easily read this in a couple of hours it was simply that great!
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After reading and loving Orphan Train, I've looked forward to another book by the same author. This one will go on my TBR list.
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