The Friends We Keep Book Review

I am pretty big on reading series in order but it doesn't always work out for me because I do silly things and start a book that I can't put down before I realize there are other books in the series.  With this series, I started with the third book that I reserved without knowing there were others in the series and I went back to the first one and then got to The Friends We Keep: A Novel (Mischief Bay) by Susan Mallery which is the second book in the series.  So if you want to start this series in order, make sure you don't start with this one but add it to your list and get the whole Mischief Bay series!

After five years as a stay-at-home mom, Gabby Schaefer can't wait to return to work. No demanding toddlers, no stepdaughter throwing a tantrum. But when her plans are derailed by some shocking news and her husband's crushing expectations, Gabby must fight for the right to have a life of her own.  Getting pregnant is easy for Hayley Batchelor. Staying pregnant is the hard part. Her husband is frantic about the threat to her health, but to Hayley, a woman who was born to be a mom should risk everything to fulfill her destiny—no matter how high the cost.  Nicole Lord is still shell-shocked by a divorce that wasn't as painful as it should've been. Other than the son they share, her ex-husband left barely a ripple in her life. A great new guy tempts her to believe maybe the second time's the charm…but how can she trust herself to recognize true love?

I think that I really related to this book because it was about Gabby, a mother who was trying to figure out what was going to make her life make sense.  She had twin girls and wanted to get back to work since they were headed off to school.  Her husband loved her deeply but wasn't helping as much as he thought that he was.  Hayley was another friend who was trying to get pregnant and not having any luck because she kept loosing the babies.  She was willing to give up everything to have a baby and almost lost her life and marriage in the process.  It really puts things in perspective because there isn't really a reason to give up everything for this one fact which Hayley learns to realize.  Nicole is learning to make her way after her divorce when she realizes that she really didn't loose much because her husband left very little mark on her life other then giving her a wonderful son.  It is amazing to watch all three of these women's lives unfold and intertwine.  I know that you will enjoy this as much as I have so make sure you pick it up and find out what happens.  I hope that you check out this book and enjoy it as much as I did!!