Claire Mackenzie thinks her husband Owen has planned her the
perfect
spa weekend to give her a break. A stay-at-home mom to an eight-
month-old and recently moved to Connecticut from Chicago,
Claire is
looking forward to her solo getaway. Part way into her
drive, she
realizes she forgot her wallet and when Claire walks into
her kitchen
it's not her husband she sees, but her realtor wearing
nothing but
purple lingerie. Owen doesn't have an explanation; he was
caught
cheating, and Claire files for divorce as fast as she can.
Unable to move back to Chicago, Claire calls in
reinforcements. Her
best friend Antonia moves into Claire's house that now feels
too big.
Claire knows she has to keep it together for her son, but
she just wants
to stay inside and avoid the world. Unfortunate run-ins with
her
soon-to-be ex-husband, his new perfectly blonde girlfriend,
and the
judgemental housewives in her neighborhood rattle Claire's
newfound
solitude.
Luckily for Claire, Antonia is there to give her a much
needed push.
Slowly but surely, Claire begins to find her new way of
life: co-parenting
with Owen, starting to work again, and meeting new people. Even
though things are starting to look up, that doesn't mean
Claire doesn't
have some missteps along the way. Will any of her "regrets"
come back
to haunt her?
REGRETS ONLY by Erin Duffy is an enjoyable read. Claire's
story is one of growth and finding oneself. She
had completely thrown herself into her marriage and
motherhood and
hadn't left any time for herself. When she's blindsided by
her husband's
infidelity, Claire realizes she has no idea who she is
anymore. With the
support of her lifelong best friend Antonia and a new
friend, Lissy,
Claire eventually comes out of her shell. It was interesting
to see Claire
go through almost every emotion while she comes to terms
with her
divorce. I have to say, Claire does do a lot of outlandish
things, that I
found to be extreme and incredibly unlikable. Additionally,
a new love
interest for Claire kind of comes out of nowhere, and felt
forced,
especially after all she is going through with her divorce.
All of that
being said, REGRETS ONLY is a
compelling and funny novel, perfect for an easy summer read.
From the author of Bond Girl and Lost Along the Way,
comes a fiercely funny, insightful story of marriage,
family, and the crooked path to figuring out who we
really are.
Claire thought she had everything a woman was supposed to
want—a loving husband, a newborn son, a beautiful home in
the suburbs. Then she walks in on her husband canoodling
with their realtor in their newly renovated kitchen, and
in an instant, her perfect life comes crashing down.
With her marriage heading for divorce, Claire knows it’s
time to stop feeling sorry for herself. But how can she
move on when she’s still stuck in the orbit of her
husband’s world? For starters, she can get rid of her
soon-to-be ex’s possessions—including his prized,
gigantic foosball table—by dumping them onto the curb…
until complaints from the neighbors get the police
involved. Now Claire is busy dodging the mean mommies at
story hour and hiding from her ex-husband’s girlfriend in
the grocery store. But as Claire soon learns, suburbia
still has a few surprises in store for her—surprises that
will make her question her choices from the past, send
her down an unexpected road to self-discovery, and maybe
even lead to new love.
Desperate for a positive outlet to channel her
frustrations, she turns to girlfriends Lissy and Antonia
for help. Together they join forces to rebrand Lissy’s
local stationery store and turn it into a thriving
business. But as Claire soon learns, suburbia still has a
few surprises in store for her—surprises that will make
her question her choices from the past, send her down an
unexpected road to self-discovery, and maybe even new
love.
Featuring a second coming-of-age story, Regrets Only
deftly explores the subtle nuances of marriage, family,
friendship, and what it means to be a woman today, while
delighting readers as its unforgettable heroine acts on
impulses we’ve all been guilty of having.
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