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The Sweet Magnolias #2
A Slice of Heaven
Emotions run high when the Sweet Magnolias try to reunite a couple who was meant to be together in this classic from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sherryl Woods
When an eating disorder threatens the life of chef Dana Sue Sullivan's teenage daughter, she has no choice but to bring Annie's cheating dad back to Serenity, South Carolina. She tells herself and her friends it's all about Annie, but the sad truth is she has a boatload of unresolved feelings of her own for Ronnie Sullivan.
From the moment Ronnie hits town, there's no question about his intentions. He's there for his daughter, to be sure, but he wants Dana Sue back, and every move he makes is designed to prove he's a changed man. The one thing that's never changed, though, are the sparks that fly whenever the two of them are in the same room.
Dana Sue can deny all she wants that Ronnie's the only man for her, but not a single person in town is buying it. No matter the circumstances, Ronnie's return is a sweet recipe for a new beginning.
When an eating disorder threatens the life of chef Dana Sue Sullivan's teenage daughter, she has no choice but to bring Annie's cheating dad back to Serenity, South Carolina. She tells herself and her friends it's all about Annie, but the sad truth is she has a boatload of unresolved feelings of her own for Ronnie Sullivan.
From the moment Ronnie hits town, there's no question about his intentions. He's there for his daughter, to be sure, but he wants Dana Sue back, and every move he makes is designed to prove he's a changed man. The one thing that's never changed, though, are the sparks that fly whenever the two of them are in the same room.
Dana Sue can deny all she wants that Ronnie's the only man for her, but not a single person in town is buying it. No matter the circumstances, Ronnie's return is a sweet recipe for a new beginning.
395 pages, Paperback
First published February 27, 2007
4143 people are currently reading
10220 people want to read
About the author
Sherryl Woods
557 books4,533 followersWith two other careers to her credit before becoming a novelist and four states in which she's lived for extended periods of time, Sherryl Woods has collected friends and memories, along with way too much unnecessary junk.
"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."
The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.
Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.
A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.
In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.
When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.
"The friends are the only things I've brought with me through the years that really matter," she says. "I could probably live without one more chintz teacup, another tin-litho sandpail or another snowglobe, but I need those friends."
The theme of enduring friendships and families is always central to Sherryl's books, including her latest Chesapeake Shores series — THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, FLOWERS ON MAIN and HARBOR LIGHTS.
Author of more than 100 romance and mystery novels, Sherryl Woods grew up in Virginia. Over the years she had lived in Ohio and Florida, as well as California. Currently she divides her time between Key Biscayne, Florida and Colonial Beach, Virginia, the small, river-front town where she spent her childhood summers.
A graduate of Ohio State University School of Journalism, Sherryl spent more than ten years as a journalist, most of them as a television critic for newspapers in Ohio and Florida. For several years she also coordinated a motivational program for the more than 8,000 employees at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center.
Her first book, RESTORING LOVE, was published in 1982 by Dell Candlelight Ecstasy under the pseudonym of Suzanne Sherrill. Her second book, SAND CASTLES, under the pseudonym of Alexandra Kirk, was published later that same year by Bantam. She began using her own name when she moved to the Second Chance at Love line at Berkley Publishing. In 1986, she began writing full-time and also began her long career at Silhouette Books with the Desire title NOT AT EIGHT, DARLING, set in the world of television which she covered for so many years.
In addition to her more than 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition, she has written thirteen mysteries — nine in the Amanda Roberts series and four in the Molly DeWitt series.
When she's not writing or reading, Sherryl loves to garden, though she's not at her best on a riding lawn mower. She also loves tennis, theater, and ballet, even though her top spin has long since vanished, she's never set foot on a stage, and she's way too uncoordinated to dance. She also loves baseball and claims anyone who's ever seen Kevin Costner in "Bull Durham" can understand why.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 930 reviews
October 8, 2019
This series is toxic.
I randomly borrowed the eighth volume, Midnight Promises, from the library because it advertised (and delivered) a story about a married couple working through financial stress (it isn't so much that they were short on money, but the heroine carried emotional scars from her first husband's financial irresponsibility). A secondary character made a reference to the heroine's boss having taken a frying pan to her own cheating husband in the past, and since it was obvious the heroine's boss and her husband had reconciled, I decided to read their story in this book, volume 2 of the series.
The infidelity and subsequent divorce happened before the series begins. All we get are some "hilarious" references to the heroine throwing her husband out by tossing his belongings onto the lawn after discovering he had been unfaithful. We don't learn how she discovered his one night stand, and we don't learn anything about the other woman. Details about the cheating are somehow considered 97% irrelevant in a book where a couple split up solely because the husband had sex with another woman. Here's the husband's full explanation [note: Annie is his daughter, not the OW]:
Bless the heroine, she asks how she's supposed to trust him not to cheat again if he doesn't understand why he cheated before. His answer:
Well, geez, who wouldn't want to race back into marriage with this charmer?
Infidelity is rife in this small town, and there's little to choose between the cheaters who get kicked to the curb (heroine's husband in book 1, hero's brother-in-law in book 8) and the cheaters who get an undeserved HEA with the women they stepped out on (the husband in this book, and his daughter's longterm boyfriend from volume 5, Home in Carolina).
And that's when the toxicity alarms went off for me. A Slice of Heaven is an unsatisfying cheating spouse story served with a sickening side of fatphobia. To see the pattern repeated -- to see the entire town gang up on the betrayed heroine of Home in Carolina to get her to forgive the man who repeatedly cheated on her with his MLB groupies -- was intolerable. Infidelity is in their blood: she's the daughter of the betrayed heroine in this book, and he's the son of the cheater from book 1. Oh, and this next-generation cheater doesn't really know why he slept with all those women, either. Lucky girl is marrying a man just like dear old dad.
I randomly borrowed the eighth volume, Midnight Promises, from the library because it advertised (and delivered) a story about a married couple working through financial stress (it isn't so much that they were short on money, but the heroine carried emotional scars from her first husband's financial irresponsibility). A secondary character made a reference to the heroine's boss having taken a frying pan to her own cheating husband in the past, and since it was obvious the heroine's boss and her husband had reconciled, I decided to read their story in this book, volume 2 of the series.
The infidelity and subsequent divorce happened before the series begins. All we get are some "hilarious" references to the heroine throwing her husband out by tossing his belongings onto the lawn after discovering he had been unfaithful. We don't learn how she discovered his one night stand, and we don't learn anything about the other woman. Details about the cheating are somehow considered 97% irrelevant in a book where a couple split up solely because the husband had sex with another woman. Here's the husband's full explanation [note: Annie is his daughter, not the OW]:
"I was drifting. I was looking for excitement without even realizing it. Something. I honestly can't explain it. I loved you with all my heart. I loved our life. I adored Annie, but on that night, when that woman came on to me, I felt a spark of something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe it was the danger, the risk of getting caught. I do know it had nothing to do with her and nothing to do with you. It was like she lit a match and touched it to something I didn’t even know was flammable. It was the first and only time I was even remotely tempted to be unfaithful."
Bless the heroine, she asks how she's supposed to trust him not to cheat again if he doesn't understand why he cheated before. His answer:
"Because in the last two years I finally learned to value what we had, instead of taking it for granted. Practically from the day we met, I knew you were crazy about me. I guess I thought you'd forgive me anything. Or maybe I wanted to find out if you would."
Well, geez, who wouldn't want to race back into marriage with this charmer?
Infidelity is rife in this small town, and there's little to choose between the cheaters who get kicked to the curb (heroine's husband in book 1, hero's brother-in-law in book 8) and the cheaters who get an undeserved HEA with the women they stepped out on (the husband in this book, and his daughter's longterm boyfriend from volume 5, Home in Carolina).
And that's when the toxicity alarms went off for me. A Slice of Heaven is an unsatisfying cheating spouse story served with a sickening side of fatphobia. To see the pattern repeated -- to see the entire town gang up on the betrayed heroine of Home in Carolina to get her to forgive the man who repeatedly cheated on her with his MLB groupies -- was intolerable. Infidelity is in their blood: she's the daughter of the betrayed heroine in this book, and he's the son of the cheater from book 1. Oh, and this next-generation cheater doesn't really know why he slept with all those women, either. Lucky girl is marrying a man just like dear old dad.
Read
April 28, 2020DNF @ 30%. He’s the cheater, but she’s the asshat! Knows her daughter is anorexic, doesn’t take her to a doctor, doesn’t deal with it and after the daughter collapses and ends up in the hospital in heart failure, she wants to run the ex out of town. No consideration for what her daughter wants or needs. Done, just done.
May 26, 2020
This book was...a lot.
Every. Single. Character. has a food based problem. Every single character is needlessly antagonistic to everybody else. If Sherryl Woods wanted to write a treatise about how eating disorders and emotional eating are bad, she should have gone for non-fiction. I'm not interested in the casual fat-shaming going on here. At all.
I'm not interested in continuing this series, since all the characters just seem to be vehicles for whatever social issue the author feels like tackling next.
Every. Single. Character. has a food based problem. Every single character is needlessly antagonistic to everybody else. If Sherryl Woods wanted to write a treatise about how eating disorders and emotional eating are bad, she should have gone for non-fiction. I'm not interested in the casual fat-shaming going on here. At all.
I'm not interested in continuing this series, since all the characters just seem to be vehicles for whatever social issue the author feels like tackling next.
April 9, 2010
I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did the first book in this series. I had some problems with the way Annie's disease was portrayed and also I didn't really like the fact that Ronnie and Dana Sue were the romantic couple in this book. I mean... he cheated on her and she's just supposed to forgive that. The whole book as he's trying to get her back he actually had the nerve to yell at her and say "how are we supposed to move on if you keep throwing back in my face what I did" (or something to that effect). Really? At that point I would have told him to get his disgusting cheating ass out of my house. But hey.. that's me.
Anyway, those things kinda bugged me and made me not enjoy the book as much I did with Maddie's book. But I'm interested to read all about Helen :)
Anyway, those things kinda bugged me and made me not enjoy the book as much I did with Maddie's book. But I'm interested to read all about Helen :)
February 11, 2022
I am so excited about the return of one of my favorite Netflix shows. In anticipation, I read book 2 which is Dana Sue and her daughter, Annie's story. As well as that of ex-husband, Ronnie that desperately wants Dana Sue to give him a second chance. When Annie faces a health crisis the two parents are forced to come together but will they be able to reconcile with one another?
I felt this was a very heartfelt novel that tackles not only forgiveness but the subject of eating disorders and women's health.
Goodreads review 29/01/22
I felt this was a very heartfelt novel that tackles not only forgiveness but the subject of eating disorders and women's health.
Goodreads review 29/01/22
April 18, 2017
The couple were together since high school. The two are very much in love and with a teenage daughter.
He cheated because he thought he could get away with it and that everything would remain the same. Ron was confident and sure of unconditional love of Dana.
But our heroine discovers everything and gets humiliated and kicks Ron out of the home and their daughter is devastated.
Each one of them faces the problems in a way. Dana Sue eats too much and end up gaining weight and diabetes while Annie thinking that if her mother was thin her father wouldn't have sex with another woman and she begins to starve. Each one looking for an excuse for the behavior of the Ron but forgetting that the problem is not theirs but the cheater.
Two women facing emotional problems differently and with eating disorder. Both with image problems and insecurities about their body. Dana eating too much to cope with a broken heart and Annie refusing to eat for fear of becoming like her mother and being rejected by her father.
A family seeking to support each other to overcome problems and find happiness.
With the help of friends, family and healthcare professionals the two will find balance and help needed to address the eating disorder.
The heroes they behaved as if they were teenagers throughout history and I confess it made me tired most of the time. Made me want to yell at them to stop acting like teenagers full of hormones and not as adults.
I'm really enjoying this series and recommend.
----
He cheated because he thought he could get away with it and that everything would remain the same. Ron was confident and sure of unconditional love of Dana.
But our heroine discovers everything and gets humiliated and kicks Ron out of the home and their daughter is devastated.
Each one of them faces the problems in a way. Dana Sue eats too much and end up gaining weight and diabetes while Annie thinking that if her mother was thin her father wouldn't have sex with another woman and she begins to starve. Each one looking for an excuse for the behavior of the Ron but forgetting that the problem is not theirs but the cheater.
Two women facing emotional problems differently and with eating disorder. Both with image problems and insecurities about their body. Dana eating too much to cope with a broken heart and Annie refusing to eat for fear of becoming like her mother and being rejected by her father.
A family seeking to support each other to overcome problems and find happiness.
With the help of friends, family and healthcare professionals the two will find balance and help needed to address the eating disorder.
The heroes they behaved as if they were teenagers throughout history and I confess it made me tired most of the time. Made me want to yell at them to stop acting like teenagers full of hormones and not as adults.
I'm really enjoying this series and recommend.
----
"ever since Ronnie had cheated on Dana Sue and she’d thrown him out two years ago, everything had changed. Annie’s adoration for her father had been destroyed, just as Dana Sue’s heart had been broken."
"Dana Sue was convinced she was starving herself so she wouldn’t turn out like her mom—overweight and alone."
Even the freedom to make a play for a woman when he felt like it had worn thin. He figured there was a certain amount of irony in that.
“I had full custody,” Dana Sue reminded her. “You fought for it and got it.” “There wasn’t much of a fight,” Helen scoffed. “Ronnie was anxious to leave and get on with his life. He was only too eager to send support checks and forget all about her.”
“You’re blaming Annie’s anorexia on me because I cheated on you?” “Yes, I am,” she said fiercely. “She convinced herself that if I’d been thin enough, you wouldn’t have cheated, so she decided to starve herself so she wouldn’t wind up alone like me.”
"I loved our life. I adored Annie, but on that night, when that woman came on to me, I felt a spark of something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Maybe it was the danger, the risk of getting caught. I do know it had nothing to do with her and nothing to do with you. It was like she lit a match and touched it to something I didn’t even know was flammable. It was the first and only time I was even remotely tempted to be unfaithful.”
August 6, 2020
This is literally the worst book I’ve ever read!! The only reason I even trudged through the whole terrible thing is because of the delightful Netflix series based on the books. First of all, I listened to this on audible and the narration is the worst I have ever heard in the hundreds of books I’ve listened to. It’s almost unbearable. The book is set in South Carolina but the narrator has a terribly unpleasant English accent. Secondly, Dana Sue is the most unlikable character I’ve ever read. I hate everything about her, her whininess, her meanness, her unhappiness. She’s the worst character. The entire storyline is thin, weak, boring, stupid, poorly developed, annoying, unhappy. All these people do is complain and whine and pick on each other. The depiction of eating disorders, weight management and diabetes is stupid and unreal. The constant focus on Dana Sue’s “fatness” is frankly degrading to plus size women. If you thought Dana Sue was the worst part of this book, you’re , Annie, her daughter, is ten times worse! Her eating disorder, her meanness towards her mom about her weight, her stupid games, are maddening and ridiculous and stupid. I enjoyed the first book in the series and loved the show, but this book was beyond dreadful. Everything about it was bad, every single thing! But honestly the worst part is that Dana Sue (stupid name too!) was never ever happy, not one moment in the book did she ever have a joyful moment or a happy thing to say and not once was she ever friendly to Ronnie. I have no idea why he wanted to be with her in the first place. Everything about this book was unhappy and dreadful. I’m scared to read the rest of the series now. I dearly hope they’re better. I’ve never hated a book more than this one, that I can remember.
never-reading-andor-finishing
January 11, 2021Crap it's free on amazon but cheating is a big NO for me so I'm never reading it
November 20, 2012
I think I would have liked this one more had it not seemed like this was an after school special about eating disorders. I realize that it is a big problem, but not sure that I want to read about it in a fluffy romance novel. Annie was so petulant that it got old very fast. I also felt that Dana Sue had double standard in regards to the eating disorder, because she was having her own issues. I also am not a big fan of a divorced couple getting back together. What annoyed me the most of the situation with Dana Sue and Ronnie was that he couldn't give a reason why he cheated in the first place. I also thought it was weird that Maddie was championing Ronnie when in the last book her marriage was destroyed by cheating. I hope the next book is better.
September 8, 2025
I'm writing this at about 50% done and I am not sure I'm going to get through this one (if this review is marked DNF, you'll know I didn't).
The attitudes the town is taking toward Ronnie cheating is just... gross. "Ha ha, he's a man, they all make mistakes," is the theme I'm getting here. Even Maddie, whose cheating husband got a woman pregnant in the previous book, is all, "Oh tee hee, well if he's the father of your child, you should definitely fight for the relationship." Yeah. I think I'll be passing on going back and reading Maddie's book.
I don't make a secret that I'm a sucker for a good grovel. I'm not going to say that cheating is a deal-breaker for me in a book -- but there damn well better be some angst and major suffering for the cheater in this situation. In this case, we're supposed to let bygones be bygones that Ronnie cheated because his self absorbed teenage daughter is anorexic. Plus, regarding abandoning his daughter for two years, he was, like, super-sad about it, guys.
And seriously, what the hell is that attitude about? Forgetting for a minute the "romance" part of this book, he didn't see his kid for two years. He wasn't in jail, falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, or even nobly serving a sentence for a crime he did commit. He wasn't trapped on a deserted island when his plane crashed. He wasn't on a cruise ship that got hijacked by pirates and sold to white slavers. He just missed two years of his only child's life just because his ex wife was mad and hurt. There is no universe where staying gone for two years makes him a good guy or any kind of a loving father. And when the book begins, he's all, "Hm, maybe it's time for me to get my family back -- I think I'll wait for a sign." Ya think, dipshit?
And regarding Dana Sue... I dunno guys. At the beginning of the book she has a daughter who is 90 pounds, has passed out from lack of nutrition once before, and she's busy convincing herself the kid is totally eating. Then again, I know denial is more than a river in Egypt and it is easy to convince yourself that something isn't wrong. And while I get the rage and betrayal she felt at finding out the love of her life cheated with another woman, be an adult. At the time she had a 14 year old kid and she's just going to demand that he leaves town and not see his daughter? I mean given the bang-up job she did with monitoring her kid's eating disorder, she just comes across as really selfish.
And regarding said kid... Well I was thinking about skipping ahead and reading Annie's book. But then I realized, it's essentially just a regurgitation of this plot, combined with Maddie's plot (i.e., cheating husband gets another woman pregnant, but then is also the HEA). And while I might want to read that someday, I think I need some time to be less annoyed -- especially if this author's way of making you forgive the guy for cheating essentially amounts to, "Well, all guys make dumb mistakes." So maybe not.
UPDATE AT 81% (and cursing will follow): This has turned into a rage read. On the one hand, I don't have long to go. On the other hand, fuck everyone. Fuck Dana Sue for being blind to her kid's eating disorder for a full year, fuck the kid for blaming her mother for the father's affair because she got fat (as opposed to the father for screwing around -- and I guess she was at one point, but it all happened off-page, so it meant nothing for me), and most especially, fuck Ronnie for really just telling the heroine, essentially, he cheated because he wanted to see if she could forgive him anything (I'm paraphrasing - it's not quite what he said, but it's the gist).
But most of all, fuck the author. I have said repeatedly, I can be a bit misandrist in some of these books, but I have never held men to a standard of "boys will be boys" when it comes to cheating. I expect them to be better than that because I think that's what true man-hating is: to expect less of men because of their gender. No, not everyone makes that mistake, shitty people do, and I've lost count of how many times characters in this book (especially Maddie) have said some equivalent of, "Men cheat." Yeah, sure, maybe, but the ones that do need to be kicked to the curb or dragged over hot coals because that is not acceptable behavior in a marriage. I fail to see a whole lot of difference between Maddie's husband in her book and Ronnie in this one. And I have failed to see any true remorse on his part, other than two years of choosing to be away from his kid. Dana Sue brought it up a few chapters ago and his response was, I shit you not, "Old news" because he was tired of hearing about it. Yeah, dude? I'm sure she's tired of thinking of it too.
This guy did not deserve an HEA. Then again, I'm not sure any of this family did.
The attitudes the town is taking toward Ronnie cheating is just... gross. "Ha ha, he's a man, they all make mistakes," is the theme I'm getting here. Even Maddie, whose cheating husband got a woman pregnant in the previous book, is all, "Oh tee hee, well if he's the father of your child, you should definitely fight for the relationship." Yeah. I think I'll be passing on going back and reading Maddie's book.
I don't make a secret that I'm a sucker for a good grovel. I'm not going to say that cheating is a deal-breaker for me in a book -- but there damn well better be some angst and major suffering for the cheater in this situation. In this case, we're supposed to let bygones be bygones that Ronnie cheated because his self absorbed teenage daughter is anorexic. Plus, regarding abandoning his daughter for two years, he was, like, super-sad about it, guys.
And seriously, what the hell is that attitude about? Forgetting for a minute the "romance" part of this book, he didn't see his kid for two years. He wasn't in jail, falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit, or even nobly serving a sentence for a crime he did commit. He wasn't trapped on a deserted island when his plane crashed. He wasn't on a cruise ship that got hijacked by pirates and sold to white slavers. He just missed two years of his only child's life just because his ex wife was mad and hurt. There is no universe where staying gone for two years makes him a good guy or any kind of a loving father. And when the book begins, he's all, "Hm, maybe it's time for me to get my family back -- I think I'll wait for a sign." Ya think, dipshit?
And regarding Dana Sue... I dunno guys. At the beginning of the book she has a daughter who is 90 pounds, has passed out from lack of nutrition once before, and she's busy convincing herself the kid is totally eating. Then again, I know denial is more than a river in Egypt and it is easy to convince yourself that something isn't wrong. And while I get the rage and betrayal she felt at finding out the love of her life cheated with another woman, be an adult. At the time she had a 14 year old kid and she's just going to demand that he leaves town and not see his daughter? I mean given the bang-up job she did with monitoring her kid's eating disorder, she just comes across as really selfish.
And regarding said kid... Well I was thinking about skipping ahead and reading Annie's book. But then I realized, it's essentially just a regurgitation of this plot, combined with Maddie's plot (i.e., cheating husband gets another woman pregnant, but then is also the HEA). And while I might want to read that someday, I think I need some time to be less annoyed -- especially if this author's way of making you forgive the guy for cheating essentially amounts to, "Well, all guys make dumb mistakes." So maybe not.
UPDATE AT 81% (and cursing will follow): This has turned into a rage read. On the one hand, I don't have long to go. On the other hand, fuck everyone. Fuck Dana Sue for being blind to her kid's eating disorder for a full year, fuck the kid for blaming her mother for the father's affair because she got fat (as opposed to the father for screwing around -- and I guess she was at one point, but it all happened off-page, so it meant nothing for me), and most especially, fuck Ronnie for really just telling the heroine, essentially, he cheated because he wanted to see if she could forgive him anything (I'm paraphrasing - it's not quite what he said, but it's the gist).
But most of all, fuck the author. I have said repeatedly, I can be a bit misandrist in some of these books, but I have never held men to a standard of "boys will be boys" when it comes to cheating. I expect them to be better than that because I think that's what true man-hating is: to expect less of men because of their gender. No, not everyone makes that mistake, shitty people do, and I've lost count of how many times characters in this book (especially Maddie) have said some equivalent of, "Men cheat." Yeah, sure, maybe, but the ones that do need to be kicked to the curb or dragged over hot coals because that is not acceptable behavior in a marriage. I fail to see a whole lot of difference between Maddie's husband in her book and Ronnie in this one. And I have failed to see any true remorse on his part, other than two years of choosing to be away from his kid. Dana Sue brought it up a few chapters ago and his response was, I shit you not, "Old news" because he was tired of hearing about it. Yeah, dude? I'm sure she's tired of thinking of it too.
This guy did not deserve an HEA. Then again, I'm not sure any of this family did.
August 30, 2020
I feel like giving this a 1 star is being too kind
May 20, 2024
Sherryl Woods - Gabalėlis dangaus 🌸
Antroji “Puikiųjų Magnolijų” dalis skaitytojus vėl nukels į Sereničio miestelį, o veiksmas suksis apie kitą nuostabiosios trijulės narę - Daną Sju. Po skyrybų su neištikimu vyru Roniu, Dana Sju pilnai atsidėjo savo restoranui bei naujam verslui “Kryžkelės Spa”. Per visus vienatvės metus Dana Sju ne tik ima ignoruoti savo sveikatos problemas, bet ir užsimerkia nuo skaudžios tiesos matydama savo dukrą Enę vis labiau grimztant į mitybos sutrikimų sukeltas problemas. Bet ištikus krizei ir Enės gyvybei pakibus ant plauko, Dana Sju privalo paskambinti buvusiąjam. Ar šis susitikimas gali padėti pamirštį praeitį ir vardan dukros gerovės susivienyti nepaisant širdies žaizdų? O gal meilė taip niekur ir nedingo?
Visame įvykių sukūryje, Dana taip pat įsitraukia į iššūkį - pasiekti užsibrėžtus tikslus ir gauti geidžiamiausią prizą. Ir nors Dana Sju ir vėl stengiasi nustumti savo bėdas į tamsiausią užkaborį, kokia gali būti geresnė motyvacija, nei vėl atėjęs įsimylėjimo bei noro būti geidžiamai jausmas?
Labai gyvenimiška, paprasta ir tikra istorija. Puslapiai lengvai tirpsta, o knygos veiksmas nepatampa nuobodžiu iki pat pabaigos! Nors ir tos aprašomos problemos knygoj jau nebėra taip plačiai diskutuojamos, jos vis dar egzistuoja - mitybos sutrikimas, savo kūno pokyčių priėmimas ir mokymasis vėl pamilti save. Nuo visiško nevalgymo, psichologinių baimių ir traumų, iki atvirkštinio varianto - nebevaldomo persivalgymo, kuris virsta didžiuliu pavoju sveikatai ir gyvybei. Taip pat ši istorija apie antrą šansą, sugebėjimą atleisti ir niekada nepamiršti pagalvoti apie save. Nors pabaiga pasirodė suskubėta, gal kiek per daug netikėta, bet visa istorija lyg cukraus vata - lengva ir tikrai labai faina skaityt! Taip pat jautėsi toks gyvybingumas, stiprybė, palaikymas ir netrūko man lengvų šmaikščių pasikandžiojimų bei romantikos! Visiškai tobulai tinka šiltiems vasaros vakarams bei atostogoms!
Antroji “Puikiųjų Magnolijų” dalis skaitytojus vėl nukels į Sereničio miestelį, o veiksmas suksis apie kitą nuostabiosios trijulės narę - Daną Sju. Po skyrybų su neištikimu vyru Roniu, Dana Sju pilnai atsidėjo savo restoranui bei naujam verslui “Kryžkelės Spa”. Per visus vienatvės metus Dana Sju ne tik ima ignoruoti savo sveikatos problemas, bet ir užsimerkia nuo skaudžios tiesos matydama savo dukrą Enę vis labiau grimztant į mitybos sutrikimų sukeltas problemas. Bet ištikus krizei ir Enės gyvybei pakibus ant plauko, Dana Sju privalo paskambinti buvusiąjam. Ar šis susitikimas gali padėti pamirštį praeitį ir vardan dukros gerovės susivienyti nepaisant širdies žaizdų? O gal meilė taip niekur ir nedingo?
Visame įvykių sukūryje, Dana taip pat įsitraukia į iššūkį - pasiekti užsibrėžtus tikslus ir gauti geidžiamiausią prizą. Ir nors Dana Sju ir vėl stengiasi nustumti savo bėdas į tamsiausią užkaborį, kokia gali būti geresnė motyvacija, nei vėl atėjęs įsimylėjimo bei noro būti geidžiamai jausmas?
Labai gyvenimiška, paprasta ir tikra istorija. Puslapiai lengvai tirpsta, o knygos veiksmas nepatampa nuobodžiu iki pat pabaigos! Nors ir tos aprašomos problemos knygoj jau nebėra taip plačiai diskutuojamos, jos vis dar egzistuoja - mitybos sutrikimas, savo kūno pokyčių priėmimas ir mokymasis vėl pamilti save. Nuo visiško nevalgymo, psichologinių baimių ir traumų, iki atvirkštinio varianto - nebevaldomo persivalgymo, kuris virsta didžiuliu pavoju sveikatai ir gyvybei. Taip pat ši istorija apie antrą šansą, sugebėjimą atleisti ir niekada nepamiršti pagalvoti apie save. Nors pabaiga pasirodė suskubėta, gal kiek per daug netikėta, bet visa istorija lyg cukraus vata - lengva ir tikrai labai faina skaityt! Taip pat jautėsi toks gyvybingumas, stiprybė, palaikymas ir netrūko man lengvų šmaikščių pasikandžiojimų bei romantikos! Visiškai tobulai tinka šiltiems vasaros vakarams bei atostogoms!
August 7, 2020
Bueno, si tengo que comparar este libro con el primero, creo que se ha quedado corto, pero en términos generales el libro no está mal.
Un libro de corte romántico igual que el anterior pero ahora toca conocer la historia de otra de las amigas, la historia romántica, bueno, tal vez un poco original en cuanto a otras muchas, pero tampoco ofrece nada sobresaliente.
Creo que este libro me gustó menos porque toca temas importantes y honestamente me ha molestado que solo rascara la superficie.
Toca el tema de la anorexia, un tema importante y creo que cualquier libro no importa el género que sea, cuando el autor decide tocar temas importantes debería hacerlo de la manera más profunda posible de tal manera que quienes lean estos libros y sobre estos temas realmente interioricen dichos problemas.
Recuerdo otro libro de corte romántico que tocó este tema y lo hizo tan bien que me partia el alma entrar en la mente de la chica que vivía con este desorden, sin embargo Woods, lo ha puesto como un problema provocado por algo, para mi gusto, bastante superficial, pero más que eso, como si fuera fácil salir de eso, es verdad que hay varias líneas donde se dice que la lucha contra esta enfermedad será larga y con altibajos, nunca vimos tales cosas, esta niña simplemente un día decide hablar con la psicóloga y vualá casi que esta curada de su problema y no se, no me ha gustado la manera tan superficial de tratar este tema, lo mismo que esto la autora tomó el problema de la alimentación como base para generar una parte del drama y si bien se pasa más de la mitad del libro pintando a una mujer con serios problemas de azúcar negándose a si misma su problema e ir al médico, en ningún momento vemos como es que esto da la vuelta para que esta mujer tomara responsabilidad sobre su alimentación y su salud, básicamente se enamora y sus problemas alimenticios se curan milagrosamente.
En fin, por mucho que entienda que este género por lo general son libros con historias muy sencillas, eso no quita que si vas a tocar temas importantes no les des el suficiente peso.
Por lo demás, pues bueno, es una escritora entretenida con historias para pasar un buen ratito leyendo y con libros muy convenientes para aligerar lecturas más fuertes.
Un libro de corte romántico igual que el anterior pero ahora toca conocer la historia de otra de las amigas, la historia romántica, bueno, tal vez un poco original en cuanto a otras muchas, pero tampoco ofrece nada sobresaliente.
Creo que este libro me gustó menos porque toca temas importantes y honestamente me ha molestado que solo rascara la superficie.
Toca el tema de la anorexia, un tema importante y creo que cualquier libro no importa el género que sea, cuando el autor decide tocar temas importantes debería hacerlo de la manera más profunda posible de tal manera que quienes lean estos libros y sobre estos temas realmente interioricen dichos problemas.
Recuerdo otro libro de corte romántico que tocó este tema y lo hizo tan bien que me partia el alma entrar en la mente de la chica que vivía con este desorden, sin embargo Woods, lo ha puesto como un problema provocado por algo, para mi gusto, bastante superficial, pero más que eso, como si fuera fácil salir de eso, es verdad que hay varias líneas donde se dice que la lucha contra esta enfermedad será larga y con altibajos, nunca vimos tales cosas, esta niña simplemente un día decide hablar con la psicóloga y vualá casi que esta curada de su problema y no se, no me ha gustado la manera tan superficial de tratar este tema, lo mismo que esto la autora tomó el problema de la alimentación como base para generar una parte del drama y si bien se pasa más de la mitad del libro pintando a una mujer con serios problemas de azúcar negándose a si misma su problema e ir al médico, en ningún momento vemos como es que esto da la vuelta para que esta mujer tomara responsabilidad sobre su alimentación y su salud, básicamente se enamora y sus problemas alimenticios se curan milagrosamente.
En fin, por mucho que entienda que este género por lo general son libros con historias muy sencillas, eso no quita que si vas a tocar temas importantes no les des el suficiente peso.
Por lo demás, pues bueno, es una escritora entretenida con historias para pasar un buen ratito leyendo y con libros muy convenientes para aligerar lecturas más fuertes.
August 8, 2022
2022 || 64 📖
4 ⭐
Smagi, šilta ir romantiška antroji "Puikiųjų magnolijų" dalis. Tik šįkart ji pasakoja Danos Sju istoriją 💖
Prieš porą metų iš namų išspyrusi vyrą, Dana Sju visą save atidavė verslui - klestinčiam "Sulivano" restoranui. Tačiau asmeniniame moters gyvenime nėra viskas taip puiku. Problemas, visai kitaip nei dukra Enė, kuri tiesiog nyksta akyse, Dana Sju linkusi malšinti saldumynais. O tai jai tikrai ne į naudą... Bet skaudus įvykis, privertęs Enę atsidurti ligoninėje, viską apverčia. Danai Sju tenka susidurti su praeitimi, buvusiu vyru ir permąstyti savo gyvenimą. Gal dar ne viskas prarasta?
Patiko! Ir net labiau nei "Pasiekti namus" 🙂 Antroji dalis mane nustebino savo rimtumu, nes knygoje paliesta tema tikrai aktuali ir svarbi. Apskritai "Puikiųjų magnolijų" serija mane žavi tuo, jog tai - ne vien saldžios, smagios ir lengvos istorijos, kurias gali suskaityti per porą dienų. Kiekviena knyga nagrinėja vis kitas, itin rimtas problemas. O šįkart tai - valgymo sutrikimai. Ypač anoreksija. Gana plačiai aptariama to pasekmės, žala bei tai, kaip šis sutrikimas paveikia ir keičia ne tik su juo susiduriančio žmogaus, bet ir jo šeimos bei artimųjų gyvenimus. Tačiau knygoje TIKRAI ne tik tai 😀 Gausu ir linksmų, romantiškų scenų, priversiančių nusišypsoti, o gal ir nusijuokti. Man jau įdomu, kas laukia toliau, kitose dalyse 🙌🏼
Rekomenduoju! Labai tiks, kai norėsis lengvos, nuotaikingos, bet jausmingos ir gražios istorijos ✨️
"Jeigu nepriimsi iššūkių ir niekada nebandysi, pasmerksi save likti gyvenimo šalikelėje."
"- Gyventi yra baisu, - priminė Medė. - Nebaisu tik tada, kai nebenori niekuo rizikuoti."
4 ⭐
Smagi, šilta ir romantiška antroji "Puikiųjų magnolijų" dalis. Tik šįkart ji pasakoja Danos Sju istoriją 💖
Prieš porą metų iš namų išspyrusi vyrą, Dana Sju visą save atidavė verslui - klestinčiam "Sulivano" restoranui. Tačiau asmeniniame moters gyvenime nėra viskas taip puiku. Problemas, visai kitaip nei dukra Enė, kuri tiesiog nyksta akyse, Dana Sju linkusi malšinti saldumynais. O tai jai tikrai ne į naudą... Bet skaudus įvykis, privertęs Enę atsidurti ligoninėje, viską apverčia. Danai Sju tenka susidurti su praeitimi, buvusiu vyru ir permąstyti savo gyvenimą. Gal dar ne viskas prarasta?
Patiko! Ir net labiau nei "Pasiekti namus" 🙂 Antroji dalis mane nustebino savo rimtumu, nes knygoje paliesta tema tikrai aktuali ir svarbi. Apskritai "Puikiųjų magnolijų" serija mane žavi tuo, jog tai - ne vien saldžios, smagios ir lengvos istorijos, kurias gali suskaityti per porą dienų. Kiekviena knyga nagrinėja vis kitas, itin rimtas problemas. O šįkart tai - valgymo sutrikimai. Ypač anoreksija. Gana plačiai aptariama to pasekmės, žala bei tai, kaip šis sutrikimas paveikia ir keičia ne tik su juo susiduriančio žmogaus, bet ir jo šeimos bei artimųjų gyvenimus. Tačiau knygoje TIKRAI ne tik tai 😀 Gausu ir linksmų, romantiškų scenų, priversiančių nusišypsoti, o gal ir nusijuokti. Man jau įdomu, kas laukia toliau, kitose dalyse 🙌🏼
Rekomenduoju! Labai tiks, kai norėsis lengvos, nuotaikingos, bet jausmingos ir gražios istorijos ✨️
"Jeigu nepriimsi iššūkių ir niekada nebandysi, pasmerksi save likti gyvenimo šalikelėje."
"- Gyventi yra baisu, - priminė Medė. - Nebaisu tik tada, kai nebenori niekuo rizikuoti."
January 23, 2024
This is book 2 in the Sweet Magnolias series. This series is based on 3 friends in a small town in the south called Serenity. The books follow their lives and all the trials and tribulations they go through. This is also a show on Netflix.
June 12, 2020
This was so disappointing. I actually liked the first book but this was just all wrong. Dana Sue was a complete mess, not taking action when she knows her daughters health is in jeopardy and then gets made at Ronnie for questioning why she let it get that bad. Helen was a total bitch in this one, and I have no desire to read her story. Annie was such a complete brat who needed some serious discipline. The fact that Dana Sue was pushing for her a Ty to get together was just wrong, her daughter needed professional help, not a boyfriend. Why do people think they should get back together after getting divorced? Just no, there are so many other people out there, leave the past in the past and move on.
August 30, 2020
Dana Sue Sullivan runs a successful restaurant, is part owner of the local health club with her two best friends and is the proud mother of her daughter Annie. But her life is far from perfect. She and her husband Ronnie divorced over two years earlier after Dana Sue discovered Ronnie had a one night stand. Annie was devastated by the break up, taking her mother's side, choosing to have little contact with her father, only recently reconnecting with him over the phone. Dana Sue had been worried about Annie's eating habits, but things came to a head when Annie ends up in the hospital with heart trouble. When Dana Sue calls Ronnie about Annie's health scare, he quickly returns to town. He's missed his family and regrets not fighting harder to win back Dana Sue's heart. As she and Ronnie work together to get Annie the help she needs to battle her her anorexic, things heat up between them. Yet Dana Sue is not sure she she can trust him with her feelings. Is there a second chance for their marriage?
Filled with snarky dialogue and angst, a sweet romance about second chances, friendship and love. Looking forward to the next installment of the Netflix series.
Filled with snarky dialogue and angst, a sweet romance about second chances, friendship and love. Looking forward to the next installment of the Netflix series.
September 22, 2024
TW: Eating Disorders
I don't know how I feel about this second book in the series. Where the first book focused mainly on Maddie and her family, this novel seemed to focus more on Dana Sue and her family. I have conflicting feelings about this book. With the first book, I feel like there were moments where it read like a cozy small town series. This novel is more filled with drama and didn't have any of that coziness.
Additionally, I don't know what year this book was originally written but I don't think a lot of the content will age well when it comes to a lot of the content. I think there is a lot of 'old fashioned thinking' within this story and some of the verbiage and dialogue had me cringing because a lot of us have moved beyond some of those beliefs (thank goodness).
I will be continuing to read this series because I want to see it to conclusion, especially as I'm watching the Netflix adaptation. I will say that thus far, the Netflix adaptation is a more enjoyable experience. I had bought the first two books in this series but will be borrowing the rest from the library.
I don't know how I feel about this second book in the series. Where the first book focused mainly on Maddie and her family, this novel seemed to focus more on Dana Sue and her family. I have conflicting feelings about this book. With the first book, I feel like there were moments where it read like a cozy small town series. This novel is more filled with drama and didn't have any of that coziness.
Additionally, I don't know what year this book was originally written but I don't think a lot of the content will age well when it comes to a lot of the content. I think there is a lot of 'old fashioned thinking' within this story and some of the verbiage and dialogue had me cringing because a lot of us have moved beyond some of those beliefs (thank goodness).
I will be continuing to read this series because I want to see it to conclusion, especially as I'm watching the Netflix adaptation. I will say that thus far, the Netflix adaptation is a more enjoyable experience. I had bought the first two books in this series but will be borrowing the rest from the library.
April 15, 2021
A Slice of Heaven
Sweet Magnolias 2
2.5 stars
Meh for Ronnie, Annie and Dana Sue
Hi haa yes for Maddie, Helen, Cal and Ty!
Sweet Magnolias 2
2.5 stars
Meh for Ronnie, Annie and Dana Sue
Hi haa yes for Maddie, Helen, Cal and Ty!
April 15, 2022
Headlines:
Second chance for divorcees
Parenting through teen trauma
Going the distance
This second book held far more appeal for me than book one. The book approach (as opposed to the TV series) seems to be particular character focus per book. This book was all about Dana Sue with just a little Maddie and Helen. It was interesting that Helen wasn't painted in that gracious a light in this installment.
I loved Dana Sue and Ronnie and Dana Sue in the book was an improvement on her depiction in Season Two of the TV series. She was gentler while still being fierce, she had more integrity and I just liked her character. Ronnie was a treat, so aware of his past wrongs, humble, loving and truly determined to be the father and partner he should have been. This whole story arc was such satisfying reading.
Underpinning this whole story was something big going on for Annie that honestly was really scary initially. Parenting Annie through her struggles was a big and meaty issue.
Reading book two has given me the impetous to want to read on in this series when I wasn't previously sure.
3.75 stars rounded up.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.
*CW: eating disorder*
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
Second chance for divorcees
Parenting through teen trauma
Going the distance
This second book held far more appeal for me than book one. The book approach (as opposed to the TV series) seems to be particular character focus per book. This book was all about Dana Sue with just a little Maddie and Helen. It was interesting that Helen wasn't painted in that gracious a light in this installment.
I loved Dana Sue and Ronnie and Dana Sue in the book was an improvement on her depiction in Season Two of the TV series. She was gentler while still being fierce, she had more integrity and I just liked her character. Ronnie was a treat, so aware of his past wrongs, humble, loving and truly determined to be the father and partner he should have been. This whole story arc was such satisfying reading.
Underpinning this whole story was something big going on for Annie that honestly was really scary initially. Parenting Annie through her struggles was a big and meaty issue.
Reading book two has given me the impetous to want to read on in this series when I wasn't previously sure.
3.75 stars rounded up.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the review copy.
*CW: eating disorder*
Find this review at A Take From Two Cities Blog.
May 11, 2023
As much as I love Sweet Magnolias and Serenity, this book is NOT it.
TW: eating disorders + hospitals
this book is extremely toxic and has a dangerous storyline with ED. Please don't read this book if it is something you are affected by. If you need someone, I am always here <3 I will be mentioning the events in my review so just please be aware! <3
..
Dana Sue, the mc of the second Sweet Magnolias book, is the most toxic and horrible person I've ever met in a book. She ignores her own daughters eating disorder out of her own self-absorbed anger toward her ex-husband. Her daughter was starving herself throughout a good portion of this book and the previous. She fully ignores her daughter's illness up until the point where she has a cardiac arrest. This book is targeted toward female adults, and I really really hope no mother reads this book and thinks that this is an ok portrayal of ED within families. While her daughter is fighting for her life in the hospital all she is thinking about is her ex who came to the hospital. This book would've had the potential for being an amazing story where a mother learns, listens to her daughter and they grow together. I always love Sheryl Woods work but I really don't understand the direction she wanted to go with this book. The only sane person in this book is Maggie, who at some points had to force Dana Sue to see her daughter and pay attention to her.
Please do not read this book if you do struggle, reach out to resources or a friend, trust me, you are not alone. If your mum is like Dana Sue, I am so incredibly sorry you have to go through that. It is not the way it's supposed to be, this book has a terrible representation of eating disorders. The only realistic and sad part is that there are parents like Dana Sue out there. But the sympathetic approach this book has is just so wrong. Dana Sue is not the one needing comfort, it is Annie.
TW: eating disorders + hospitals
this book is extremely toxic and has a dangerous storyline with ED. Please don't read this book if it is something you are affected by. If you need someone, I am always here <3 I will be mentioning the events in my review so just please be aware! <3
..
Dana Sue, the mc of the second Sweet Magnolias book, is the most toxic and horrible person I've ever met in a book. She ignores her own daughters eating disorder out of her own self-absorbed anger toward her ex-husband. Her daughter was starving herself throughout a good portion of this book and the previous. She fully ignores her daughter's illness up until the point where she has a cardiac arrest. This book is targeted toward female adults, and I really really hope no mother reads this book and thinks that this is an ok portrayal of ED within families. While her daughter is fighting for her life in the hospital all she is thinking about is her ex who came to the hospital. This book would've had the potential for being an amazing story where a mother learns, listens to her daughter and they grow together. I always love Sheryl Woods work but I really don't understand the direction she wanted to go with this book. The only sane person in this book is Maggie, who at some points had to force Dana Sue to see her daughter and pay attention to her.
Please do not read this book if you do struggle, reach out to resources or a friend, trust me, you are not alone. If your mum is like Dana Sue, I am so incredibly sorry you have to go through that. It is not the way it's supposed to be, this book has a terrible representation of eating disorders. The only realistic and sad part is that there are parents like Dana Sue out there. But the sympathetic approach this book has is just so wrong. Dana Sue is not the one needing comfort, it is Annie.
August 12, 2020
This is a really good story about a small town in SC and the people who live there. I read the first book and have watched the series on streaming which as you know, the stories are a little different but the characters are the same. I really enjoy having a face for the characters I'm reading about. This is a quick read and a very nice, sweet story. I definitely recommend if you like this kind of read.
August 13, 2020
I was skeptical at first due to bad reviews but I loved this book. I couldn't put it down.
August 20, 2020
Wonderful story about lost loves and renewed love!
June 12, 2021
Cute, another good addition. I love learning about this group of people and supporting characters.
June 2, 2020
A Slice of Heaven is the second book in The Sweet Magnolias series by Sherryl Woods. Although it's part of a series it can still be read as a standalone. Maddie's story was in book one, this is Dana Sue's story.
Dana Sue has been divorced for two years. It devastated her when she found out her husband, Ronnie, had a one night stand and she's never really got over it. Her life has carried on and she's even opened a very successful restaurant, but it doesn't stop her missing Ronnie even though she is still hurt and angry about what he did. Their teenage daughter, Annie, has been affected more than Dana Sue realised. She has developed Anorexia and when it becomes life-threatening Dana Sue has to get in touch with her ex so that he can be there for Annie.
Ronnie has rued the day that he stupidly had a one night stand. He hates himself for it and he misses Dana Sue so much. He's been living and working away and a day hasn't gone by when he hasn't thought of home and his family. He had already decided that he wanted to go back to Serenity to try to win her back and then he got her phone call. It was as if fate had intervened and made a way for him to go back. Not the best way to do it of course, but he needs to be there for his daughter and he wants to win back his ex-wife.
This was a much more emotional story than Maddie's one. Although there was a little romance there when Ronnie tries to win Dana Sue back the majority of the story revolved around Annie's anorexia. The subject also came up about Dana Sue's weight gain from comfort eating after the split, and about how she may be diabetic because of it. Her mother died from diabetes complications so she's putting off finding out if she has got it. All in all, it is a very deep story.
Personally, I would have preferred for there to be less dark and more light, but that said, I don't think the author could have done justice to the story if she just mentioned Annie's anorexia and then pushed it under the carpet to make room for a lot of romance between Dana Sue and Ronnie. What parents would want to put a possible reconciliation and the joy of it at the forefront of their lives when they are so worried about their daughter? Also, there is no way that I would ever take back a man that had had a one night stand during our relationship. That doesn't mean that I can't accept that Dana Sue is willing to. The author did a good job of making it seem reasonable that she would forgive him but without making it seem an easy decision.
Despite not being a light read, I did enjoy it and am surprised at some of the low reviews it has had. I definitely want to carry on reading this series with the next story being Helen's.
Dana Sue has been divorced for two years. It devastated her when she found out her husband, Ronnie, had a one night stand and she's never really got over it. Her life has carried on and she's even opened a very successful restaurant, but it doesn't stop her missing Ronnie even though she is still hurt and angry about what he did. Their teenage daughter, Annie, has been affected more than Dana Sue realised. She has developed Anorexia and when it becomes life-threatening Dana Sue has to get in touch with her ex so that he can be there for Annie.
Ronnie has rued the day that he stupidly had a one night stand. He hates himself for it and he misses Dana Sue so much. He's been living and working away and a day hasn't gone by when he hasn't thought of home and his family. He had already decided that he wanted to go back to Serenity to try to win her back and then he got her phone call. It was as if fate had intervened and made a way for him to go back. Not the best way to do it of course, but he needs to be there for his daughter and he wants to win back his ex-wife.
This was a much more emotional story than Maddie's one. Although there was a little romance there when Ronnie tries to win Dana Sue back the majority of the story revolved around Annie's anorexia. The subject also came up about Dana Sue's weight gain from comfort eating after the split, and about how she may be diabetic because of it. Her mother died from diabetes complications so she's putting off finding out if she has got it. All in all, it is a very deep story.
Personally, I would have preferred for there to be less dark and more light, but that said, I don't think the author could have done justice to the story if she just mentioned Annie's anorexia and then pushed it under the carpet to make room for a lot of romance between Dana Sue and Ronnie. What parents would want to put a possible reconciliation and the joy of it at the forefront of their lives when they are so worried about their daughter? Also, there is no way that I would ever take back a man that had had a one night stand during our relationship. That doesn't mean that I can't accept that Dana Sue is willing to. The author did a good job of making it seem reasonable that she would forgive him but without making it seem an easy decision.
Despite not being a light read, I did enjoy it and am surprised at some of the low reviews it has had. I definitely want to carry on reading this series with the next story being Helen's.
August 2, 2024
Die Geschichte ist ganz süß geschrieben und ich war schnell im kleinen süßen Serenity. Auch zwei größere Themen, die behandelt wurden, haben mir gut gefallen. Hab darüber auch noch nicht allzu oft etwas gelesen.
Trotzdem konnte ich mich leider mit keinem Charakter so richtig identifizieren und es war alles ein bisschen (für meinen Geschmack) in die Länge gezogen.
Das Buch habe ich als nette Ergänzung für die Netflix-Serie empfunden, die mir sehr gefallen hat.
Trotzdem konnte ich mich leider mit keinem Charakter so richtig identifizieren und es war alles ein bisschen (für meinen Geschmack) in die Länge gezogen.
Das Buch habe ich als nette Ergänzung für die Netflix-Serie empfunden, die mir sehr gefallen hat.
January 28, 2022
The characters are kind of frustrating because they seem to be unreasonable and jump to conclusions and just dumb sometimes. I liked the plotline and it's a feel good romance book. I enjoy the TV series more.
November 28, 2020
-Is there a version of the Bechdel test that requires two female characters to have a conversation that is not only about something other than men but also about something other than diets?
-Annie uses the word 'hunk'. More than once. As a teenager. This has been around as slang for 'hot guy' since the 40s, but...I don't think anyone under 40—maybe 50?—has ever used it unironically.
-I would hate to live in this town. None of the characters can do so much as fart without someone popping up on the next page and saying 'Sooooo I hear you've been having indigestion!' Basically, if there weren't at least three witnesses, it didn't happen.
-The number of times the men in Dana Sue's life police her food choices. Jesus fucking christ.
-Missing warning signs that something is wrong with your kid does not make you a bad parent. Using your sick kid as ammunition against your ex, or trying to keep your ex (who is not innocent but whose faults have nothing to do with the kid) away from your kid because you're feeling petty (see also), does make you a bad parent.
-When a character collapses, other characters do CPR without checking whether she has a heartbeat. Chest compressions are not needed if there's a heartbeat, folks! And then there's a lot of talk about her not breathing (but nothing about her heart stopping), and how she could have had a cardiac arrest, and then the doctor says she did have a cardiac arrest—and then the character herself is only told that she 'developed an arrhythmia'. Which is it, folks?
-In a town of four to five thousand people, a developer is building a subdivision of six hundred houses, and this is a throwaway line. That's...guys, if all those houses sold, the town population could conceivably increase by 50%. That's insane.
-The romance drama is between Dana Sue and her ex-husband Ronnie, whom she kicked out after learning he'd had a one-night stand of an affair. Ronnie's been out of the picture for two years, but he comes back when Annie gets sick, and he and Dana Sue immediately alternate fighting and making out (sounds healthy!). And...guys, everyone's going to have their own take on whether and under what circumstances cheating is forgivable, and that's fine. I didn't read the first book, in which I assume the Drama is discussed in more detail, and whether Dana Sue wanted to take Ronnie back or make the exit permanent—that's fine by me. But it seems so telling that for all the 'explaining' Ronnie does of his actions (it was meaningless, he doesn't have a real reason, it's 'old news', etc. etc.), do you know what he never does? He never apologises. Not once. The two times he says the word 'sorry' in conversation with Dana Sue, it's in other contexts and it's sarcastic ('Sorry, darlin', but...'). It's just a word, but—it matters, no?
-He does call her 'sugar' 22 times. I'd say it's sweet, but it's not. He never earns the right to be cocky and wannabe he-man.
-The 'grin' count is 113+, and the characters' cheeks must all be tired. I feel you, cheeks. I'm tired too.
-Annie uses the word 'hunk'. More than once. As a teenager. This has been around as slang for 'hot guy' since the 40s, but...I don't think anyone under 40—maybe 50?—has ever used it unironically.
-I would hate to live in this town. None of the characters can do so much as fart without someone popping up on the next page and saying 'Sooooo I hear you've been having indigestion!' Basically, if there weren't at least three witnesses, it didn't happen.
-The number of times the men in Dana Sue's life police her food choices. Jesus fucking christ.
-Missing warning signs that something is wrong with your kid does not make you a bad parent. Using your sick kid as ammunition against your ex, or trying to keep your ex (who is not innocent but whose faults have nothing to do with the kid) away from your kid because you're feeling petty (see also), does make you a bad parent.
-When a character collapses, other characters do CPR without checking whether she has a heartbeat. Chest compressions are not needed if there's a heartbeat, folks! And then there's a lot of talk about her not breathing (but nothing about her heart stopping), and how she could have had a cardiac arrest, and then the doctor says she did have a cardiac arrest—and then the character herself is only told that she 'developed an arrhythmia'. Which is it, folks?
-In a town of four to five thousand people, a developer is building a subdivision of six hundred houses, and this is a throwaway line. That's...guys, if all those houses sold, the town population could conceivably increase by 50%. That's insane.
-The romance drama is between Dana Sue and her ex-husband Ronnie, whom she kicked out after learning he'd had a one-night stand of an affair. Ronnie's been out of the picture for two years, but he comes back when Annie gets sick, and he and Dana Sue immediately alternate fighting and making out (sounds healthy!). And...guys, everyone's going to have their own take on whether and under what circumstances cheating is forgivable, and that's fine. I didn't read the first book, in which I assume the Drama is discussed in more detail, and whether Dana Sue wanted to take Ronnie back or make the exit permanent—that's fine by me. But it seems so telling that for all the 'explaining' Ronnie does of his actions (it was meaningless, he doesn't have a real reason, it's 'old news', etc. etc.), do you know what he never does? He never apologises. Not once. The two times he says the word 'sorry' in conversation with Dana Sue, it's in other contexts and it's sarcastic ('Sorry, darlin', but...'). It's just a word, but—it matters, no?
-He does call her 'sugar' 22 times. I'd say it's sweet, but it's not. He never earns the right to be cocky and wannabe he-man.
-The 'grin' count is 113+, and the characters' cheeks must all be tired. I feel you, cheeks. I'm tired too.
November 3, 2020
Disappointed in this read
And on audio I feel it was worse than if I read it
Taking back a cheating husband and allowing him to verbally manipulate you in the process ? Not what most women would want or accept in today’s world
On a positive note _both parents were there for their daughter
And on audio I feel it was worse than if I read it
Taking back a cheating husband and allowing him to verbally manipulate you in the process ? Not what most women would want or accept in today’s world
On a positive note _both parents were there for their daughter
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