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Life's a Beach #3
Change of Life
On Lila Chapin's birthday, something snapped. She packed her bags, wrote a note and left-just like that.
Unbeknownst to her family, Lila was giving herself the present she wanted most: a month's vacation. She was going to pamper her body, feast her eyes and soothe her soul while Ken and the boys realized just how much they took her for granted.
But Lila hadn't bargained on Ken's reaction to her domestic rebellion—and on a side of him that she hadn't known existed.
Nor had she bargained on the sweetness and wonder of a post-summer romance.
Unbeknownst to her family, Lila was giving herself the present she wanted most: a month's vacation. She was going to pamper her body, feast her eyes and soothe her soul while Ken and the boys realized just how much they took her for granted.
But Lila hadn't bargained on Ken's reaction to her domestic rebellion—and on a side of him that she hadn't known existed.
Nor had she bargained on the sweetness and wonder of a post-summer romance.
252 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1999
12 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Judith Arnold
183 books173 followersBarbara Keiler
aka Ariel Berk, Thea Frederick, Judith Arnold
Barbara Keiler was born on April 7th. She started telling stories before shecould write. She was four when her sister, Carolyn, stuffed a crayon intoher hand and taught her the alphabet, and she's been writing ever since.
Barbara is a graduate of Smith College, where she learned to aim for thestars, and she received a master's degree in creative writing from BrownUniversity, where she took aim at a good-looking graduate student in thechemistry department and wound up marrying him. She says: "Before myhusband and I were married, I had a job in California and he was working onhis Ph.D. in Rhode Island. I became ill, and he hopped on a plane and flewacross the country to be with me. Neither of us had any money, but he saidhe simply couldn't concentrate on his research, knowing I was three thousandmiles away and facing a serious health problem all by myself. He stayed fortwo weeks, until I was pretty well recovered. That he would just drop whathe was doing, put his life on hold and race to my side told me how much heloved me. After that, I knew this was the man I wanted to marry."
Barbara has received writing fellowships from the Shubert Foundation and theNational Endowment for the Arts, and has taught at colleges and universitiesaround the country. She has also written several plays that have beenprofessionally staged at regional theaters in San Francisco, Washington, D.C.,Connecticut and off-off-Broadway.
Since her first romance novel's publication in 1983 as Ariel Berk. Shewrote one novel as Thea Frederick, and since 1985 she writes asJudith Arnold. Barbara has sold more than 70 novels, with eight millioncopies in print worldwide. She has recently signed a contract with MIRABooks. Her first MIRA novel will appear in 2001. She has received severalawards from Romantic Times Magazine, including awards for the Best HarlequinAmerican Romance of the Year, Best Harlequin Superromance of the Year, BestSeries Romantic Novel of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Certificate ofMerit for Innovative Series Romance. She has also been a finalist for theGolden Medallion Award and the RITA Award for Romance Writer of America. Hernovel Barefoot in the Grass has appeared on the recommended reading listsdistributed by cancer support services at several hospitals.
Barbara lives in a small town not far from Boston, Massachusetts, New England with her husband, two teenage sons, and a guinea pig named Wilbur. Her sister Carolyn died of breast cancer in 1998.
aka Ariel Berk, Thea Frederick, Judith Arnold
Barbara Keiler was born on April 7th. She started telling stories before shecould write. She was four when her sister, Carolyn, stuffed a crayon intoher hand and taught her the alphabet, and she's been writing ever since.
Barbara is a graduate of Smith College, where she learned to aim for thestars, and she received a master's degree in creative writing from BrownUniversity, where she took aim at a good-looking graduate student in thechemistry department and wound up marrying him. She says: "Before myhusband and I were married, I had a job in California and he was working onhis Ph.D. in Rhode Island. I became ill, and he hopped on a plane and flewacross the country to be with me. Neither of us had any money, but he saidhe simply couldn't concentrate on his research, knowing I was three thousandmiles away and facing a serious health problem all by myself. He stayed fortwo weeks, until I was pretty well recovered. That he would just drop whathe was doing, put his life on hold and race to my side told me how much heloved me. After that, I knew this was the man I wanted to marry."
Barbara has received writing fellowships from the Shubert Foundation and theNational Endowment for the Arts, and has taught at colleges and universitiesaround the country. She has also written several plays that have beenprofessionally staged at regional theaters in San Francisco, Washington, D.C.,Connecticut and off-off-Broadway.
Since her first romance novel's publication in 1983 as Ariel Berk. Shewrote one novel as Thea Frederick, and since 1985 she writes asJudith Arnold. Barbara has sold more than 70 novels, with eight millioncopies in print worldwide. She has recently signed a contract with MIRABooks. Her first MIRA novel will appear in 2001. She has received severalawards from Romantic Times Magazine, including awards for the Best HarlequinAmerican Romance of the Year, Best Harlequin Superromance of the Year, BestSeries Romantic Novel of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement Certificate ofMerit for Innovative Series Romance. She has also been a finalist for theGolden Medallion Award and the RITA Award for Romance Writer of America. Hernovel Barefoot in the Grass has appeared on the recommended reading listsdistributed by cancer support services at several hospitals.
Barbara lives in a small town not far from Boston, Massachusetts, New England with her husband, two teenage sons, and a guinea pig named Wilbur. Her sister Carolyn died of breast cancer in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
February 24, 2019
2 ⭐⭐ - Meh!
================
Over the years our heroine has become invisible to the family. She cooks, cleans, takes care of everyone, but stays in the shadows and is literally ignored. The husband worried about a work promotion ends up forgetting her birthday again. She feels neglected and undervalued and leaves home and takes refuge in a hotel on the beach.
I think she's depressed and out of prospects in life. She sacrificed her own career so that her husband succeeded and stayed in the background looking after his children and home.
Her husband is surprised to arrive home and find that the children did not even notice that she was not there.
He did not notice when entering the house that her car was not in the garage. Children only notice when dinner is not on the table.
Our hero alternates moments of anger and guilt over not appreciating or showing that he cares more often. He feels on the skin the work that gives care of everything and the children without any help.
She befriends a younger guy, they talk, they go out to drinks and one night she lets him kiss her. WTF!
But she loves her husband.
Then she decides to go home because she is missing her husband and children.
There's a HEA in the end.
================
Over the years our heroine has become invisible to the family. She cooks, cleans, takes care of everyone, but stays in the shadows and is literally ignored. The husband worried about a work promotion ends up forgetting her birthday again. She feels neglected and undervalued and leaves home and takes refuge in a hotel on the beach.
I think she's depressed and out of prospects in life. She sacrificed her own career so that her husband succeeded and stayed in the background looking after his children and home.
Her husband is surprised to arrive home and find that the children did not even notice that she was not there.
He did not notice when entering the house that her car was not in the garage. Children only notice when dinner is not on the table.
Our hero alternates moments of anger and guilt over not appreciating or showing that he cares more often. He feels on the skin the work that gives care of everything and the children without any help.
She befriends a younger guy, they talk, they go out to drinks and one night she lets him kiss her. WTF!
But she loves her husband.
Then she decides to go home because she is missing her husband and children.
There's a HEA in the end.
June 1, 2011
Husband and wife team of 16 years. They have two boys in 3rd and 5th grade. Husband has been waiting to get a promotion, wife is the stay at home mom who also volunteers at a soup kitchen three times a week.
Husband forgets wife's 40th birthday so she decides it's time they stop taking her for granted. She takes 1000 dollars out of their account and takes herself off for a one month vacation alone.
Interesting concept, don't know if I like the wife just walking out, but she's pretty meek, so it's really the only way the hubby would wake up to what he and the kids do. It does vaguely remind me of a children's book where the kids always take their teacher for granted so she leaves and their sub is a horrible woman that makes them wish they had their teacher back.
Husband forgets wife's 40th birthday so she decides it's time they stop taking her for granted. She takes 1000 dollars out of their account and takes herself off for a one month vacation alone.
Interesting concept, don't know if I like the wife just walking out, but she's pretty meek, so it's really the only way the hubby would wake up to what he and the kids do. It does vaguely remind me of a children's book where the kids always take their teacher for granted so she leaves and their sub is a horrible woman that makes them wish they had their teacher back.
November 23, 2023
I have no idea why I reread this again, it’s a concept I like, but the story? Meh.
Note to self—don’t be tempted again, it doesn’t improve on the reread.
Reread 12/19/2021… no idea why I felt the need to reread this one. Still 2 stars. I love the concept of this story. A wife who’s had enough after her husband and sons forgot her 40th birthday. She takes time for herself, and no one’s happy. A bit dated.
Note to self—don’t be tempted again, it doesn’t improve on the reread.
Reread 12/19/2021… no idea why I felt the need to reread this one. Still 2 stars. I love the concept of this story. A wife who’s had enough after her husband and sons forgot her 40th birthday. She takes time for herself, and no one’s happy. A bit dated.
June 2, 2021
Change of Life, a category romance by Judith Arnold, seems less a romance and more a story of a woman's mid-life crisis and journey to self-discovery.
Lila Chapin is a long-time married woman with several rambunctious young boys. While Daddy is the fun parent, she's a stay-at-home mom who cooks, cleans, disciplines, and is attentive to everyone's wants and needs. On her 40th birthday, when her husband, Ken, and their kids forget all about it, she decides it's time for a change in her life. She packs up her things, takes her keys, withdraws some money from their bank account, and leaves.
She settles into a hotel and figures it's time to take care of her wants and needs. She informs her bewildered husband that she's taking one month off from being a wife and mother. Lila feels she's been taken for granted, and without her around, her family will realize how much they rely on her for everything.
Ken, of course, isn't amused. He insists Lila come home, but she's not budging.
A night or two of relaxation at a hotel is fun. However, Lila wants more than to lay around and be pampered. She's not fulfilled. So Lila volunteers at a homeless shelter, feeding the poor. She gets to know them on a more individual level and wants to help out as much as she can. Then she starts classes for the indigent to try to enhance their educational skills to gain greater opportunities.
In the meantime, Ken is doing his best to convince her to come home. Husband and wife meet up for conversations which form into dates. But that's not the only guy she's dating! Lila's met a younger man with whom she flirts and has one platonic night out. It doesn't lead to adultery, but I wouldn't like it in a romance if a married hero did this to his wife, and it's not right for Lila to do this, Ken.
Ken's not a bad guy; he loves his wife, works hard to provide for his family financially, and is a loving father. However, Lila needs more than that. She wants a man who will support her hopes and dreams and not forget about special events like a 40th birthday party (which was very thoughtless on Ken's part, so he's definitely not without flaws).
In the end, Lila and Ken come to a compromise, where he will spend time doing more housework and appreciation her, and Lila gets some "me time" working to help the poor. Being a full-time mother is a meaningful existence; I certainly felt that way when I was doing it. Although I can understand that not all women share the same opinion and need "more."
It's wonderful that Lila is now being fulfilled, but couldn't she have just talked with Ken? Yes, sometimes we women feel that it takes a big dramatic show to make us heard. Leaving your kids with your husband for a weekend or even a full week's vacation to relax is one thing and well-earned. But abandoning them with no word was just as thoughtless as them forgetting her birthday. And as for Lila going on a date with another man while married? Bad form.
Change of Life proves one thing: women and men can both be self-centered when they experience mid-life crises. It's always good to reevaluate your beliefs and situation in life, but it's important to communicate with your life partner if you're unsatisfied with how things are. Walking out on your family for a month could lead to a more permanent separation in real life. Lila was lucky that her plan worked. As this is a romance, of course, it couldn't end any other way.
2 1/2 stars
Lila Chapin is a long-time married woman with several rambunctious young boys. While Daddy is the fun parent, she's a stay-at-home mom who cooks, cleans, disciplines, and is attentive to everyone's wants and needs. On her 40th birthday, when her husband, Ken, and their kids forget all about it, she decides it's time for a change in her life. She packs up her things, takes her keys, withdraws some money from their bank account, and leaves.
She settles into a hotel and figures it's time to take care of her wants and needs. She informs her bewildered husband that she's taking one month off from being a wife and mother. Lila feels she's been taken for granted, and without her around, her family will realize how much they rely on her for everything.
Ken, of course, isn't amused. He insists Lila come home, but she's not budging.
A night or two of relaxation at a hotel is fun. However, Lila wants more than to lay around and be pampered. She's not fulfilled. So Lila volunteers at a homeless shelter, feeding the poor. She gets to know them on a more individual level and wants to help out as much as she can. Then she starts classes for the indigent to try to enhance their educational skills to gain greater opportunities.
In the meantime, Ken is doing his best to convince her to come home. Husband and wife meet up for conversations which form into dates. But that's not the only guy she's dating! Lila's met a younger man with whom she flirts and has one platonic night out. It doesn't lead to adultery, but I wouldn't like it in a romance if a married hero did this to his wife, and it's not right for Lila to do this, Ken.
Ken's not a bad guy; he loves his wife, works hard to provide for his family financially, and is a loving father. However, Lila needs more than that. She wants a man who will support her hopes and dreams and not forget about special events like a 40th birthday party (which was very thoughtless on Ken's part, so he's definitely not without flaws).
In the end, Lila and Ken come to a compromise, where he will spend time doing more housework and appreciation her, and Lila gets some "me time" working to help the poor. Being a full-time mother is a meaningful existence; I certainly felt that way when I was doing it. Although I can understand that not all women share the same opinion and need "more."
It's wonderful that Lila is now being fulfilled, but couldn't she have just talked with Ken? Yes, sometimes we women feel that it takes a big dramatic show to make us heard. Leaving your kids with your husband for a weekend or even a full week's vacation to relax is one thing and well-earned. But abandoning them with no word was just as thoughtless as them forgetting her birthday. And as for Lila going on a date with another man while married? Bad form.
Change of Life proves one thing: women and men can both be self-centered when they experience mid-life crises. It's always good to reevaluate your beliefs and situation in life, but it's important to communicate with your life partner if you're unsatisfied with how things are. Walking out on your family for a month could lead to a more permanent separation in real life. Lila was lucky that her plan worked. As this is a romance, of course, it couldn't end any other way.
2 1/2 stars
January 1, 2019
I’m losing faith in light, easy reads. I tried this one because just by looking at the cover, I knew it would be a happy ending, but it was frustrating. Just talk to each other, people. Tell your spouse what you need. If they don’t listen, call them on it. Do your own part, and listen. This playing games shit is for the birds, and I’m too old and cynical to find it entertaining.
December 28, 2021
Meh. I’m giving this one 2.5 🌟.
This story is dated, for sure, and pretty short, so there’s not a lot of lingering over the angsty bits. For example, H and sons forget h’s 40th birthday. As in, completely forgot about her birthday. 😑 Then H has the temerity to get his back up about her disappointment with that whole non-event. What a douche. Both MCs have extensive inner monologues, but there’s not a whole heck of a lot of actual communication between the two going on. That felt dated, too, but also true to the type of traditional gender roles they had both gone whole hog in on for all of the previous years of their marriage.
I liked that h started exploring her purpose, worth, and value outside of her roles as wife and mom. I also liked the epiphanies the H had about his self-centered ladder-climbing behavior lo these many years. I would have liked to see the two growing together and verbalizing these ideas to one another, out loud, but this short novel had other plans for a swift resolution.
Low-ish angst and less meat on the bones than I prefer.
This story is dated, for sure, and pretty short, so there’s not a lot of lingering over the angsty bits. For example, H and sons forget h’s 40th birthday. As in, completely forgot about her birthday. 😑 Then H has the temerity to get his back up about her disappointment with that whole non-event. What a douche. Both MCs have extensive inner monologues, but there’s not a whole heck of a lot of actual communication between the two going on. That felt dated, too, but also true to the type of traditional gender roles they had both gone whole hog in on for all of the previous years of their marriage.
I liked that h started exploring her purpose, worth, and value outside of her roles as wife and mom. I also liked the epiphanies the H had about his self-centered ladder-climbing behavior lo these many years. I would have liked to see the two growing together and verbalizing these ideas to one another, out loud, but this short novel had other plans for a swift resolution.
Low-ish angst and less meat on the bones than I prefer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2017
I like reading about marriages in trouble especially when the author makes a serious attempt at having the couple work through issues in a realistic manner. I think many women can relate to growing older and birthdays as a catalyst for self-reflection about their lives so far. Are you fulfilled, appreciated, loved and happy with your life? The heroine in this story feels like she is invisible; she lives for her kids and her husband; she puts others needs above her own (always). So, what happens when you turn 40 and you realize that those you love the most take you for granted? What happens when you don't recognize yourself anymore? How does your family react when you need to take time for yourself to figure it out?
The author did a good job on exploring the issues between the entire family: kids/mother, husband/wife, father/kids. I liked that the author did not make this a fault issue and took time to look at the entire family dynamic.
I really liked the book, it made me think and I couldn't stop reading - so 4 stars.
The author did a good job on exploring the issues between the entire family: kids/mother, husband/wife, father/kids. I liked that the author did not make this a fault issue and took time to look at the entire family dynamic.
I really liked the book, it made me think and I couldn't stop reading - so 4 stars.
July 22, 2015
The book starts presenting us an usual middle age woman, taking an unusual decision after feeling she was turning sort of "invisible" to her most beloved ones.
As the story developes very wonderfully written following that brilliant start, the author presents us a sore subject, and works through it with an impeccable pace, adding doses of reality here and there to upgrade the story to a great level.
This is the second book I read from Judith Arnold, and I'm certainly looking forward to read a lot more from her.
As the story developes very wonderfully written following that brilliant start, the author presents us a sore subject, and works through it with an impeccable pace, adding doses of reality here and there to upgrade the story to a great level.
This is the second book I read from Judith Arnold, and I'm certainly looking forward to read a lot more from her.
August 26, 2023
Another of those good but flawed books. Lila, who's just turned 40, has been feeling overwhelmed and frustrated with her household duties, two young sons with too much energy, and the career aspirations (teaching) she put aside. It doesn't help when her husband, Ken forgets her birthday (while she threw a party for his 40th) and seems to be taking her for granted.
Lila decides she needs a vacation from her life, a bit of time to herself which will hopefully give her a better perspective and make her husband and sons appreciate her more. Naturally, it isn't as simple as that seems.
I wish the story had concentrated more on the good idea she had, of taking her volunteer work at a soup kitchen and turning it into a career of helping the people she encounters there with their literacy problems. The story focused on this a bit, including how tough it was to get funding to follow through on this, but I think the author missed a good opportunity. Ken was worried about Lila volunteering in a neighborhood that wasn't the safest, and if the story had been about her getting that job and the problems that caused for them, this book could have been a lot better.
Instead, the focus seems to be on Lila acting the martyr, as well as taking a "my way or highway" attitude. While I can understand her needing time alone, why does it have to be a month, won't a week or two be enough? Instead of discussing it with Ken, she just takes off and leaves him a letter, saying she'll see him in a month, and she'll call often. When he says he misses her, she's not sure she trusts him, as she thinks he may just miss her doing all the household chores he's stuck with now. (And that's another thing: she did the domestic chores while he worked as an executive. It's true, she had a lot to do, but she had no outside job aside from her volunteer work, and more time to devote to those chores. Meanwhile, Ken has to work both a full-time job and take care of the boys, the cooking, etc. Does that sound very fair???)
Then, when Ken needs Lila to accompany him to a party in honor of his promotion, she at first wants to meet him somewhere, as she doesn't want him to know where she's staying! She gets over that nonsense but acts hypersensitive to anything anyone says at the party, then gets unnerved because, when Ken takes her back to the hotel where she's staying, he wants to make love and she refuses to give in, because it bothers her that she wants him so much! (Is that DUMB. or what!) She accuses him of trying to seduce her into coming home before she's ready and that if she did, all the old problems will still be there. Shouldn't they be trying to talk out those problems??? Ken even suggests they get counseling, but she decides that all marriage counseling leads to divorce, yet at the same time, she wonders if that's what will happen to them, regardless of whether they try to get help or not. She worries that Ken will get angry or tired of her attitude and maybe want to end their marriage or look for another woman to sleep with. (She's so worried about her marriage, yet won't do anything positive to fix their problems, go figure!)
Meanwhile, she's the one with someone else in the wings, as Jimmy, a young hot handyman at the hotel, makes it clear he's interested in her. At first, Lila thought he was just flattering an "older woman" (he's somewhere in his 20's) and didn't take him seriously, then they get to be friends and she enjoys talking to him. (Shouldn't she be talking to her husband???) They go out for beers a couple of times, and there's nothing wrong with that, but then, after she confesses that she's not sure if she and Ken will work things out, Jimmy asks her out on an official date, and she accepts! Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think a married woman should be dating, unless she's legally separated and on the road to divorce, which was not the case here. And Jimmy actually had the balls to ask her for a date after he met her husband and hung out with her sons when they came for a visit, telling her later she had a nice family.! (That's another thing: Lila wanted to see her sons, but she refused to see them at home, insisting that Ken take them to the hotel. everything has to be her way!) Lila should have kicked Jimmy where he lives, instead of going out to dinner with him and later letting him kiss her! (That's as far as it went, and she discovered his kiss was nice, but didn't turn her on like Ken's kisses did. She then pushed Jimmy away when he tried for more, and made it clear that won't happen again.)
It really irked me the way Jimmy felt entitled to some action, and told her since there's no guarantee her marriage will work out, why not give him a shot? (I would have shot him alright and left him singing soprano!) There's nothing I HATE more than the OM getting too pushy and presuming too much!!
For me, the last straw was when Ken busted his butt trying to get funding for the literacy program Lila wanted, jeopardized his job in the process, couldn't do it, and felt terrible, hating to disappoint Lila. And what happens? She says she didn't want his help, because while he was climbing the corporate ladder, he didn't need her help, so she'd rather do this without his help. And then she tells him if she works, he'll have to do some household chores. Nothing wrong with them sharing chores, but she says this like an ultimatum, like from now on she's calling the shots and he has to kowtow, or else. What next, asking him to kneel and kiss her feet? Probably.
And, of course, she comes back home, because she was ready to, always about the great HER! I hope Ken finds himself a better "her" and dumps this one on her ass! He deserves better.
Lila decides she needs a vacation from her life, a bit of time to herself which will hopefully give her a better perspective and make her husband and sons appreciate her more. Naturally, it isn't as simple as that seems.
I wish the story had concentrated more on the good idea she had, of taking her volunteer work at a soup kitchen and turning it into a career of helping the people she encounters there with their literacy problems. The story focused on this a bit, including how tough it was to get funding to follow through on this, but I think the author missed a good opportunity. Ken was worried about Lila volunteering in a neighborhood that wasn't the safest, and if the story had been about her getting that job and the problems that caused for them, this book could have been a lot better.
Instead, the focus seems to be on Lila acting the martyr, as well as taking a "my way or highway" attitude. While I can understand her needing time alone, why does it have to be a month, won't a week or two be enough? Instead of discussing it with Ken, she just takes off and leaves him a letter, saying she'll see him in a month, and she'll call often. When he says he misses her, she's not sure she trusts him, as she thinks he may just miss her doing all the household chores he's stuck with now. (And that's another thing: she did the domestic chores while he worked as an executive. It's true, she had a lot to do, but she had no outside job aside from her volunteer work, and more time to devote to those chores. Meanwhile, Ken has to work both a full-time job and take care of the boys, the cooking, etc. Does that sound very fair???)
Then, when Ken needs Lila to accompany him to a party in honor of his promotion, she at first wants to meet him somewhere, as she doesn't want him to know where she's staying! She gets over that nonsense but acts hypersensitive to anything anyone says at the party, then gets unnerved because, when Ken takes her back to the hotel where she's staying, he wants to make love and she refuses to give in, because it bothers her that she wants him so much! (Is that DUMB. or what!) She accuses him of trying to seduce her into coming home before she's ready and that if she did, all the old problems will still be there. Shouldn't they be trying to talk out those problems??? Ken even suggests they get counseling, but she decides that all marriage counseling leads to divorce, yet at the same time, she wonders if that's what will happen to them, regardless of whether they try to get help or not. She worries that Ken will get angry or tired of her attitude and maybe want to end their marriage or look for another woman to sleep with. (She's so worried about her marriage, yet won't do anything positive to fix their problems, go figure!)
Meanwhile, she's the one with someone else in the wings, as Jimmy, a young hot handyman at the hotel, makes it clear he's interested in her. At first, Lila thought he was just flattering an "older woman" (he's somewhere in his 20's) and didn't take him seriously, then they get to be friends and she enjoys talking to him. (Shouldn't she be talking to her husband???) They go out for beers a couple of times, and there's nothing wrong with that, but then, after she confesses that she's not sure if she and Ken will work things out, Jimmy asks her out on an official date, and she accepts! Call me old-fashioned, but I don't think a married woman should be dating, unless she's legally separated and on the road to divorce, which was not the case here. And Jimmy actually had the balls to ask her for a date after he met her husband and hung out with her sons when they came for a visit, telling her later she had a nice family.! (That's another thing: Lila wanted to see her sons, but she refused to see them at home, insisting that Ken take them to the hotel. everything has to be her way!) Lila should have kicked Jimmy where he lives, instead of going out to dinner with him and later letting him kiss her! (That's as far as it went, and she discovered his kiss was nice, but didn't turn her on like Ken's kisses did. She then pushed Jimmy away when he tried for more, and made it clear that won't happen again.)
It really irked me the way Jimmy felt entitled to some action, and told her since there's no guarantee her marriage will work out, why not give him a shot? (I would have shot him alright and left him singing soprano!) There's nothing I HATE more than the OM getting too pushy and presuming too much!!
For me, the last straw was when Ken busted his butt trying to get funding for the literacy program Lila wanted, jeopardized his job in the process, couldn't do it, and felt terrible, hating to disappoint Lila. And what happens? She says she didn't want his help, because while he was climbing the corporate ladder, he didn't need her help, so she'd rather do this without his help. And then she tells him if she works, he'll have to do some household chores. Nothing wrong with them sharing chores, but she says this like an ultimatum, like from now on she's calling the shots and he has to kowtow, or else. What next, asking him to kneel and kiss her feet? Probably.
And, of course, she comes back home, because she was ready to, always about the great HER! I hope Ken finds himself a better "her" and dumps this one on her ass! He deserves better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2020
Enjoyable, resuscitated-marriage romance, originally published in 1990 by Harlequin American
Lila Chapin has been married for 16 years and is thoroughly burned out with her life as a neglected, stay-at-home wife and mother. Her husband Ken is a workaholic, who has basically left the vast majority of the responsibility for raising their two sons, 10-year-old Michael and 8-year-old Danny, on her shoulders, and both he and the boys have been taking her for granted for a long time now. When Ken and the boys forget the major turning point of her 40th birthday, it is the final straw for Lila. She withdraws enough money from her joint, marital bank account for a month-long solo vacation at a beachside inn, leaving a note for Ken telling him why she’s going and for how long, but not where.
Meanwhile, Ken alternates between rage, shame, and dread—what if Lila never comes back, or comes back with a personality change, such that she’s no longer the conveniently quiet, biddable little housewife she’s always been? In a state of educational despair, Ken eventually accepts responsibility that he’s completely blown it, and he’d better do something to fix this mess, ASAP, before he loses his wife for good.
The premise of Lila never having any boundaries, and meekly stuffing down her resentment, year after year, until she has finally gunny-sacked enough injustices for a guilt-free disappearing act, seems painfully passive-aggressive. But this rather unassertive approach to a marriage on the rocks is not necessarily unexpected from a 1990 Harlequin American, a line of romances focusing on family relationships as much as the central romantic connection. In addition, at the time this novel was written, it was considered very innovative to offer a reunion romance in the form of a middle-aged, long-time-married couple in desperate need of revitalizing their relationship. This type of plot isn’t as readily available these days, so the author's offering it as an indie reprint is a nice change of pace in the current romance-fiction marketplace.
I also have no particular problem finding this plot authentic, because I personally know of two women, if not in Lila’s particular age group (Baby Boomer, born around 1950), but from the generation just before (the Greatest Generation, born around 1929), who made a similar mid-life, marital choice as Lila. Both also left their neglectful husband at age 40. The first one left just after her third and last child went off to college. The second one, similar to Lila, still had young children at home. Her oldest son was 13, her second son was 10, and her daughter was only 5. The first woman came back after her husband begged her to, practically on bended knee, and they stayed married 55 years total, until his death. The second woman didn’t come back. She filed for divorce soon after, and within the next year she remarried a much younger and more attentive man, while simultaneously handing over physical custody of her kids to her ex.
I think this particular plot will satisfy an emotional need of unhappy, neglected wives everywhere, who can vicariously experience, through this HEA romance, the positive possibility of my first, real-life example—a successfully resuscitated, moribund marriage.
Finally, fans of Ms. Arnold, who is an excellent, award-winning romance writer, will enjoy this novel because it is a well written, classic, dual-point-of-view, no-cheating, HEA romance.
I rate this story as follows:
Heroine: 3 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Beach Setting: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 3.6 rounded to 4 stars
Lila Chapin has been married for 16 years and is thoroughly burned out with her life as a neglected, stay-at-home wife and mother. Her husband Ken is a workaholic, who has basically left the vast majority of the responsibility for raising their two sons, 10-year-old Michael and 8-year-old Danny, on her shoulders, and both he and the boys have been taking her for granted for a long time now. When Ken and the boys forget the major turning point of her 40th birthday, it is the final straw for Lila. She withdraws enough money from her joint, marital bank account for a month-long solo vacation at a beachside inn, leaving a note for Ken telling him why she’s going and for how long, but not where.
Meanwhile, Ken alternates between rage, shame, and dread—what if Lila never comes back, or comes back with a personality change, such that she’s no longer the conveniently quiet, biddable little housewife she’s always been? In a state of educational despair, Ken eventually accepts responsibility that he’s completely blown it, and he’d better do something to fix this mess, ASAP, before he loses his wife for good.
The premise of Lila never having any boundaries, and meekly stuffing down her resentment, year after year, until she has finally gunny-sacked enough injustices for a guilt-free disappearing act, seems painfully passive-aggressive. But this rather unassertive approach to a marriage on the rocks is not necessarily unexpected from a 1990 Harlequin American, a line of romances focusing on family relationships as much as the central romantic connection. In addition, at the time this novel was written, it was considered very innovative to offer a reunion romance in the form of a middle-aged, long-time-married couple in desperate need of revitalizing their relationship. This type of plot isn’t as readily available these days, so the author's offering it as an indie reprint is a nice change of pace in the current romance-fiction marketplace.
I also have no particular problem finding this plot authentic, because I personally know of two women, if not in Lila’s particular age group (Baby Boomer, born around 1950), but from the generation just before (the Greatest Generation, born around 1929), who made a similar mid-life, marital choice as Lila. Both also left their neglectful husband at age 40. The first one left just after her third and last child went off to college. The second one, similar to Lila, still had young children at home. Her oldest son was 13, her second son was 10, and her daughter was only 5. The first woman came back after her husband begged her to, practically on bended knee, and they stayed married 55 years total, until his death. The second woman didn’t come back. She filed for divorce soon after, and within the next year she remarried a much younger and more attentive man, while simultaneously handing over physical custody of her kids to her ex.
I think this particular plot will satisfy an emotional need of unhappy, neglected wives everywhere, who can vicariously experience, through this HEA romance, the positive possibility of my first, real-life example—a successfully resuscitated, moribund marriage.
Finally, fans of Ms. Arnold, who is an excellent, award-winning romance writer, will enjoy this novel because it is a well written, classic, dual-point-of-view, no-cheating, HEA romance.
I rate this story as follows:
Heroine: 3 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Beach Setting: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 3.6 rounded to 4 stars
December 29, 2021
Very good. It reminds me of Anne McCaffrey's Year of the Lucy. I mentioned once that as a mom, my perfect vacation would be on a cruise ship by myself as I could read as long as I wanted at night, eat when I wanted and not need to worry about others.
October 10, 2025
I loved this book! It was difficult to put down, and if you like romance, this is the book for you, especially if you’re a mom. Self care is so important!
August 13, 2014
The main character of this book, Lila, leaves her husband and two children the day after she turns 40 because they forgot her birthday. She is a difficult heroine to pull for because she never spoke to her husband about feeling neglected but just expected him to realize it, despite him being the sole earner and trying hard for a promotion. I almost gave up reading it but decided to persevere and it did get better, bringing in her efforts to find funding for a literacy program she wants to start along with the soup kitchen work she was already doing.
A side story about her confusing relationship with a handy man was totally unnecessary and muddied the story and the children were depicted as very one dimensional.
I would not recommend this book but it didn't take long to read and was a free ebook so not much harm done!
A side story about her confusing relationship with a handy man was totally unnecessary and muddied the story and the children were depicted as very one dimensional.
I would not recommend this book but it didn't take long to read and was a free ebook so not much harm done!
January 12, 2013
When Ken and the boys forget Lila's birthday she walks out for a month's "leave." Shell-shocked, Ken is forced to step up to the domestic plate and realise just how much he has taken her for granted during the marriage.
Lila, for her part, realises just how much she has contributed to the situation she is in, but I have to say I thought certain part of this happened a little too soon. Do they get back together and if so, how this is achieved is the plot of this story.
Well-written and put together, I liked and understood it, having been in much the same position as Lila many years ago, but I am not sure that I liked the finish overmuch. Don't want to give a spoiler so will say no more!
Lila, for her part, realises just how much she has contributed to the situation she is in, but I have to say I thought certain part of this happened a little too soon. Do they get back together and if so, how this is achieved is the plot of this story.
Well-written and put together, I liked and understood it, having been in much the same position as Lila many years ago, but I am not sure that I liked the finish overmuch. Don't want to give a spoiler so will say no more!
December 19, 2018
Refreshing in that the prospective is of a married couple and how their relationship has evolved after 16 years of marriage. The positives and negatives. The concept is good, the characterization okay but it moved really slow throughout. It is something that many couples go through and from my prospective, women dream about but never do. Having a vacation from life that is. Could be called a mid-marriage/family/life crisis.
Want to read
November 20, 2012Close to Home book.
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