After Happily Ever After: A Novel

Forty-five year old, Maggie, has more than enough to worry about. Her only child will be heading off to college in six months, leaving her with her husband as empty nesters. That might not be so bad except she really misses the career she left to be a full-time mom. There’s also the nagging problem that her husband is pulling away from her and becoming distant. And yet, that still isn’t all Maggie has to deal with. Her beloved father has recently moved into assisted living because of his decline with Parkinson’s disease, leaving her anxious mother alone in the home they’d shared for their entire married lives. Throw in a flirtatious younger man at the gym and Maggie’s entire life is in a perfect storm.

This book takes a very real look at the complex lives of forty-something women who are torn between their duties to all family members while still trying to fulfill their own desires. The characters ring true, and although there are heavy themes, the book manages to be very funny at times and also a fast, easy, read. Many women will see a lot of themselves in Maggie and will enjoy seeing how her circumstances and decisions will play out.