BLOG TOUR: A Better Next by Maren Cooper @marenwrites @suzyAPbooktours @shewritespress #abetternext #bookreview

Some books just seem to come at the right time and resonate in a way that you weren’t expecting. When I say Maren Cooper’s novel A Better Next was that book, it’s an understatement. This book was just the type of women empowerment novel of resilience that I needed to push through a tough few weeks. I left it feeling like no matter what comes our way, women are stronger than we get credit for. A truly un-put-down-able novel!

About the Book

Jess Lawson, a forty-five-year-old healthcare consultant, wife, and mother of two, has spent most of her adulthood fostering the illusion of having a perfect life. Her impending empty-nest syndrome as her youngest child prepares to start college is troubling enough, but when her doctor husband, Arthur, announces his intention to take a prestigious new job on the other side of the country—and relocate with-out Jess—her world quickly crumbles.

Amid their acrimonious divorce, revelations about Arthur’s infidelity come to light; and at work, instead of the revitalized career Jess is hoping for, she uncovers surprising financial corruption that threatens a scandal for her client—and the well-being of the many unsuspecting patients and physicians they serve. Ultimately, this superwoman is forced to acknowledge that her put-together veneer can’t hold up under the weight of these new burdens. She also, however, refuses to wallow in victimhood. So what now?

A smart, relatable story for every woman who’s gone bold to sort out her next chapter, A Better Next shows how—with a little soul searching and a supportive circle of friends and colleagues—it’s possible to redefine happiness and establish a liberating, new normal at any stage of life.

Reflection

Jess Lawson is such a great character. She’s someone who could seem almost too perfect—Harvard educated, beautiful, put together, successful—but she isn’t. Jess’s life is quite frankly falling apart through the first half of this book. Her healthcare consulting firm is handling a merger involving the research university that her husband Arthur works for. Doing their best to keep work separate from their personal lives, Jess can’t help but think Arthur’s recent coldness has to do with the tension over their mismatched career goals.

Oh, Arthur… (I said that way more kindly than he deserved) Arthur, it turns out, is not pulling away because of work. He has been having an affair. Actually a string of affairs. A long line of narcisstic, toxic behavior that would ruin most partners if they found out. Arthur is truly the type of character that will make you wish you could reach through the pages and give a good shake to!

Through their divorce and the fallout at work, Jess uncovers something shocking that will push her career in ways she never anticipated. I don’t want to spoil the second half of this book, so I just want to say that Jess’s story is not one of a woman whose husband cheated on her frequently and in total cliched ways. Hers is a story much greater than that, and I think readers will love to experience it as I did!

There was something that was simultaneously emotional and empowering about this book. Very soon after starting it, I couldn’t put it down. I really cared about Jess and her kids and what happened to them. I even cared for Arthur, at first! I felt the female characters in this book were so strong and such great role models as women. They support one another whole-heartedly, and they prop eachother up. I loved Jess’s friendships and relationship with the other women in the book.

Maren Cooper wrote about Jess’s experiences with a rawness that made my heart at times pickup in pace as I saw Jess face some really horrible situations. But these are stories that many women have faced, and they are important stories to tell. And more than anything, what I felt shined through the pages of this book was how with time, you can heal from incredibly painful things. And that it’s ok to need to give your heart time to get to where your head is at after heartbreak.

The intrigue of what was happening with Jess’s work and what she uncovers read like a suspense novel, and the relationships read like outstanding contemporary women’s fiction. Maren Cooper blended the genre together seamlessly and to amazing effect.

Don’t skip this book!

About the Author

Maren Cooper grew up in the Midwest and now resides in Minnesota. During her long career as a health services executive, she led a number of organizations in their efforts to respond to the challenges of new, competitive business models, improve their operating systems, and optimize their governance structures. A lifelong reader, Cooper recently discovered the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis, began taking classes, and slowly unearthed the aspiring writer inside her. She writes best on the shore of Lake Superior, where she retreats frequently to hike, watch the deer devour her hostas, and needlepoint. https://marencooper.com/


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marencooperauthor/
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Twitter: @marenwrites 

Thank you to Suzy Approved Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.