I rushed through Suzanne’s first novel, Hush Little Baby, when it came out. Impossible to put down, I was recommending it to everybody. So as soon as I found out she had a new book, I knew I had to read it.
No Ordinary Life does not disappoint. Once again, Suzanne captures motherhood in a new and enlightening way, all with a pace that has you quickly flipping the pages.
She tells the story of Faye, a single mother, down on her luck and money, struggling to keep her kids fed and happy after her truck driver husband takes off for the millionth time. She knows she can’t afford to stay where she is, so she packs the kids up from the one place they know to move in with her mom in Los Angeles. When her youngest daughter, Molly, is discovered when a video of hers goes viral, Faye has to determine whether the sacrifices she’s making in order to earn money are worth it to keep her family together.
While not a single mother, with a husband working two jobs, I can certainly relate to Faye’s feelings about trying to keep it all together. It’s a feeling I struggle with on a daily basis because there is barely any time for yourself. And no matter how many kids a mother has, it’s almost impossible not to feel guilty that you’re paying more attention to one than any other.
I loved the short chapters in this novel because I was able to just tell myself “One more chapter” just to get back to it. And with a Hollywood curiosity, I was fascinated reading about it from the perspective of a star’s mother, a unique approach to what we see in the magazines and tabloids. So while most people cannot relate to the storyline, they absolutely can relate to being a sibling or a mother.
As usual, I cannot wait to get my hands on Suzanne’s next novel. She has a loyal reader in me.
Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and Suzanne’s publicist for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author
Suzanne Redfearn is the author of No Ordinary Life, a Target Emerging Author selection, and Hush Little Baby, a Target Recommends selection and a Target Emerging Author selection.
She graduated summa cum laude from California Polytechnic University and, prior to becoming an author, was an architect. She is an avid surfer, golfer, skier, and Angels fan. She lives with her husband and children in Southern California. No Ordinary Life is her second novel.