Title: Ladies' Night
Author: Mary Kay Andrews
Source: Kindle
Goodreads Summary:
Take a splash of betrayal, add a few drops of outrage, give a good shake to proper behavior and take a big sip of a cocktail called…Ladies' Night!
Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their “divorce coach” starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?
Heartache, humor, and a little bit of mystery come together in a story about life’s unpredictable twists and turns. Mary Kay Andrews' Ladies' Night will have you raising a glass and cheering these characters on. (
My thoughts:
I love Andrews. I first read her after a trip to Savannah, because before and after I travel to a place, I read all I can about it, and that includes fiction books set in that area. I fell in love with her easy going and fun writing style, as well as the dream worthy locations they took place in. I have read just about all of her books; that being said, I think Ladies' Night is my favorite. I think it dealt with a more serious issue that most of her other books.
Grace is a famous lifestyle blogger, with a beautiful home with beautiful linens and tableware and husband, Ben. Or so she thinks, about her husband. When one night she finds him schtupping her assistant, she goes berserk. After driving his expensive car into their pool, she heads home to her mother, to her childhood homeplace, above a bar in a marina.
What happens next is horrible. Her estranged husband locks her out of her gated community, her home, her bank accounts, and her income. His paramour takes over Grace's blog, and Grace finds herself powerless to change her circumstances. The judge at their first divorce hearing orders Grace to an anger management therapy class, and does not award any of Grace's assets back to her. even though she was the maligned and hurt party.
Grace goes to the class, and finds that everyone there, except one, is female. All have gotten the shaft from the same judge. What the heck is the deal with this judge? Does he hate women? Grace and the others soon become confidantes, and learn some disturbing facts.
The only man in class is Wyatt, the owner and manager of a run down jungle theme park called Jungle Jerry's. He also has a father who seems to have a memory loss at sundown, an assortment of animals, and shared custody of his young son. His estranged wife is just as bad as Ben, if not worse.
Grace attempts to get her life together, starting a new blog and a new major project, but Ben, and his girlfriend J'Aimee, cause some pretty disturbing and deplorable problems for her.
I think this book more than Andrews' other books, dealt with more serious topics. The trouble the character's ran into was kicked up a notch, a little darker than her previous books. Grace is made of tough stuff however, and fights back.
This book also did have its cute parts too, it wasn't all serious. The relationship that develops between Wyatt and Grace, and the one that Grace develops with a dog that she rescues bring brightness and light to the story. And you know I love that Andrews' advocates for animals! All in all, I really loved this book.
