Review: Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell

First line: I spy on them.

From the back cover: What happens after “happily ever after”? Alice Hirsh is about to find out.

     Alice, a former New Yorker who thought she’d never feel at home in the bizarre world of the San Fernando Valley, was adapting, raising her five-year-old daughter while trying to keep her job and make her new house a home. When her attorney husband lands a trophy client – box-office queen Rose Maris – things begin to look up. Then Alex starts working late – a lot. He crunches his paunch into a six-pack and trades his Gap ensembles for Armani everything.

     Soon, Rose and Alex’s affair blazes in the tabloids, and Alice is plunged into trash-gossip hell. Her life crumbles around her as she navigates her newly single self through suburban L.A. – a place rife with porn stars, psycho soccer moms, and nutty neighbors.

      Is there a chance of wresting Alex from the Sexiest Woman Alive? And if so … would Alice want him back? As Alice desperately searches for her bearings, she’s forced to ask what she really wants from life, love, and herself.

My thoughts: I decided to read this book after seeing a post about this book being the first pick for theSheKnows Book Club for February/March. I’ve never done an online book club before, and thought I would give it a try.

I found this story to be much more than I initially thought it would be. I loved the fairy tale theme that was woven throughout the book. The interactions between Alice and her daughter, Gabby, were at times both hilarious and heartbreaking. It is a book that touches on so many different aspects of life and the lessons we need to remember, especially that appearances can be deceiving. Our initial thoughts of what we believe is going to be our “happily ever after” do not always jive with reality.