Funny but also truth-telling!

Synopsis

Lucy Mathers was once the golden girl of Simcock & Bright. Four years later, she’s a stay at home mum with two adorable children, has swapped her Louboutins for rabbit slippers and spends her day making crustless sandwiches and colour co-ordinated lunches instead of signing up high profile clients. 

When her husband is suddenly made redundant, there is panic in the Mathers’ household. With a mortgage the size of the national debt and a credit card balance that’s in danger of toppling, Lucy reluctantly decides she must return to work. Soshe digs out her old power suits from the back of the wardrobe and leaves Will to become a house husband. But sitting in Lucy’s old office is Grant Cassidy, suave, handsome and ruthless and with no intention of letting Lucy walk back into the number one job. 

At home, despite his breezy declaration that swapping boardroom battles for toddler groups would be a doddle, Will’s belief that parental issues could be solved with forward planning and a spread sheet soon falls by the wayside. 

With both Will and Lucy struggling to adapt, could their previously happy marriage be developing some cracks?

My review

This is not the first book I’ve read of Julie Butterfield so I know what to expect and my expectations were really high!
And I was so happy I did not get disappointed at all!

Lucy Mathers is a happy stay at home mum, taking care of her 2 delightful kids. But when her husband loses his job, they are forced to swap momentarily places. Lucy goes back to work while Will stays at home taking care of the children.

Of course you can imagine the struggles Will has to face, having no idea how to actual care for children. And Lucy has been out of the battle for a while, so also she is having a hard time…
Julie manages to write a funny story, making you laugh with Will, feeling sorry for Lucy and makes you instantly dislike Grant!
The struggles both Will and Lucy have are so recognizable, you cannot not sympathize with them.

Beside the funny part, also the reality kicks in. it’s not as easy as it seems to go back to work after several years, and the issues Lucy has are not easy peasy to solve. How will she manage finding the correct balance between work and family? She notices that she puts work above family but how can she get her priorities back straight?
And also Will finds it hard to find the joy of a stay at home dad…

After a while Julie manages to put the finger on real family problems: how can this amazing couple manage to get back on track? Due the many changes, communication is not their forte, causing many misunderstandings, trust issues and fear of speaking out.

Again Julie did an amazing job, writing a funny story, but also points out a general problem. Despite the topic that is not to be underestimated, it’s written in such a matter you feel compassionate about the couple, understand the issue and hope for the best for Lucy’s and Will’s sake!