When the real Maddie has had enough of the pretend Madeleine… 

Synopsis

Maddie Meadows adores her family and loves her work. But she has good reason to keep them separate.

For single mum Maddie, home is a flat on a run-down estate. And family consists of an excitable toddler, a lonely Dad and a younger brother mired in a love triangle.

Meanwhile, professional Madeleine balances a tricky day job, made worse by a jealous colleague. No one at work knows about her other life, and she needs to keep it this way: one of the bosses has made his feelings very clear about single parents and the people on her estate.

Thank goodness for her fun-loving and loyal friends – although Maddie wishes they’d believe her when she insists she has no time for love. Or so she tells herself as she fights to quell her hidden feelings for her gorgeous colleague, Oliver, who comes from the posh part of town.

When her friends line up their ideal man for her – Sean, more beanstalk than Bean – Maddie wishes she’d told them the truth. It’s hard enough juggling two lives. But, with all the added complications, how long will be it be before Maddie’s carefully created world comes crashing down?

My review

Maddie Meadows is  single mother ready for a new challenge at work.
But her work is not compatible with her real life. One of the bosses has made it rather clear what he thinks of single parents and people who are living where Maddie is living. 

So that’s why Maddie is ‘Madeleine’ at work, and she talks with a posh accent.  

But at home the real Maddie comes out. She speaks with her own accent, cares about her son, and takes cares of her dad and younger brother. 

The balance between work and home is not easy to be found. Yet she can count on her friends, who are always in for fun and love her no matter what. Only too bad her friends want her to find love again, and start doing some matchmaking. 

But with her new job, the prejudices she has to face every day, a jealous colleague, taking care of her lovely son and looking after her father and brother, she has absolutely no time for love, right? 

Fact about this book is, that is shows how life really is for all of us. Who hasn’t at least pretended to be a better version than we actually are?
And no matter what we do, there are always terrible people who have prejudices and totally no common sense.
It’s not because someone does not live in a fancy quarter or house, that it makes them lesser people. I even think it’s totally the opposite… These people stick together and help each other out, no matter what is going on. 

And it’s lovely to read how Maddie from the start is struggling with such nasty prejudices, yet she stays loyal to “her people”. Because she is the one who knows better. 

But this isn’t only about Maddie and struggling to find the perfect balance. It’s also about fighting injustice. And with her new job she has the possibility to do so. Even when people are working against her, she finds people with their heart at the right place. It makes her fight a little bit easier to fight! 

It’s also about family… Maddie is not having the perfect family according standard, but for her, it is just perfect. And this showed me that there is no standard perfect. Each and every one of us has somehow a ‘defect’, but that doesn’t make us lesser normal. Maddie has a open heart for everyone, no matter where you live or what you do. As long as you treat her people right, she will treat you right too! 

And yes, there is some romance involved too, but for me, it was not what this story is about. It is about family, friends, standing up for who you care about and not giving up.
Once everything falls into place, also that one missing piece will come along! 

I found this a beautiful story about an amazing woman who knows what matters in life!