When a marriage doesn’t go as expected…

Synopsis

Is her new husband really who she thinks he is?

When young doctor Lauren Matheson meets Joe, an older divorced businessman, at a glittering poolside in California, it’s a chance encounter that seems life-changing for them both. Back home in London, their feelings only strengthen. But Lauren soon discovers that building a happy future with Joe is going to be an uphill struggle…

She’s determined to be a good stepmother to his children, four-year-old Toby and complicated teen Grace. But under the watchful eye of Meredith, Joe’s intimidating ex-wife, Lauren can’t seem to do a thing right. Why won’t Joe ever take her side against Grace? And what really happened between him and Meredith?

As her husband retreats into a cold, secretive version of the dashing man she met in California, Lauren starts to wonder if she’s made a costly mistake. Was Joe ever the man she thought she married?

My review

Young doctor Lauren Matheson is recently married to the older divorced businessman Joe after meeting each other on a poolside in California.
Now living in London together, their feelings are only getting stronger, and Lauren is certain that even his children will accept her in the near future as a new member of the family.
But even if Toby, the four – year old son, is easy in accepting her, teenager Grace is a harder nut to crack.
And Joe’s ex – wife Meredith is the perfect example of an intimidating woman.
When Lauren can’t seem to do anything right, and Meredith is on a mission while Grace is testing her limits, Lauren hoops to find support with Joe.
But Joe is never standing by her side, and is quickly changing in a man so different than Lauren met.
Was marrying Joe perhaps a mistake because he is not the man she thought he was?

Oh how much I pitied Lauren through the whole story!
I can imagine it can be difficult to be suddenly a stepmother and not to the easiest children. And having an ex – wife ready to make you feel small. But in many cases, you have the support of your husband. So that’s why I felt so sorry for Lauren, because she was truly alone in her battle to be accepted.
No matter how much I liked Joe in the beginning, the way he acted whenever Lauren pointed out something, made me dislike him more and more.

Through the whole story I wanted to just give Lauren a big, comforting hug, because she felt truly alone, not having some back – up…
Whatever she does, trying to make the best of every situation, everything turns for the worse.
And instead of finding anywhere the necessary support, she finds everyone fighting against her.

But I also have to say, there are also many sweet moments in the story. There are moments where Lauren manages to bond with Toby and even Grace, and that made me smile.

Because despite all the dark clouds hanging around Lauren, there were some silver linings, making her feel hopeful.

The whole situation makes Lauren think about herself and her future. Because no matter how much she loves Joe and the kids, is the current situation something she can overcome? And that realization is hard to digest, but in the end, is an unhappy marriage, where you feel you’re all the time on your own, worth the fight?

So even when most of the time Lauren was fighting against just everyone in the story, she shows also strength to make hard decisions. Because yes, love prevails, but most important is loving yourself and not just stay in a situation that makes you unhappy.

This story shows us that sometimes a marriage is not all fun and games, but can be one of the hardest things to fight for. But sometimes you have to realize when something is a lost cause or not. And also that not all is lost and there is a shimmer of hope even when you least expect it.