Book Summary:
Writer Halley Brennan couldn't dream up a better love story than her own. Married for eleven years, she and her husband, Adam, are still living their happily ever after. They both know what they want—and don’t want—for their life together. And that includes being child-free. But when one of them has a change of heart about wanting a baby, it brings their marriage and life plans into harsher focus.
Writer Halley Brennan couldn't dream up a better love story than her own. Married for eleven years, she and her husband, Adam, are still living their happily ever after. They both know what they want—and don’t want—for their life together. And that includes being child-free. But when one of them has a change of heart about wanting a baby, it brings their marriage and life plans into harsher focus.
Devastated that this bombshell might destroy their relationship, Halley finds comfort in her closest friends: Nina, who’s finally pregnant after years of trying; her sister, Charlotte, an overwhelmed mother of three; and Marian, a successful businesswoman who regrets letting go of her one true love.
Now, with their guidance and support, Halley begins a painful journey of self-discovery. As she searches her heart to make a life-changing decision for both herself and Adam, she realizes that someone is bound to get hurt. Will their perfect love be too great a sacrifice for everything her heart wants?
******
Everything the Heart Wants by Savannah Page is a story about identity, being totally true to yourself, and
just being downright brave. Halley, the narrator and main character, is quite
the strong and resilient character even in her moments of weakness, to put it
mildly. Be prepared to feel a roller coaster of emotions tumble
through you as you go on this emotional journey with Halley. You might even get
upset and take a break for a few hours or days as you try to wrap your head
around some things, and understand some decisions made. It was difficult
to accept the decisions Halley made were real and final, even though deep down
I knew she was right. I thought she was being selfish (perhaps a part of me
still thinks so), and that frustrated me to no end.
This is a ‘real-talk’
book about being true to yourself in every sense of the word. Would you be
willing to sacrifice love so you can stand by what you want out of life? Or do
you sacrifice what you stand for in order to have -- and keep -- love? What do you
do when you can't have what/who you love and also stand by your heart's true
desire?
These are
obviously tough questions we women face at some point in our lives, maybe
not in the exact circumstance as Halley and Adam, but in other situations as
well. How far would you go (in spite of what you stand to lose) to stay true to
yourself? They were tough questions I struggled to answer along with
Halley, and although my answers at the end were different from Halley's, I
respected her decision very much, and I know it took a lot of brevity and
courage to take that leap. To the women who are brave enough to stand for
what they truly want and take those tough leaps, they're true heroes and I
applaud them for their courage.
Savannah Page is a great
writer, and I'd no doubt read other books by her. I feel privileged to
have read this one!
GENRE: Women's fiction/Literary fiction
COARSE LANGUAGE: Low
VIOLENCE: None
SEXUAL CONTENT: Moderate
MATERIAL CONNECTION: Given to me by publisher in exchange for review
