I surprised even myself by liking this one. I had this on my Goodreads “to read” list, but I’m not sure what compelled me to put it there. It may have been a recommendation from a friend, a review I read in Entertainment Weekly, or some other unknown reason, but the last time I was at the library alone, this book was near the top of that list, and happened to be on the shelf, so I grabbed it.

Ellen is happily married and has a pretty nice life in New York. Her husband, Andy, is her best friend Margot’s brother. They’re well on their way to that perfect little married life that includes a white picket fence and 2.5 kids and a dog.

But then she sees Leo, her ex, on the street, and some unresolved feelings bubble to the surface. When he calls her to try and renew their friendship, she goes against what she knows is right and takes him up on it.

What follows is a series of bad decisions by Ellen, which alienate her from her husband and best friend. She needs to deal with the feelings she still has for Leo, and he for her, and decide what she wants to do.

The reason I liked this so much was that I could relate to it. I don’t think I would conduct myself in the same way as Ellen did, but if that one ex showed up at my door today and started saying the right things, I might be tempted as Ellen was. I don’t know. The feelings she went through just seemed very genuine, and well thought-out by the author.

This is undeniably chick-lit but for those who can stomach it, this is among the better of the women’s literature I’ve read.