The Replacement Wife
Author: Eileen Goudge
Publisher: Open Road Media
Pub Date: March 27, 2012
ISBN: 9781453225028
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started this book Frankly, I was a little worried it would be one of those weepy cancer stories that I can’t handle reading. It wasn’t. THE REPLACEMENT WIFE is an incredibly interesting story and while cancer is a huge part of the story, it doesn’t kill the story or take it over.
Camille Hart, a very successful matchmaker and her husband Edward have a magical marriage. They’ve been married a long time, have two great kids and have survived her having a long battle with cancer. Things are getting back on track when Camille is dealt a devastating blow. Her doctor has bad news. The cancer is back and it’s spread. In her hopelessness, knowing she’s going to die, her first thought is to find a wife for her husband and a mother for her children.
Her husband thinks she’s lost it and is wildly unhappy about the idea. In fact, he resents her for it but eventually agrees to make peace. What follows is an intensely interesting story about hope, hopelessness, love, family, marriage and the unexpected twists and turns that life gives you.
I couldn’t put the book down. I became invested in Camille’s family and wanted things to work out. Each character in the story is wonderfully real, flaws and all. Eileen Goudge does a bang up job of telling a story that lives and breathes – it’s as real and unexpected as a life.
About the book:
From New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge comes a poignant new novel that asks the question, “What would you do if you were told you had only six months to live?” For one professional matchmaker the answer is heart-wrenching: She must find her husband’s next wife.
Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone.
But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming.
At once deeply felt and witty, The Replacement Wife is an unforgettable story of love and family, and a refreshing look at the unexpected paths that lead us to our own happy endings.
Disclosure: A free copy of this book was furnished by the publisher for review via NetGalley, but providing a copy did not guarantee a review. This information is provided per the regulations of the Federal Trade Commission.
