Book Review and Giveaway- Fly Away Home

I just finished reading Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner.

From Amazon:

Sometimes all you can do is fly away home . . .

When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife—her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.

Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve—a husband, a young son, the perfect home—and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER’s exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.

After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.

Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.

I think this is definitely my favorite book that I've read so far by Jennifer Weiner.  As much as there were sad things happening, it was uplifting at the same time.

I really liked all of the characters.  They completely seemed real to me.  I kept thinking of Sylvie, the mom, and relating her to my mom.  And how my mom is always there backing up my dad and how if my dad was unfaithful I could see the next series of events unfolding the same way they did in the book.  I could also relate to a little bit of something in each of the sisters.  They were both so different and started off so far apart emotionally but grew towards each other.

I thought the plot seemed very realistic.  And I loved the little pop culture/current events tidbits that were in the story.  Some are so recent that I think its incredible that they're in the book.  And I think that some women might not like the ending with Sylvie, but I did.  Without giving away what happens, I think I would have made the same choice that she did.  A great summer read!

I gave this book a rating of 4/5.

Fly Away Home will be released on July 13, 2010.

This book fulfills items in the following challenges:
2010 100+ Reading Challenge: 81
ARC Reading Challenge 2010: 59

Fly Away Home Book Tour

#1 New York Times best-selling author Jennifer Weiner will be doing a national book tour to promote the launch of her latest novel, FLY AWAY HOME, hitting bookshelves July 13th. She will be speaking, answering questions, and signing books in the following places:

- NEW YORK - July 13th

- PRINCETON - July 14th

- PHILADELPHIA - July 14th

- WASHINGTON, DC - July 15th

- ATLANTA - July 16th

- FORT LAUDERDALE - July 17th

- MIAMI - July 19th

- DALLAS - July 20th

- BOSTON - July 21st

- CHICAGO - July 25th and 26th

- DENVER - July 27th

- SAN FRANCISCO - July 28th and 29th

- CAPE COD - August 12th

The following is a link to Jennifer Weiner’s website where you can find more information on the events http://www.jenniferweiner.com/events.htm.

*FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Engelman & Co for an honest review.

Thanks to Engelman & Co, I have one copy of Fly Away Home to give away!  The contest ends on Wednesday, June 30th at 11:59pm, US only.  To enter, fill out the form here.