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shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This was one of those books that managed to touch your heart while making you smile and sometimes laugh out loud
Abby Halladay had a plan. She was to marry Fred, they would move into their cute Victorian house in her hometown and she would write her nice column for the local paper. But on the day she and Fred were to move into their house and start their lives, everything fell apart. While Fred fled to Paris, France, Abby was left in Paris, New Jersey (her hometown) to try and make sense of what happened to her best laid plans. She soon realizes that having her plans waylaid was the best thing to happen to her.
I loved Abby and the entire Halladay family. They were quirky, funny and at their core, loving. They looked out for one another in their own special way. When Abby came home, they were able to help her find her way. They didn't nag her (other than her mother with her dinner time fix ups) or try and push her instead. Instead, they let her fumble and were always there to help her back on her feet.
Intertwined with Abby's family was her high school best friend and next door neighbor, Mick O'Malley. Mick was on his own journey trying to discover what he was supposed to do with his life. He'd left everything behind in Seattle to take care of his mother as her health declined. He may have thought he was just the son of the town drunk, but he also discovered that he really wasn't the 'bad boy' everyone (including himself) thought he was.
This was a great story about finding yourself and giving yourself the ok to change lanes when you find the course you started down isn't the right one. The story and the characters were quite charming and will make you want to drop everything to find Paris, New Jersey.
Abby Halladay had a plan. She was to marry Fred, they would move into their cute Victorian house in her hometown and she would write her nice column for the local paper. But on the day she and Fred were to move into their house and start their lives, everything fell apart. While Fred fled to Paris, France, Abby was left in Paris, New Jersey (her hometown) to try and make sense of what happened to her best laid plans. She soon realizes that having her plans waylaid was the best thing to happen to her.
I loved Abby and the entire Halladay family. They were quirky, funny and at their core, loving. They looked out for one another in their own special way. When Abby came home, they were able to help her find her way. They didn't nag her (other than her mother with her dinner time fix ups) or try and push her instead. Instead, they let her fumble and were always there to help her back on her feet.
Intertwined with Abby's family was her high school best friend and next door neighbor, Mick O'Malley. Mick was on his own journey trying to discover what he was supposed to do with his life. He'd left everything behind in Seattle to take care of his mother as her health declined. He may have thought he was just the son of the town drunk, but he also discovered that he really wasn't the 'bad boy' everyone (including himself) thought he was.
This was a great story about finding yourself and giving yourself the ok to change lanes when you find the course you started down isn't the right one. The story and the characters were quite charming and will make you want to drop everything to find Paris, New Jersey.
jgoalder's review against another edition
4.0
Finished this morning on the treadmill. Cute story, uplifting and formulaic. Then again, if you're considering this to be surprised, you should probably pick something else.
kmstatler's review against another edition
5.0
It was an excellent story of love and how it can change on a dime. The main character needed to change lanes quickly in order to find what truely makes her happy.
davisrj's review against another edition
5.0
A lovely book about picking up the pieces after life takes an unexpected turn... with the help of family and the best of friends. I highly recommend this!
jillhannaha's review against another edition
5.0
When I first started this book I thought "Oh, this is a romance novel". It isn't (well, I guess it is in a way) but it is so much more. Abby, the main character, seems to have her life planned out until her fiance, Fred, sneaks off to Paris.
What I liked about this story is it didn't take the easy way out. She didn't fall into her old neighbor Mick's arms and let him sweep her away. She made some tough decisions for herself, took a good look at her life, and changed it...along with her perspective of what she thought would make her happy.
The family dynamics in the story are fun, and the underlying message is great. It's a quick, fun, read that will make you take a look at your own decisions in life!
What I liked about this story is it didn't take the easy way out. She didn't fall into her old neighbor Mick's arms and let him sweep her away. She made some tough decisions for herself, took a good look at her life, and changed it...along with her perspective of what she thought would make her happy.
The family dynamics in the story are fun, and the underlying message is great. It's a quick, fun, read that will make you take a look at your own decisions in life!
shell74's review against another edition
4.0
Actual rating: 4.5 Stars
See my full review:
http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-changing-lanes-by-kathleen-long/
See my full review:
http://harlequinjunkie.com/review-changing-lanes-by-kathleen-long/
stephsabia's review against another edition
3.0
Changing lanes is the story of a thirty something year old woman who has her whole life planned out and is two months away from getting married when she is forced to "change lanes". I liked this book and it's host of quirky characters (mostly Abby's family). In a way it reminded me of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series (without the mystery). Abby's interactions with her family were my favorite parts of the book, they were all so flawed but loved one another unconditionally. I did find the story to be pretty predictable but I recommend it for an easy light read.
harmony's review
2.0
This book drifts around the fictional town of Paris, New Jersey in a bit of a whimsical haze, trying to make you fall in love with the small town along with the main character. Unfortunately, it's populated by two dimensional, formulaic characters. Each character is a stereotype with a twist: The loving dad who secretly loves to cook. The overbearing mom with a hidden passion for photography. The gruff best friend who is obsessed with coupons. The cute baby sister who mimics everything she sees on TV. The spunky grandma who is afraid to let go of her dead husband. And, of course, the brooding boy next door... who never actually shows her much emotion, lets her in, or behaves as if he has a romantic interest in her at all, making the cliched "run into your arms" ending that much more far-fetched.
The ending was my other major problem with this book. The main character gets dumped by her fiance and loses her job, and spends the next month trying to figure out what she's doing with her life. She drifts aimlessly around the small town, sorta focuses on fixing up the termite-ridden house she bought, and does a lot of sentimental navel gazing. And then decides that the new purpose of her life should be... to jump into the arms of neighbor boy, and follow him across the country. Seriously? This is the strong, self-reliant woman that we've been building up to the whole book? A girl who can't go more than a month alone before she's throwing herself at her high school flame?
The ending was my other major problem with this book. The main character gets dumped by her fiance and loses her job, and spends the next month trying to figure out what she's doing with her life. She drifts aimlessly around the small town, sorta focuses on fixing up the termite-ridden house she bought, and does a lot of sentimental navel gazing. And then decides that the new purpose of her life should be... to jump into the arms of neighbor boy, and follow him across the country. Seriously? This is the strong, self-reliant woman that we've been building up to the whole book? A girl who can't go more than a month alone before she's throwing herself at her high school flame?