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3.03 AVERAGE
3.03 AVERAGE
This book was cute and funny. It takes a light-hearted look at a what would happen if a woman and her husband's mistress switch places to fool him. Far-fetched but funny. I picked this copy up a Goodwill and am planning on taking it to the March Meetup to release.
Spoilers because I never remember the endings of books. I mainly wrote recaps for myself.
This book has not aged well. I don't have a specific reason for this but it just felt out dated in a bad way.
If you read the synopsis it sounds fairly hokey and funny like a Hallmark movie. Unfortunately it's like AMC tried to add heart and drama to a silly movie and it did not work.
The actual switcheroo doesn't happen until AFTER halfway through the book. Personally I get very annoyed when the entire book is written on the book cover.
Silvie and Bob have been married 20yrs. Bob starts sleeping with Marla. Silvie finds out but realizes Marla looks exactly like her younger self. So they switch places (after 2 weeks of plastic surgery and personal training and hair dye). Marla doesn't like the unappreciated wife role and Silvie misses her kids but has rekindled love with Bob. Silvie and Bob stay together and Marla hooks up with the best friend John.
This book has not aged well. I don't have a specific reason for this but it just felt out dated in a bad way.
If you read the synopsis it sounds fairly hokey and funny like a Hallmark movie. Unfortunately it's like AMC tried to add heart and drama to a silly movie and it did not work.
The actual switcheroo doesn't happen until AFTER halfway through the book. Personally I get very annoyed when the entire book is written on the book cover.
Silvie and Bob have been married 20yrs. Bob starts sleeping with Marla. Silvie finds out but realizes Marla looks exactly like her younger self. So they switch places (after 2 weeks of plastic surgery and personal training and hair dye). Marla doesn't like the unappreciated wife role and Silvie misses her kids but has rekindled love with Bob. Silvie and Bob stay together and Marla hooks up with the best friend John.
This was really entertaining and easy to read without being brainless. It made me think too about what I would do if my husband were having an affair.
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.5 stars
This book was...interesting to say the least. When Sylvie finds out that her husband is having an affair with a woman who looks like a younger version of her, she decides they should switch places. She wants the passion that Bob gives to his mistress while the mistress wants the love and security Bob gives to Sylvie.
For one, you could definitely tell this book is dated. When Sylvie's mother finds out about the affair, she says that Sylvie and Bob should just work out their issues without divorce. That men are not entirely human, and that their *cough* heads *cough* and their brains are not connected and that one part is not responsible for the actions of the other. While Sylvie doesn't agree with this viewpoint, it was a constant idea throughout the book, and that bothered me a bit. Everyone in the book seemed to have a history with cheating, and it seemed like Sylvie was being told to just accept what happened instead of getting revenge or a divorce.
The ending was great though. I laughed, I stressed, and I smiled. Parts of it seemed rushed and seemed to make little sense, but the main areas of the plot were covered. Overall, this was a good, memorable read, and I'm glad I picked it up.
This book was...interesting to say the least. When Sylvie finds out that her husband is having an affair with a woman who looks like a younger version of her, she decides they should switch places. She wants the passion that Bob gives to his mistress while the mistress wants the love and security Bob gives to Sylvie.
For one, you could definitely tell this book is dated. When Sylvie's mother finds out about the affair, she says that Sylvie and Bob should just work out their issues without divorce. That men are not entirely human, and that their *cough* heads *cough* and their brains are not connected and that one part is not responsible for the actions of the other. While Sylvie doesn't agree with this viewpoint, it was a constant idea throughout the book, and that bothered me a bit. Everyone in the book seemed to have a history with cheating, and it seemed like Sylvie was being told to just accept what happened instead of getting revenge or a divorce.
The ending was great though. I laughed, I stressed, and I smiled. Parts of it seemed rushed and seemed to make little sense, but the main areas of the plot were covered. Overall, this was a good, memorable read, and I'm glad I picked it up.
I’ve been hit or miss with Goldsmith’s books but this one was a hit for me. Goldsmith wrote First Wives Club which was made into a movie of the same name.
I don't know if it's that I've gotten older, more cynical and more discriminating or if Olivia Goldsmith's writing has fallen down a very slippery slope into the worst kind of chicklit possible. I'd like to think it's the latter as I remember liking The First Wives Club very much when it first came out, as well as Flavor of the Month. So, it was actually with anticipation that I dove into Switcheroo, a book I found collecting dust in our garage.
The plot is a simple one. Sylvie, a successful, forty-year old woman discovers her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. Upon confronting her, she discovers that the younger woman (Marla) is a dead-ringer for a younger version of her. Marla wants to be married and Sylvie wants the romance back. So off the go for a little bit of plastic surgery so they can switch places for two weeks - Marla to secure Bob as her husband, and Sylvie to get back at him.
The premise of this book is awful and ridiculous. It's poorly written. It re-treads themes from her earlier book (plastic surgery to get ahead, husbands having affairs with younger woman) but without any of the subversive aspects that made them better than simple chicklit. This book has the odious character of Sylvie's mother who tells her she'll never find someone better than Bob and not to make waves about his affair. Cheating is seen as an inevitablity in this book, as is the wife's forgiveness. The only wife that didn't forgive her husband for cheating is painted as a shrewish woman that no one could possibly love.
And surprise, surprise - all the women (except the shrew) find their happy endings though not necessarily in the expected way... oh wait, all of the ending was expected for me. I do not recommend this book.
The plot is a simple one. Sylvie, a successful, forty-year old woman discovers her husband is having an affair with a younger woman. Upon confronting her, she discovers that the younger woman (Marla) is a dead-ringer for a younger version of her. Marla wants to be married and Sylvie wants the romance back. So off the go for a little bit of plastic surgery so they can switch places for two weeks - Marla to secure Bob as her husband, and Sylvie to get back at him.
The premise of this book is awful and ridiculous. It's poorly written. It re-treads themes from her earlier book (plastic surgery to get ahead, husbands having affairs with younger woman) but without any of the subversive aspects that made them better than simple chicklit. This book has the odious character of Sylvie's mother who tells her she'll never find someone better than Bob and not to make waves about his affair. Cheating is seen as an inevitablity in this book, as is the wife's forgiveness. The only wife that didn't forgive her husband for cheating is painted as a shrewish woman that no one could possibly love.
And surprise, surprise - all the women (except the shrew) find their happy endings though not necessarily in the expected way... oh wait, all of the ending was expected for me. I do not recommend this book.