Reviews

The Cocktail Club by Pat Tucker

shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review

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4.0

This is the story of three very different friends with hectic lives. Ivee Henderson is married and determined to continue have a successful career. Darby Jaxon is a housewife smothered by her penny pinching husband. Peta Nixon is a divorced entrepreneur and single mom. The girlfriends have a standing date each week, Thursday night happy hour, to share some cocktails, have fun, and decompress. I became vested in each character as their lives unfolded on the pages. Their tight knit group begins to disintegrate when using alcohol as an escape moves beyond Thursday nights. Each woman faces her own day of reckoning as alcohol influences their choices and decisions.

I loved that each of the women had lives that were completely different and had different challenges. The women had a sisterhood that was tight even when they were going through the bad times. The author did a great job of weaving in that thread of unity and love among women throughout the book. The women refused to stop reaching out and leave anyone alone as they struggled to overcome their demons. There were a few too many background characters for me. I had to look back a couple of times to get a grasp of the identity of some characters and understand how they fit into the storyline. I also wish that there would have been more acknowledgement of the part that alcohol played in their lives spiraling out of control. I guess I wanted to see redemption. I wanted them to understand where they went wrong, acknowledge it, make amends, and craft a different life. That didn’t quite happen in this book. That might be because the author is leaving the door open for a part 2 which would be great because this one was filled with drama.

The women in this book represented a part of every woman. The part that yearns for more control of her life, a more adventurous sex life, more appreciation from family, more success in the workplace, and fulfillment of what I call the “Superwoman—I’m every woman” ideal. It’s something that many women chase, and this book shows the pitfalls of trying to obtain that elusive ideal. I enjoyed the stories, and I would definitely like to read more about each of the characters.

Reviewed by Michelle for Cocktails and Books
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