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A review by shelleyrae
A Life That Fits by Heather Wardell
3.0
A Life That Fits features Andrea who is struggling to rebuild her life after her childhood sweetheart dumps her. The end of her fourteen year relationship with Alex leaves her floundering, her identity has been so tightly bound with his that on her own she is not sure about who she is or what she wants. After a period of mourning, Andrea sets out on a journey to win Alex back but what she finds is herself.
A Life That Fits has a strong, positive message for women facing a relationship breakdown. Andrea is naturally crushed at being dumped by the man she had expected to spend her life with and mourns the relationship, entertaining fantasies of reconciliation. After so many years as 'AndreaandAlex' she can barely imagine her life without the relationship. For Andrea, it's not a matter of resuming her life after the break up but reinventing it. The 'reversal project' is a great idea even if initially her motivation is skewed. Forcing herself into new experiences allows Andrea to develop her individual identity and builds her self esteem. I admired Andrea taking chances, facing her fear and trying different activities. I liked that she learnt to listen to her 'gut' and made mistakes but didn't let them hold her back, essentially Andrea grew up.
I didn't feel there was enough momentum in the plot to sustain the novel though. Andrea spends a lot of time grieving her relationship and her career which is realistic but does not make for an interesting narrative. Andrea's career issues offers a subplot to the relationship focus but I don't think Wardell exploited it quite enough (I never really got a sense of what Andrea's job really entailed either other than conference trips and paperwork). I do think that Wardell handles the relationships in the novel authentically though coincidences abound.
For me, the issues with the plot affects the pacing, it does tend to drag in places. There are a few instances of repetitive phrasing and clumsy sentence structure and overall I do think the novel needs just a touch more polish.
I am sure many readers will be able to relate to Andrea's heartbreak and recovery. A Life That Fits is a pleasant read with an inspirational message that encourages women to find inner strength and individual identity.
A Life That Fits has a strong, positive message for women facing a relationship breakdown. Andrea is naturally crushed at being dumped by the man she had expected to spend her life with and mourns the relationship, entertaining fantasies of reconciliation. After so many years as 'AndreaandAlex' she can barely imagine her life without the relationship. For Andrea, it's not a matter of resuming her life after the break up but reinventing it. The 'reversal project' is a great idea even if initially her motivation is skewed. Forcing herself into new experiences allows Andrea to develop her individual identity and builds her self esteem. I admired Andrea taking chances, facing her fear and trying different activities. I liked that she learnt to listen to her 'gut' and made mistakes but didn't let them hold her back, essentially Andrea grew up.
I didn't feel there was enough momentum in the plot to sustain the novel though. Andrea spends a lot of time grieving her relationship and her career which is realistic but does not make for an interesting narrative. Andrea's career issues offers a subplot to the relationship focus but I don't think Wardell exploited it quite enough (I never really got a sense of what Andrea's job really entailed either other than conference trips and paperwork). I do think that Wardell handles the relationships in the novel authentically though coincidences abound.
For me, the issues with the plot affects the pacing, it does tend to drag in places. There are a few instances of repetitive phrasing and clumsy sentence structure and overall I do think the novel needs just a touch more polish.
I am sure many readers will be able to relate to Andrea's heartbreak and recovery. A Life That Fits is a pleasant read with an inspirational message that encourages women to find inner strength and individual identity.