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A review by nixerix
My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle
3.0
Meh. After being such a big fan of both The Marriage Lie and Dear Wife, I was really excited for this. Unfortunately, it ended up falling flat for me in nearly every single way.
The major issue I have with this is that it simply feels too repetitive. The book takes place in only a 5-6 hour time span (with the exception of the Interview sections). Perspectives switch between Jade and her husband Cam as they try to deal with their individual ordeals. Cam's whole sub-plot about was really boring. His whole story needed to be told for the sake of the plot, but it still didn't thrill me at all. I couldn't feel sorry for him in the slightest.
I don't like to admit that I didn't really care for Jade either, because it probably makes me seem like a bit of a jerk. But this "supermom" trope in books is just starting to feel incredibly old and tired for me. Every time it's included as a major part of the plot I just feel myself internally groaning. The idea of this incredibly gifted and special "wise beyond her years" kid also felt very cliché. I've stated in other reviews that this is simply another plot device that isn't for me. It ALWAYS feels lazy and much too convenient.
Action does get pushed along in steady increments to keep the plot moving, but even that didn't really excite me. The ending didn't feel complete either. I was curious about the ending and did wonder all the way along about the book's conclusion. It wasn't a bad ending, necessarily, but I guess after such a mediocre experience all the way through it didn't change how I felt about it by the end. Jade's fate is kind of forgotten about and left out of the ending, which feels odd, considering that much of the book surrounds her and her children.
This just feels like a bad cocktail of techniques and writing that rub me the wrong way. Pair this with all its others flaws and you have an underwhelming reading experience. I would say that this book is painfully average and it's frustrating to me that I just couldn't bring myself to feel more into it. I would rate this a 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
Does this mean that I will give up on Kimberly Belle? Certainly not. This is the only thing from her I haven't enjoyed, so this still gives me hope that I will enjoy the next thing I read from her once again. I'm calling this a stroke of bad luck and moving on.
The major issue I have with this is that it simply feels too repetitive. The book takes place in only a 5-6 hour time span (with the exception of the Interview sections). Perspectives switch between Jade and her husband Cam as they try to deal with their individual ordeals. Cam's whole sub-plot about
Spoiler
his failed restaurants, loan sharking, arson and being a general POSI don't like to admit that I didn't really care for Jade either, because it probably makes me seem like a bit of a jerk. But this "supermom" trope in books is just starting to feel incredibly old and tired for me. Every time it's included as a major part of the plot I just feel myself internally groaning. The idea of this incredibly gifted and special "wise beyond her years" kid
Spoiler
being able to outsmart all the adults and save the dayAction does get pushed along in steady increments to keep the plot moving, but even that didn't really excite me. The ending didn't feel complete either. I was curious about the ending and did wonder all the way along about the book's conclusion. It wasn't a bad ending, necessarily, but I guess after such a mediocre experience all the way through it didn't change how I felt about it by the end. Jade's fate is kind of forgotten about and left out of the ending, which feels odd, considering that much of the book surrounds her and her children.
This just feels like a bad cocktail of techniques and writing that rub me the wrong way. Pair this with all its others flaws and you have an underwhelming reading experience. I would say that this book is painfully average and it's frustrating to me that I just couldn't bring myself to feel more into it. I would rate this a 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.
Does this mean that I will give up on Kimberly Belle? Certainly not. This is the only thing from her I haven't enjoyed, so this still gives me hope that I will enjoy the next thing I read from her once again. I'm calling this a stroke of bad luck and moving on.