Review - The Story of Our Life by Shari Low

The Story of Our Life

By Shari Low

Expected Publication is July 1st, 2016 by Aria

316 pages

4 stars - Emotional Read!

*I received this e-copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!*

Summary from Goodreads.com:

Unwind, laugh, cry ... but feel uplifted with this bittersweet love story. Perfect for the fans of Jo-Jo Moyes and Marian Keyes.

So what would you do if your husband slept with another woman?

Colm strolled into my life fifteen years ago. If there's ever such a thing as love at first sight, that was it for us both.

A few weeks later we married, celebrating with those who cared, ignoring the raised eyebrows of the cynics.

We knew better. This was going to be forever. The dream come true. The happy ever after.

Until it wasn't.

Because a couple of months ago everything changed. We discovered a devastating truth, one that blew away our future and forced us to revisit our past, to test the bonds that were perhaps more fragile than they seemed.

So now I ask you again, what would you do if your husband slept with another woman?

Because this is what I did.

I'm Shauna.

And this is the Story of Our Life...

Review:

Gosh, I haven't read adult fiction in quite awhile. During middle school I kind of went through a Jodi Picoult phase and then went straight to Young Adult in high school. So aside from Jodi Picoult, Rainbow Rowell and the occasional adult fiction here and there, I haven't really found anything that's spiked my interest. But The Story of Our Life seemed like it would be interesting by the summary and it was. 

I'll also say, like I say every time, I don't usually read contemporary fiction either. So..yeah...that says a lot about this book I guess. :) 

The Story of Our Life was an interesting read. It was full of emotion from the beginning to the very end and it was completely real and honest. It was the story of, in my opinion, an incredibly strong woman and her relationships through her life. 

This book is a story of most of Shauna's life. It alternates between Shauna and Colm meeting, their early marriage years, and present day when all the difficulties are happening. And it's not just about Shauna and Colm and everything they've been through or go through, it's also about Shauna's friends and family. Shauna has two close girl friends that both help her through her ups and downs and occasionally have a few ups and downs themselves. While reading we get to learn a lot about Shauna and the rest of the characters. 

We also get to see all the ups and downs that Shauna and Colm go through together despite the fact that they seem like the perfect match in the beginning. They love each other and want to support each other but it doesn't always work out the way they hope. It was incredibly realistic of relationships or marriages. It showed that all marriages have good and bad times but that doesn't mean that those marriages aren't great or that those two people don't belong with each other. 

Overall this was an emotional and interesting read. I had a little trouble getting into the book at first and there were a few slow moments throughout, but I enjoyed it anyways. The ending was definitely full of surprises, heartbreak, and some enjoyable moments. I couldn't stop reading near the end and I definitely felt the end hit me in the feels. 

This was a great contemporary read for those that enjoy them! Also great for those that are interested in strong female characters that take on the weight of the world for their families. :) 

Vanessa