Review: The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr

The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr

Publication Date: April 30th by MIRA

Pages: 336

Source: Publisher & Purchased Audio copy

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible | Kobo

About the book:

#1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr delivers a poignant and powerful story about how one woman’s best intentions lead to the worst of situations and how the power of love helps her to heal and ultimately triumph.

From the outside looking in, Lauren Delaney has a life to envy—a successful career, a solid marriage to a prominent surgeon and two beautiful daughters who are off to good colleges. But on her twenty-fourth wedding anniversary Lauren makes a decision that will change everything.

Lauren won’t pretend things are perfect anymore. She defies the controlling husband who has privately mistreated her throughout their marriage and files for divorce. And as she starts her new life, she meets a kindred spirit—a man who is also struggling with the decision to end his unhappy marriage.

But Lauren’s husband wants his “perfect” life back and his actions are shocking. Facing an uncertain future, Lauren discovers an inner strength she didn’t know she had as she fights for the love and happiness she deserves.

My Thoughts:

I LOVE Robyn Carr’s writing, so I’ve been looking forward to The View From Alameda Island, it was amazing and crazy!  I think this has been the craziest exes I’ve read from Ms. Carr, but the relationship between Lauren and Beau was steady and calming throughout any drama that came at them.  Their romance was slow and steady, felt real, but also had heat and chemistry! I loved it!

Let me just tell you I wanted to strangle both of their exes! Their pictures would be up by the words “narcissistic”, “megalomaniac”, and “delusional” in the dictionary!  Wow! I honestly can’t believe they both put up with so much, but I can somewhat understand because there were kids involved.  Each wanted to wait until their kids were out and mostly settled on their own path.  Beau get special props for being a stepfather and not bowing out because he split from the boy’s mom. They truly needed a stable force in their life since their mom was flighty, full of drama, and manipulative!

I was touched by the wonderful friends and family Beau and Lauren had, a testament to the kind of good people they were at heart, they definitely needed the support!  I loved how each ex had their own comeuppance at every turn, and never got away with things too long.  I’m so sad for anyone who goes through this kind of drama in their family.  At any rate, I loved how it all turned out. 

The setting of Alameda Island was lovely!  I’m in East Bay San Francisco just about every other weekend, but I haven’t got over to that neck of the woods yet, but now I want to! It sounds like a charming little town full of character!

I mostly listened to the audio version narrated by Therese Plummer, one of my all-time favorite performers!  She nails both the male and female characters, and I love her easy cadence.  She narrates most (if not all) of Ms. Carr’s books, as well as the Casey Duncan (Rockton) series by Kelley Armstrong. Another favorite author/series!  I’d be willing to give just about any author a go if Ms. Plummer is narrating the story!

4 Suns