This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Lisa Spoors
Erica’s life has, until now, been ticking
along quite nicely – she’s married to Ira, has two great kids and a successful
career. Lately though, her husband’s increasingly unsubtle put-downs have been
getting to her. Erica knows she’s overweight, but her husband describing her as
‘overblown’ cuts particularly deep. Erica wants her marriage to work – for the
sake of her children more than anything – but is that really possible when most
of her time is spent fantasizing about killing Ira and following her dreams to
start a new life with the kids in Tuscany?
Then, Erica has her ‘eureka’ moment, and everything becomes clear. Could she really be happier on her own? Would any other man ever want her, not least the gorgeous Julian Foxham – principal at the kids’ school and all-round good guy? Could the villa in Tuscany ever be a reality?
When I started reading The Husband Diet, I knew I was going to love it. Erica feels like a failure – worries about her weight and the stresses of family life are pulling her down – but we quickly learn that the source of most of this worry is her husband, Ira. Reading the first chapter, I was already thinking ‘Leave him!!’ I so wanted Erica to recognise all of the positive things she has going for her, and follow her dreams.
Even though the signs are perfectly clear, Erica’s rock-bottom confidence means that she can’t believe that the man of her dreams, Julian, is actually interested in her. As the book progresses, we see Erica slowly coming to realise (with the help of her best friend, Paul) that she can be happy without her husband, and yes, the man of her dreams is actually interested in her.
The character of Erica is really endearing – I think we can all relate to how she feels at certain points in the book. I loved that the book addresses serious issues such as divorce and the effect on children in a sensitive way, whilst keeping the overall tone light. Despite the plot being rather predictable, the funny, heartwarming way the book is written kept me absorbed as I wanted to follow Erica on her journey. And also see if she followed through on any of those fantasies about killing her husband!! Overall this is a great feel-good book with a lovely message to anyone with dreams to follow. A perfect holiday read!
9/10