Alice's Review: Family Affair

Summary:  Lacey Lancaster has always longed to be a wife and mother. However, after a painful divorce, she decides it's time to lay low for a while in her charming San Francisco apartment with her beautiful Abyssinian cat, Cleo. Everything would be wonderful, except for her utterly impossible neighbor Jack Walker. When he's not arguing day and night with his girlfriend, begging her to move in with him, he's chasing down his cat named Dog, who seems determined to get Cleo to succumb to his feline advances. Then Lacey discovers the awful truth—Cleo is in the family way and Dog's to blame. She's furious that neither Jack nor his amorous animal seem too upset about the situation. But Lacey learns that things are not quite as they seem. Jack's "girlfriend" is really his sister—and his intentions toward Lacey are very honorable. And though she's not quite sure about Dog, Lacey begins to discover the tender joy of falling in love all over again.

Review: There was a time when I would have swallowed Family Affair whole. I would have loved the simplicity of the romance, the innocence of the characters.  I absolutely loved how two people with seemingly nothing in common could come together.  Through dislike, they find love.  Through misunderstanding, they find acceptance and compromise. I loved a story where in the end, love conquers all.  That was then.  Now, well, I'm a bit more cynical.  Don't get me wrong, I still believe that love conquers all, but now I know it's not that simple. 

I think I would have loved this book back then.  Now not so much.  I found the story to be too simple.  It also reads a bit dated.  For an independent woman, Lacey is too much of a mouse.  She makes this huge change in her life, but manages to not grow at all.  And Jack, well, he's a bit one dimensional.  I have to admit my favorite part of the novel was the "romance" between Cleo and Dog. 

Overall this was a nice simple story.  A quick read for a cold, snowy day.  It's a sweet tale to be absorbed in a single reading.  Will it change your life?  Probably not.  But will it give you a chuckle or two?  Definitely.  Worth the time?  Maybe.  Unless you are a huge Debbie Macomber fan, I wouldn't recommend buying it.  It's more of a library book. 

Final Take: 2/5

A special thanks to Chelsey Emmelhainz of Harper Collins for providing me with this advance copy.