**Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions on this book are my own.**
After a whirlwind courtship, Brittany Beresford married her Prince Charming and looked forward to living happily ever after. Five years later, she’s been reduced to a not-quite-desperate housewife, with a husband who spends more time flossing his teeth than holding meaningful conversations with her.
She braves his disapproval and turns working mother and, other than feeling far more drawn to a handsome baker she works with than him, things seem to be looking up. But then she discovers that his “hobbies” include something even worse than golf - and he expects her to put up and shut up.
Fairy tale illusions shattered, but still believing marriage is for life and wanting the best for her son, Brittany has a choice to make: should she follow her heart, or her conscience?
She braves his disapproval and turns working mother and, other than feeling far more drawn to a handsome baker she works with than him, things seem to be looking up. But then she discovers that his “hobbies” include something even worse than golf - and he expects her to put up and shut up.
Fairy tale illusions shattered, but still believing marriage is for life and wanting the best for her son, Brittany has a choice to make: should she follow her heart, or her conscience?
But I Said Forever totally gave me a book hangover! I seriously loved, loved, loved this book! As someone who became a mother very early in life and wondered quite often whether I was actually fit to be a mother because I obsessed about stickiness, mess, and dirty faces and wasn't very found of having one-sided conversations, I could really relate to Brittany right at the beginning of the story.
I really adored all of the characters. Brittany was an obvious favorite from me but I also loved Abby and Lauren. The naivete of Abby really cracked me up. Lauren's no-hold's barred approach to life and how she interacts with people was interesting. I wanted to not like her at first but after seeing what she does to help prove to Brittany that her husband, Phillip, may not be who he says he is, she found her way into my heart.
Brittany and Phillip's relationship is definitely strained and it's sad to see how little he interacts with her and their son, James. I hated him already because of how little time he took for them but when his secret is exposed, I wasn't even sure how to react at first. And then I laughed. Or maybe I cried? You'll have to read it for yourself to figure out which one.
The greatest thing about this book, and the biggest reason why I loved it so much, is that while Brittany is going through her separation from Phillip, she develops some feelings for her co-worker Zack, who also has feelings for her, but instead of jumping right into a relationship with him like most romance novel main characters would do, she decides to take things slow. I think this is one of the greatest endings to a chick-lit book I have read because it gives the clear, and realistic, message that you should wait and learn to live by yourself and love yourself before you just jump right into another relationship with someone else.
Did I mention that I loved this book? It's also part of a series. It can be read as a stand-alone. I didn't even know it was part of a series until I finished the book. I can't wait to read more from Jennifer Gilby Roberts. If you like chick-lit, or just feel-good stories, read this book!!
