4.5 stars.

Mating for Life by Marissa Stapley is a compelling and thought-provoking novel about family, love and relationships. Written from numerous perspectives, each character offers unique insight into the different relationships in their lives and their own experiences with love, friends and family. Each of the women is at a romantic crossroads that challenges their long held beliefs about love and lead to some very unexpected decisions that not only impact their love life but also their relationships with one another.

Former folk singer Helen Sear has three daughters from three different men whom she never married. The three women, Fiona, Ilsa and Liane have very different personalities and lives but all of them, including Helen, are suddenly facing unexpected relationship conflicts. Helen has fallen in love with a very traditional man whose desire for marriage unintentionally drives a wedge between them. Liane is contemplating marriage to her longtime boyfriend but wonders whether she is truly in love with him. Ilsa is married with two young children but her growing dissatisfaction with her stalled creativity and marriage lead her to consider indulging in an affair. Fiona has the perfect life with a perfect husband and three perfect children but a shocking discovery leaves her reeling and shakes the very foundation of everything she believes in.

Each of the characters are well-developed and for the most part, likable. Of the three sisters, Ilsa is the hardest to like for part of the story, but by the end of the novel, she finally makes positive changes in her life. Fiona comes across as harsh and unforgiving but as information about her background emerges, she becomes more sympathetic. Liane is easily the most likable and watching her stand on her own despite her uncertainties is immensely gratifying. Helen is a fabulous character who admits to her mistakes and although she is flawed and imperfect, she is also very warm and loving.

The family dynamics ring true as do the situations each of the women are facing. Marissa Stapley does not shy away from difficult topics and this adds dimension to the characters and the storyline. Each of the chapters opens with an interesting fact about the mating habits of birds and wildlife that closely parallels that particular section of the story.

Mating for Life is a beautifully written novel that is poignant yet heartwarming. The growth and transformation of the characters and their various relationships is realistic and uplifting. A wonderful debut by Marissa Stapley that leaves me eagerly awaiting her next release. ( )

Received this book as an advanced copy for review. Will let you know what I think! Hmm, kinda so-so. I wasn't blown away by this novel about a mother and her three daughters and all of their many relationships. Seems mis-titled, for sure. A light read for a weekend getaway, at best. ( )

Mating for Life: A Novel is a story about the trials of marriage and the bonds between women, namely between the free-spirited Helen, her daughters Isla, Fiona, and Liane. This book has a very interesting format because they are told through alternating perspectives, the story follows each of the women as they navigate their own marriages (or lack of one) and relationships with each other.
Each chapter holds a different viewpoint but also character. This is interesting and can be difficult to keep them all straight. I have read several books like this though and felt this book did a good job and even incorporated characters that played a minor role as well as the main characters. Watch as they struggle, love, lose, spout humor and overall fun book to read. I would suggest to a book club! ( )

The start of this book was good and I thought I was really going to enjoy reading it. Sadly, I got about half way and put the book down. I thought about going back to the book and starting reading it again but realized that I had no real interest in reading anymore. The three sisters and their mother, Helen did not captivate me with their lives. The only one that kind of did was Liane. I found the rest of them drab. Plus, instead of letting me savor the three sister's stories, the author felt the need to rush the story along with lots of details and secondary characters and voices. If the author had slowed the story down some and did not interject all of the other voices, this book would have been way better. I did see promise in it. ( )

(Summary)
Marriage, love, family, motherhood, finding yourself all of this is touch upon in blunt honesty Mating for Life.
Helen Sear, a former folksinger, proudly disdained from marriage, and raising her three daughters –all with different fathers- on her own. In her older years Helen falls in love with a traditional man who wants to marry her. Will Helen go against all that she has believed in as far a marriage or will she hold on and loose that man she loves? Meanwhile, Helen’s youngest daughter Liane is head over heels for a man that just might be her soul mate, but he has two girls and an ex-wife. Can Laine find her way in her new role as “step-mom or something” it doesn’t come with an instruction manual? Isla, Helen’s middle daughter, is an artist and is trying to hold on to her second marriage but she might have to disrupting her two young children and breaking free. Fiona, Helens eldest daughter, is a stay at home mom of three boys. She works hard to make the kid’s world pristine but she seems not to be at peace with it all. When her husband comes out with a secret that rocks the boat will Fiona be able to hold on?
(Review)
Many roles that women play through out there life are depicted in the book with such clarity that any women can relate to one of the characters and how she feels. Roles including being a mother, a wife, a daughter, a lover, a friend, and a sister. It made me feel that I am not alone and understood where the character was coming from since I had been there too.
I had a hard time in the first part of the book, jumping from on characters story to the next but Marissa did a wonderful job connecting all the stories together in the last half of the book. She also but an animal and its mating habits at the top of each chapter. At first I thought this took away from the story itself until I realized that she incorporated the animals or their behavior into the chapter. Which ended up adding to the magic of the story.
I will admit I have rarely cried when it comes to books (laughing yes, crying not so much). I cried with this book. The characters spoke to me though I thought the backdrops need a little more detail. All in all a good book. Only complaint I had a hard time in the beginning jumping for person to person. The author does a wonderful job taking places she knows well and using these for the backdrops of her story.
(Author)
Marissa Stapley is a writer and former magazine editor who contributes to Elle, The Globe and Mail, and National Post among others. She also teaches writing at the University of Toronto.
DISCLAIMER: I received this book free of charge from Goodreads Frist Reads Giveaway in exchange for my unbiased review of it. All opinions are mine and were not coerced upon me to provide a favorable review ( )