This one takes you back and forth between heartbreak and "warm, fuzzy" so effortlessly that I was sure I would need a whole box of Kleenex. I was able to maintain my composure, however...but it wasn't easy.

The two main characters are drawn so well that you almost start to feel like you know them. Even the secondary characters are well written. This book is definitely on my favorites list.

At it's core, this is a story about a childless woman and a motherless child. But it is so much more complex than that. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't go into detail. This is from the book description:

"Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria’s heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family’s restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie’s fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman.

Angie hires Lauren Ribido because she sees something special in the seventeen-year-old. They quickly form a deep bond, and when Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie offers the girl a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women—one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother’s love—will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined."

The book was awesome. I couldn't put it down. I work for a living and started reading it during the week, dope that I am, so I had to, but I went to work really sleepy for a couple of days. Then I finished reading it and had to say goodbye to these wonderful characters - which gave me an almost melancholy sort of feeling. I'll be reading it again one day, I am sure. This is my first Kristin Hannah novel - but it won't be my last. ( )

The Things We Do for Love by Kristin Hannah is a contemporary fiction book that will bring on the tears (sad and happy).

Angela DeSaria Malone's life is falling apart. She thought her life was going to be perfect - college, marriage, motherhood, you know - the "dream." Well, it didn't go that way. Her marriage collapses and her life is in ruins. She moves back to her hometown to be with her family - her Mom and two sisters. After her Father passed away, the family restaurant is in shambles and might close down. So, it seems like the perfect time for the marketing guru sister who fled to the big city to come help! She meets a young girl who is going through a difficult situation, and it opens up Angela's heart like a Mother's would. Since her Motherhood dreams have been squashed in a variety of ways, could this fill her heart?

Man. This one HURT in so many ways but also filled my heart up with joy too. It's an emotional roller coaster that made me have all of the feels. Kindness, family, and loss are all big topics in this book. It was so beautiful! Kristin Hannah writes these characters to feel real and it's just so touching. I was glued to this book because I needed to know that Angela had the happily ever after she deserved.

If you like women's literature and feeling all of the emotions, this book is for you. It's like a sweeping romance that doesn't focus on love, but rather friendship and family.

Four out of five stars. ( )

Angela DeSaria Malone and husband Conlan's marriage collapses due to infertility and the death of Sophia shortly after birth. On top of that her father also dies. Angie moves back to West End, on the coast of Washington where she puts her marketing expertise to work saving the DeSaria family's restaurant. Looking to volunteer, she befriends Lauren Ribido, who lives in a rundown apartment in a bad part of town with a mother who cares more about her next drink than about her daughter. When Lauren's mother abandons her at the age of 17, Angie takes her in. This begins a journey for both of them. Angie treats her as the daughter she never had and Lauren thinks of Angie as the caring mother that she never had. The close knit DeSaria family consists of Olivia (Livvy), Mira, and mother Maria. ( )

Ugh. Definitely not high on my list of favorite Kristin Hannah books. The characters are flat. People cry every other page. The story never goes anywhere. You could eliminate 200 pages and not lose a thing. I only give it 2 stars because I did laugh out loud a few times. Mostly, though, I just sighed and frustratingly powered through hoping for a Magic Hour or Firefly Lane moment. No such luck. ( )

Saddened by their inability to have children, a couple gets divorced. Angie moves back to her family's hometown to help out with the family restaurant and get her mind off things. She discovers that the family business isn't doing too hot since her father died 6 months prior and she decides to put her marketing and advertising skills to use while her two older sisters work in the kitchen with their mother. One of the first changes she makes is hiring another waitress, much younger than the old and slow one they have now. She offers the job to Lauren. A high school senior from the bad part of town that has her eyes set on getting a full ride to college and making something of her life. Angie quickly becomes like a mother to Lauren taking her under her win. Then the unthinkable happens and Angie must decides if her heart can handle what's about to happen. Is she done running and is she ready to take a chance? Heartfelt and moving. Chick lit at it's finest. ( )