Beastmomma

From goodreads:

Five years ago, Tia fell into obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption.

Five years ago, Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead, she's questioning whether she's cut out for the role of wife and mother.

Five years ago, Juliette considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan's affair. He promised he' never stray again, and she trusted him.

But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his daughter? And if he's kept this a secret from her, what else is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a collision course with consequences that none of them could have predicted.

Pages: 323 (hardcover) 

Publisher:  Published February 12th 2013 by Atria Books

Rating: 5 out of 10

Source: Won from TLC book tours book club of the Month contest  

Date Completed: June 11, 2013

I was really excited when I found out that I had won the TLC book tours book club of the month contest. Since I am still on a book buying diet, most of my books come from the library.  When I purchase a book, I get the paperback version.  I love the library very much, but I do miss owning hard cover books. Anyway, when the box of books arrived, I was excited to see and hold my own copy of The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers.  I was glad that the book was chosen as the June selection.

As I read I was struck with how much judgment there was between the women.  Juliette, in particular, seemed to constantly be sizing people up based on appearance and the type of paper they used to write notes.  Tia was also judge mental, but her criticism was mostly towards herself. After reading those characters for awhile, I started to wonder if all women secretly judge each other.  I do not think that is true based on my own experience, but I certainly did not enjoy being in the world created by this author.

The character I disliked the least was Caroline.  She worried a lot about what others thought of her and questioned her parenting abilities. I related to her uncertainty and anxiety about not doing right by her child and spouse.  Her passion for her work is also something I can relate to, but her fantasies about not being a parent or a partner were disturbing.

In spite of my lukewarm reaction to the book, I really enjoyed our meeting and the discussion.  Winning multiple copies of the book made our selection process pretty easy.