Good book but lots of drama with the families. Not exactly what I was expecting. Had an anticipated ending. ( )

I have been missing out. A good number of years ago I read one of Debbie Macomber's earlier novels and remember liking the story but wishing it had gone a little deeper into the characters. So I passed on reading any of her later books until this one - what a nice surprise it turned out to be. It's a family drama about a group of strong-willed individuals learning to move forward. They each have their reasons to hang onto past hurts and this goes into their personal struggles to let them go. The ending might have been wrapped up a little too neatly but I was thoroughly on board with the story and the characters the entire way there. I wouldn't hesitate to read another one of her books now. ( )

3.5 stars (rating shown may vary depending on whether site allows half star ratings).

I've read other Macomber books (this one I found on the resell shelf at my library). I was glad to see this one did not include any scenes of affection that went beyond kissing. (In past novels, I've lamented that Macomber lets her characters go a bit too far in the throes of passion before she reins them in.)

The book contains many characters, all of whom are interwoven in some way, but the two main ones are Julia and Heath. The title comes from a saying from Julia's grandfather who used to tell her "it's better this way" when bad things happened--like a prom date dumping her. Meaning that God has something better in store down the road.

Julia has been divorced for 6 years after a 31 year marriage to Eddie that produced two daughters: Hillary and Marie. Julia's close to her sister Amanda and Amanda's daughter, Carrie. Eddie is now remarried to Laura.

Heath is also divorced and his marriage produced two sons: Adam and Michael.

When Julia's husband Eddie announced he wanted a divorce because he'd found someone else, Julia fought to try to keep their marriage together. She suggested counseling and Eddie agreed. She also asked for 6 months before Eddie made their divorce final. Something Eddie agreed to, but I guess his bride-to-be Laura resented.

On the other hand, when Heath's wife (whom he called Lee) asked for a divorce, Heath recognized the marriage was over--that Lee wasn't happy with him--and agreed to the divorce. We're told he did consider suggesting they get counseling, but then decided it wasn't the right thing for them.

I'm not sure which of those paths I would most advocate for a couple in that situation. Preferably, the couple wouldn't let it get to the point of having an affair because they were unhappy with their spouse, but instead would have gone to counseling sooner or had a heart-to-heart talk before it got to that point and tried to compromise.

Julia and Heath meet because they live in the same condo building.

WARNING: SPOILERS MAY FOLLOW. READ ON AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION:

*****

I sort of guessed the main plot twist but then rejected it because two names weren't the same.

I both understand Eddie's insistence that his daughters accept Laura as his wife and respect her and understand the daughters's problems with his heavy handedness on the matter. All this, of course, not helped by the skirmish Eddie's daughters had with Laura's sons--with both sets of children reacting to messages sent to their respective mothers. I don't know if it's a guy thing or if it's just Eddie in that he doesn't seem to know how to take baby steps in reaching out to his daughters. Instead of offering to meet them without Laura, he continues to insist that they accept her as his wife and include her. I'm not saying he should go meet with his daughters and let them bash Laura to him, but he could have met them for lunch or coffee without Laura to start. Asking them to respect his decision to marry Laura and not speak ill of her in his presence is not unreasonable and he might have continued to have a relationship with his daughters over the years. I can understand Laura's not reaching out to Eddie's daughters--rejection is a terrible feeling. I'm not sure I buy the fact that she had sons not daughters is why she didn't think about trying to reach out to them little by little before consulting Julia, but . . .

I agree with the author's view that at some point, young adults need to grow up and take responsibility for their lives rather than living at home and taking then quitting jobs because they don't have as many bills to pay. I'm glad Julia could help Carrie find a job--I wonder if Carrie gets to keep the job after she gets married--she won't need the studio apartment any longer I'm assuming. I do wonder how Eric got a condo in this building if it so hard to get in to (vacancies rarely come up in the building according to Julia--so much so that she put an offer in on hers sight unseen.) The good news is that Julia's would probably sell easily because of that.

I was glad that by the end, it seems all the family members are at least somewhat tolerant of each other--they may never all be best friends, but at least they can get along. ( )

It’s better this way by Debbie Macomber is a 2021 Ballantine Books publication.

Julia fought hard for her thirty-one-year marriage, but in the end, things turned exceptionally ugly, so she gave up and signed the divorce papers. Now, six years later, Julia has moved on- but is not interesting in dating, despite her sister’s repeated attempts to set her up with someone.

That all changes when she meets Heath. She meets him in the exercise room of her building and the two strike up a friendship. As the friendship deepens into something more, bringing their adult children into the equation, proves to be tricky, especially since there happens to be a few prickly extenuating circumstances…

This is a pleasant story about adults who find love later in life after going through the pain of divorce. It is also about blending families with adult children, which proves far more difficult than anticipated.

Naturally, a feminine touch is needed to overcome the mulish stalemate, and things progress, often humorously from there. “It’s better this way” is a wonderful way to spin things that didn’t go exactly as planned, but worked out just as well… or better in the end.

I’m glad the author had a lot of fun writing this story, because I had a lot of fun reading it!! ( )

I spent a delightful afternoon reading this wonderful story! The characters were realistic and engaging, the plot excellent. Yes, I shed a few tears, laughed and was sad when the story ended. I came away from this story with a grin on my face and a warmth in my heart that comes from reading a really good romance book (5 stars). Thank you Mrs. Macomber!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ballantine Books and Ms. Macomber for the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )