The Life She Wants

#1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr brings together a poignant novel with a rich tapestry of characters. A moving story that will leave the reader laughing and crying, as two friends confront their pasts and move towards their futures. In the aftermath of her financier husband’s suicide, Emma Shay Compton’s dream life is shattered. Richard Compton stole his clients’ life savings to fund a lavish life in New York City and, although she was never involved in the business, Emma bears the burden of her husband’s crimes. She is left with nothing. Only one friend stands by her, a friend she’s known since high school, who encourages her to come home to Sonoma County. But starting over isn’t easy, and Sonoma is full of unhappy memories, too. And people she’d rather not face, especially Riley Kerrigan. Riley and Emma were like sisters—until Riley betrayed Emma, ending their friendship. Emma left town, planning to never look back. Now, trying to stand on her own two feet, Emma can’t escape her husband’s reputation and is forced to turn to the last person she thought she’d ever ask for help—her former best friend. It’s an uneasy reunion as both women face the mistakes they’ve made over the years. Only if they find a way to forgive each other—and themselves—can each of them find the life she wants.

Emma Compton swore she hadn’t seen her husband’s suicide coming.

You want to save your marriage. She wants to destroy it. Paula worries that her marriage to Tommy is hanging by a thread. She loves how safe her husband makes her feel, but lately, it seems like he’s pulling away from her, and he keeps avoiding a much-needed conversation about finally having children. When Tommy suggests a cruise getaway for the two of them, Paula is thrilled. He’s fighting for this marriage, and he’s even promised that they will talk about growing their family. It’s Paula’s dream come true. Until the couple meets beautiful Anna. From the moment Anna appears in their lives, things start to go wrong for Paula. She finds herself trapped in a sauna. Her hair is destroyed at the salon. Money goes missing from her cabin. At first, Paula thinks she’s paranoid in suspecting Anna is turning her dream holiday into a nightmare. But soon, it becomes clear that Paula may not be the only woman fighting for Tommy’s affections. How far will Anna go to get what she wants? What lines will Paula cross to protect her marriage? And whose dark past will return to destroy them first? The Life She Wants is a suspenseful psychological thriller with a twist. Perfect for fans of Catherine Ryan Howard, Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell. What everyone is saying about The Life She Wants: ‘A FANTASTIC can I say FANTASTIC AGAIN Book!!!!! Now this is what makes me Love reading a psychological novel. Sooooo fast-paced, many twists and turns... More heart-pounding than you can imagine. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED!!! So sad it’s over.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘Deliciously indulgent... absolute belter of a novel!! So easy to read, I literally inhaled it! Reading it while cooking, eating, bathing until I had finished it! Then I was left with the emptiness knowing it was the end!... Just mind blowing! Gutted it’s over... Loved it!!’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘The perfect thriller! Full of chills, thrills and everything in between this one kept me reading late into the night desperate to know how it ends! Full of fantastic twists and turns, believable characters and a plot like nothing I’ve read before!’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘It gripped me, I couldn't stop reading!’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘I could not get enough of this book. The author keeps you guessing until the very end... All I can say is I did not see the ending coming. If you love thrillers and books that keep you on the edge of you seat, you will LOVE this book!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘So glad I discovered this author, an unputdownable thriller that kept me hooked right until the end. Fantastic characters, a great plot and the twists kept me hooked. Loved it!’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘Suspenseful, full of mystery and twists and turns that I could not predict. I am definitely going to be reading more from this author.’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ‘This was a very entertaining read with comparisons to The Last Mrs Parish that I absolutely loved... This was great fun.’ NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

From behind the curtains, Sarah spotted the man coming out of the house, followed by the woman. It would be strange seeing people in the property. She wondered how much it would change their lives. For now, she would bide her time and hopefully get to know them better. She needed to gain their trust. When I met Richard, I fell for him instantly. He was able to give me everything I had always wanted: the dream house, security and above all, love like I'd never known. We lived a quiet life in the middle of nowhere; we didn't need anyone else. So, when the empty house next door is sold, I am wary. Will our neighbours invade the perfect life Richard has built for us? As soon as I meet Juliette and Danny, I am reassured. Overwhelmed by grief after the death of their young daughter, they have moved in search of a quiet life and a chance to start again. Over dinner one evening, we hit it off instantly and I know they are just the neighbours we need. All is well until Juliette spots a young girl in our garden. Richard convinces her that she is seeing things, that it's the grief taking over. But Juliette won't let it go. She is sure she saw a child. She believes that Richard is threatening her. She starts to think that I'm not safe. I need to convince Juliette that she's imagining it. I need to keep Richard happy. If I am to protect everything I have built for myself, she must never find out the truth. That my perfect life is built on the deadliest lie. A heart-stopping psychological thriller with a truly brilliant twist, perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, T.M. Logan and K.L. Slater. Readers love The Life She Wants: 'Woah.... blown away by this one...This one left me guessing until the very end, and I loved it. The twists and turns were shocking yet realistic... I felt my own heart racing... Couldn't read this one fast enough.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Kept me up well past my bedtime, I could not put it down. So many thrilling twists and turns... Just could not put it down... highly recommend. Phenomenal... I was blown away by this book!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'May possibly be my favourite of Mel Sherratt's books so far!... I was totally immersed after the very first chapter... This truly is one hell of a ride. Oh, and Mel, you owe me a night's sleep, as I couldn't stop reading until I'd finished!!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A totally gripping read that had me reading obsessively until it was finished. I couldn't put it down it was so twisty and unpredictable. I loved it.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Oh my gosh. What a fabulous book. This had my heart racing.' StefLoz Book Blog, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

New York Times Editors’ Choice In this poignant memoir of personal transformation, Jill Soloway takes us on a patriarchy-toppling emotional and professional journey. When Jill’s parent came out as transgender, Jill pushed through the male-dominated landscape of Hollywood to create the groundbreaking and award-winning Amazon TV series Transparent. Exploring identity, love, sexuality, and the blurring of boundaries through the dynamics of a complicated and profoundly resonant American family, Transparent gave birth to a new cultural consciousness. While working on the show and exploding mainstream ideas about gender, Jill began to erase the lines on their own map, finding their voice as a director, show creator, and activist. She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy moves with urgent rhythms, wild candor, and razor-edged humor to chart Jill’s evolution from straight, married mother of two to identifying as queer and nonbinary. This intense and revelatory metamorphosis challenges the status quo and reflects the shifting power dynamics that continue to shape our collective worldview. With unbridled insight that offers a rare front seat to the inner workings of the #metoo movement and its aftermath, Jill captures the zeitgeist of a generation with thoughtful and revolutionary ideas about gender, inclusion, desire, and consent.

Ireland’s #1 bestselling author Cathy Kelly weaves a heartwarming tale about a group of friends who discover that when life gets comfortable, unexpected surprises are just around the corner. Do you know what you’ll be doing next year? Three friends—Hope, Sam, and Virginia—all thought they did. Hope would still be slogging it out as a working mom, snatching quality time with husband Marc and her two small children. Her sister Sam was going to be the acclaimed boss of a record label, turning heads as the toughest, most brilliant music mogul around. Virginia would be planning her dream retirement home with her beloved husband Bill and doting on their little granddaughter. But destiny had other plans for them. Suddenly everything drastically changes for each of the three women, and they have to look deep within themselves to find out what they really want from life. And in surviving the turmoil ahead, they will discover that a loving family and good friends make all the difference....

In the heart of downtown, there was a palace of commerce, a jewel of Chicago history. It was Marshall Field & Company. "Give the lady what she wants". "The customer is always right". These generous policies are Marshall Field's legacy to the world of retail. Here is the department store's history, a love story, told with fun and flair. It include a very personal new preface by Rick Kogan, longtime Chicago newpaperman, radio personality, and eldest son of Herman Kogan.

With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.