The Sweetheart Deal

By Polly Dugan

ISBN: 9780316320351

Author Website: http://www.pollydugan.com/

 

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer jerjen

 

Synopsis:

The poignant story of what happens when a woman who thinks she’s lost everything has the chance to love again.

Leo has long joked that, in the event of his death, he wants his best friend Garrett, a lifelong bachelor, to marry his wife, Audrey. One drunken night, he goes so far as to make Garrett promise to do so. Then, twelve years later, Leo, a veteran firefighter, dies in a skiing accident.

As Audrey navigates her new role as widow and single parent, Garrett quits his job in Boston and buys a one-way ticket out west. Before long, Audrey’s feelings for Garrett become more than platonic, and Garrett finds himself falling for Audrey, her boys, and their life together in Portland. When Audrey finds out about the drunken pact from years ago, though, the harmless promise that brought Garrett into her world becomes the obstacle to his remaining in it. (Goodreads)

 

Review:

This is a story that involves many facets of life.  It deals with many real-life situations and issues.  It is a story about friendship, love, loss, pain, life, commitment and second chances.   It is about having the courage to let go of the past and grabbing the future with both hands.

Leo and Garrett have been best friends for a very long time.  They have each others’ back and would do just about anything for each other.  Leo decides that he cannot think of anyone better to take care of his wife and family should anything ever happen to him.  He is not planning on dying anytime soon but being a firefighter, he knows that it is possible he will die in the line of duty.  He gets Garrett to agree that, in the event of his death, Garrett will be there for his wife Audrey and his children and will take of them forever.  When the unthinkable happens and Leo does die, Garrett must decide if he will honor the promise he made to Leo.  And he has to find out if Audrey is willing to accept his help.

I like the fact that the book is written from different perspectives.  Each chapter spotlights a different character: there are sections for Garrett, Audrey, and Audrey’s children.   I found this to be a very effect way to follow their lives, their feelings, their struggles and their emotions.

Reading about what happened to Audrey made me stop to think about how I would feel in the same situation.  How devastated I would feel, how alone I would feel and how overwhelmed I would feel.  I think I would feel as though I would never overcome my grief and I would just want to give up on life.  But then I would look at my children and know that I had to move on and be there for them.  This is a situation that many women and men are faced with and forced to deal with on a daily basis.  I think the author did a great job relaying the devastation and determination it would take to get through this.

This book explored the different types of love that exists.  There is the obvious one, the love between spouses or a significant other.  Most people have experienced this type of love and have first hand experience in these feelings.  But there is also the love between best friends, the love that Leo and Garrett experienced.  They had best friends forever and would do anything for each other.  Some people may have not experienced this type of love but it does exist.  And the third type of love demonstrated in this book is the love between parent and adult.  In some ways, I think this is the strongest love there is.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick read.  There are a lot of heartfelt emotions contained within the pages and the reader is taken on an emotional roller-coaster ride.  It also challenged me to think about what my feelings would be and how I would handle things if I found myself in Audrey’s shoes.  I really enjoyed the fact that this happened.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well written women’s contemporary.  If you like to read books that make you stop and think about how you would react, this is a book that you should read.