Turning the Paige by Laura Jensen Walker ~ Tracy's Take

What is it about?

With a failed marriage behind her and a mother who manipulates her time, thirty-five year old Paige Kelley is feeling a little bit left behind. Paige finds herself moving back home to care for her diabetic mother, Catherine. After all, her brother and sister left the area as soon as they were able, to get away from Catherine’s persistent ways.

The Getaway Girls book clubbers are Paige’s lifeline. This unlikely group of friends are the ones that encourage her to cut the apron strings and learn to live life on her own two feet. When Paige is delivered some devastating news, it is these loyal friends who see her through the first difficult weeks.

It is during these turbulent days on a trip to Scotland that Paige and her sister Isabelle face the thorn between them and begin to discover the precious relationship that awaits.

What I thought:

‘Turning the Paige’ is the superb sequel to Laura Jensen Walker’s ‘Daring Chloe’. Getting to know Paige better was a pleasure filled with complexity and was charmingly refreshing. Although the novel is quintessential ‘chick lit’, Laura deftly weaves in issues and truths that are anything but light and airy.

Paige wrestles with the Biblical responsibility to care for her mother, while trying to figure out how to live her own life. Laura tackles the intricacies of this issue with tenderness, while advocating the benefits of firm boundaries.

I loved the continuing relationships between the Getaway Girls, which began in ‘Daring Chloe’. I love the candor and loyalty that marks the deep friendship these women have forged. Through their shared love of books and their many resulting adventures these women demonstrate the depth of female relationships I think we all desire in our lives.

I was completely satisfied with the romance aspect woven into Paige’s story. There is just nothing like a good love story and Laura delivers this element with an integrity that feels real and authentic. I was also completely invested in the relationship that emerges with Paige’s sister Isabelle. Their journey to Scotland provides the perfect backdrop to restoration and a positive future for the two sisters to look forward to.

Guest reviewer: My friend Tracy from Beyond My Picket Fence

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Daring Chloe

Interview with Laura

Visit Laura's website

Buy Laura's books at Amazon or Koorong