The Best of Us

My goal is to read 100 books by the end of 2013.  I just finished book 29.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.  The expected publication date is April 9, 2013.

The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen

Summary:
To celebrate Dwight's 35th birthday, his wife Pauline organizes an extravagant vacation in Jamaica and invites his three closest friends from college - Tina (with her husband Gio), Allie (with her husband Ryan), and Savannah (with her husband Gary).  All 4 women jump at the chance to escape reality, all for different reasons (Tina is losing herself as she parents young children, Allie has learned of genetic illness in her family, Savannah hasn't admitted she's separated from her husband, and Pauline feels her marriage is strained because she hasn't gotten pregnant yet).  But as the week progresses, reality creeps in and each woman must examine their lives and decide what they truly want in life and love.

My opinion:
I'm so frustrated because it's impossible for me to say anything about the book without spoilers.  I thought I knew the general direction of the story before I started based on the description...I was wrong.  I thought the first plot twist would be the most outrageous part of the book...I was wrong.  I thought my discomfort was due to one particular character...I was wrong.  As the plot twists continued, I thought there was no way the story would continue in a certain direction...I was wrong.  The ending came and I thought that can't possibly be the resolution...I was wrong.
Compulsively readable but not necessarily likable (that may only make sense in my mind).  I would love to discuss it with someone that has read it!

Quote from the book:
"Want to know the first thing that pops into my mind almost every morning after opening my eyes?  I start anticipating being able to go to bed at night.  I'm just so tired all the time." ~ Tina (the character I identified with the most)