Otherwise Engaged - by Susan Mallery (Hardcover)

Susan Mallery has done it again! Otherwise Engaged is such a great read with characters you can’t help but love. Shannon was my favorite. She was real, relatable, and easy to root for. A fun, heartfelt story from start to finish.

I truly love Susan Mallery's books. I have been a huge fan of hers for over a decade. I love how she is able to blend together humor and love into characters who are facing real life experiences. In this book, a mom, Ava, and her daughter, Victoria, were struggling to connect. The story goes on to reveal the heartache and struggles Ava had experienced throughout her own life. There were several twists involving an old friend, Cindy, and her daughter, Shannon. Shannon was supposed to be Ava's adopted daughter whom they were going to name Victoria, and seeing that story unfold added a lot of emotion to the book. What I appreciated most was how Susan Mallery slowly unraveled the complicated emotions between all of them. The way Ava carried her guilt, the way Victoria tried to understand a mother she never fully knew, and the way the past kept pulling at Ava all felt so real. I found myself going back and forth between heartbreak and hope as the truth came out. Cindy also stood out to me with her helicopter parenting. She hovered over Shannon so much that Shannon struggled to find her own voice and her own way. Watching Shannon try to figure out who she was felt relatable, because so many of us have seen this in real life, either from our own parents or even in the ways we catch ourselves doing it without meaning to. Even though I enjoyed the story and the emotional layers, it was not my favorite Susan Mallery book. I cannot quite explain why. I think I wanted more romance and a little more connection between the characters. It was still a good read with strong themes and plenty of heart, just not one that reached the top of my list.

I liked the book , as always. The relationship between 2 of the characters reminded me of my relationship with my mother. The storyline was great and I loved learning about charcuterie boards! I was just hoping for more of a resolution between a few of the characters. Maybe there will be a sequel!

I love that Mallery’s characters always love each other and aren’t afraid to say so. The women are typically disasters, but their men love them fiercely. The leading men are always devoted to the women, even when the women are stupid, which is a nice change in this type of story. I have yet to read a Susan Mallery book that doesn’t remind me of someone that I know and love, even when family makes it tough to love.

This story unfolds as two mothers and daughters intersect in a chance meeting. The past comes to light and all four women deal with this new revelation and how their lives continue on the same path, but things are completely different. I enjoyed this read, Susan Mallery writes loving characters in beautiful settings. The mother daughter dynamics feel a little on the nose, but there is comfort in that as well.

Another superb book by Susan Mallery! The story is full of emotions showing how changing your mind can affect and transform other peoples' lives! There are twists and turns as you read through this novel that keeps you wanting more! I highly recommend this book! You don't want to miss it!

I enjoyed the latest book by Susan Mallery. This booked honed in on mother-daughter relationships. One daughter was a go with flow daughter while the other one was obstinate and fought her mother all the way. The families had a chance meeting and the daughters became friends. It was interesting to see how they both changed a little thru the story. This was a quick good read.

I just finished reading Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery and was hooked. I could not put it down and stayed up late in the night reading. I give this book five stars with a glowing recommendation. The family dynamics between Shannon, Cindy, Ava, and Victoria are complex and problematic. A solution needs to be found and I kept turning the page hoping one would be. I love books about family and the different relationships that involves. This book has plenty of that. If you are a fan, of family, complexity, and solutions this is the book for you.

This was an easy and engaging read. Cindy is a pregnant teenager and has chosen Ava and her husband Milton to adopt her baby but when the baby is born she can’t give the baby up and keeps her. Years later they accidentally run into each other and all of the old wounds come rushing back. Ava’s adopted daughter Victoria and Cindy’s daughter Shannon learn all about the past and have to adapt to all of the new information and feelings. I really appreciated the mother/daughter dynamics that the characters have to navigate throughout this book.

A new Susan Mallery story is always a good reason to curl up and block out the world. Even though this one is not really a beach read, it still invited me to get lost in great characters and their world. Shannon and her mom, Cindy, have always been close. Maybe too close? So close that when Shannon's boyfriend proposes, she can't bring herself to tell her also engaged mom who's sure to suggest a double wedding. Victoria and her mother, Ava, are not close. For lots of reasons. Both of them are strong women who like to impose their will on their world. The lives of the four women collide on a fateful afternoon and secrets spill out. All four women, sometimes with the men in their lives, meet up and learn more about their lives and their futures and each other. Shannon is forced to admit that she just might be part of the problem she's having with her mother. Victoria also. Mallery always does such a good job writing fully-drawn characters who walk off the page and into my head. While some of the plots points may strain my credulity a bit, I keep turning the pages. This is women's fiction at its finest, engaging the emotions and the imagination. I highly recommend OTHERWISE ENGAGED! _____________________ I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but that did not induce me to review it, favorably or not. I really did enjoy it!

Mothers and daughters. Our stories intertwine throughout our lives. We all have issues and backgrounds that color our ability to interact with our moms or our daughters. This book takes specific issues for each mother and how each of their daughters react to the rearing they received. Ava and Victoria always at each others throats. If Ava says it, Victoria disagrees. When she was adopted, Victoria feels like she wasn't the baby her parents wanted. Can they get over this hurdle? Cindy and Shannon, after Cindy almost gives Shannon up for adoption, she is now the mom who wants to help with everything! Is she overcompensating because she kept her child? I am an absolute Susan Mallery fan and this book was deep. Dissecting the what ifs and trying to make peace with the decisions made long ago seems to be the overarching theme. I loved it!

Wonderful! "Otherwise Engaged" perfectly captures the emotional dynamics between both sides of the mother/daughter relationships. It was a great read and I will definitely be reading it again soon!

Once again, Susan Mallery’s Otherwise Engaged does not disappoint! Mallery navigates the complicated nature of Mother/Daughter relationships, adoption and lifecycle events with humor, realism and care. The rollercoaster journey both mother and daughters travel is agonizing but Mallery’s style of writing allows you feel their heartbreak and cheer their triumphs. Ava, Victoria, Cindy and Shannon are so relatable! Pour yourself a glass of wine or make a cup of tea, curl up and let these four ladies pull you into their live for just a little while!

Who am I and where do I belong? These are age-old questions for a vast majority of the population. Susan Mallery is bringing us one tangled mess of finger pointing and mother-daughter angst. Shannon and her mother Cindy are a small close-knit family, but Shannon is struggling. She is just now figuring out she wants to break away from the child-parent to adult-adult relationship. Then there is the mother-daughter duo of Ava and Victoria. Victoria has always known she was adopted and I think she used this as a reason to not acknowledge a bond between her and her mom, Ava. Victoria does everything to spite her mom. Now, let’s twist these two seemingly unrelated personalities together- Cindy was a teenager when she was pregnant with Shannon and was planning to give her up for adoption to Ava. Over the course of the pregnancy the two women became friends, but when Cindy decided to keep Shannon, Ava was devastated. In a chance meeting, all parties meet, and the awkwardness begins.. Please read this book and find out how it all ends up! Another great read.

This is a good book overall. This book illustrates how a single decision can effect not only you but other as well even years later. This book is full of emotion and may contain strong language at times.

I absolutely loved Otherwise Engaged! It is such a heartwarming read. This book is about an unbreakable bond between a mother and daughter. But beneath the surface-level sweetness, the story delivers a surprisingly nuanced and emotionally portrayal of how even the strongest relationships can become complicated by life's big moments-and a few well-intentional secrets.

This is a book that is centered around the relationship of two mother/daughter duos, Shannon/Cindy and Victoria/Ava. The title of it made me think it was more of a romance-based book. It is more of a women's fiction with romantic undertones. At first, I was not sure how the two stories were going to connect, but then there is a secret revealed regarding adoption that enmeshes all four of them. It deals with how each one of them dealt with that issue and a few other issues based on their upbringing and life experiences. Shannon/Cindy had a close relationship and Ava and Victoria had difficulty connecting and communicating. I had one opinion of each character at the beginning and then my feelings changed as the story progressed especially as far as Ava was concerned. There were a lot of ups and downs and it merged their past and present story lines together well. I was able to relate to each character and feel and understand where they were coming from and why and how they dealt with things the way they did. I really liked the four men that were involved with the women in this story line too. I enjoyed reading this book and was pleased with the ending. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Susan Mallery for review purposes. This did not sway my opinion in any way.

This novel is contemporary fiction told with heart and humor and hope. There is some romance within the storyline, but the thrust of the plot is all about mother-daughter relationships and friendships. The four main characters are all fascinating and believable as they muddle through the obstacles to establishing good relationships, including trust. The moms in the story are Ava and Cindy. Ava’s adopted daughter is named Victoria, and she is a firecracker who bucks her mom on just about everything. Cindy’s daughter is Shannon and they are very close, perhaps too close as Shannon wants boundaries and her mom wants to be a part of every piece of her life. The conflicts are intriguing and thought-provoking since they encompass the topics of open adoption and helicopter mothering. I really enjoyed how the author moved smoothly from one character to another, letting me know what was going on in the life of each of them before they encountered one another at a wedding venue. The action was already absorbing and fast-paced, but it quickened even more and kept me turning pages as fast as I could so I could find out how the issues would be resolved. This is a brilliantly written and clever character study as well as a commentary on relationships and how to maintain them in a healthy manner. With insight given in a humorous and genuinely helpful way, this book had me thinking even as I chuckled my way through some of the issues of the four ladies. Although the plot is complex with the intertwining of the lives of the women, I never felt lost but instead I was immersed in each of their lives and clearly able to visualize their difficulty. The multiple layers were part of the charm and what kept me so completely engaged in the novel. This book is unforgettable in its clever plot and dynamic characters and is a definite five plus stars for me. It also lends itself to discussions in book groups and even has a set of questions at the end of the book to start those discussions. I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions expressed are my own.

Mallery focuses on relationships in this book, and many of them. How does it feel to lose a child that was never really yours…And then to bond with a replacement? How does it feel to love your mother, but have no real connection to her? How can you have a great relationship with your Mom and not know how to tell her how smothering she is? And that is just a few. I really enjoyed watching them develop. Like me, you won’t be able to put this one down.

This book was certainly very different from others I have read from Susan Mallory. There was family conflict, friend conflict, secrets kept and revealed, and mostly family love. There are so many feelings going on, especially between mothers and daughters. I don’t know how Mallory comes up with these unusual plots, but they are truly exceptional! Otherwise Engaged will have you crying at times, swooning at times and wanting to scream at the characters, all of which were very believable and real. I really enjoyed this wonderful book.