Synopsis:
Lauren Wilson is well on her way to her happily-ever-after. She’s passionate about her career as a middle school English teacher, she adores her handsome, hard-working husband, and with a baby finally on the way, her perfect life is within her grasp.
But then a devastating test result changes everything.
Forced to choose between her baby and her husband, Lauren makes the only decision she can live with, and she returns to her small hometown in hopes of rebuilding her shattered life.
Ethan Campbell is a gifted photographer who travels the world and has no desire to settle down. When his mother dies, he must go home to settle her estate. Then it’s back to exciting adventures across the globe.
When Lauren crosses paths with Ethan, her teenage crush, old feelings resurface—feelings she’s not prepared to face. Will Lauren have the courage to trust again or will she spend her life alone?
My Review: 4.5 STARS
Imperfect Love was an emotional roller coaster ride that really makes a person think about what they would do if they were in Lauren's shoes. There were parts of the story that I loved and parts of the story that I wanted to scream and throw my Kindle.
Lauren and Paul have been married for 5 years and over the last year have started to grow apart. Lauren thinks that if she could just get pregnant then things will go back to being normal and life will be great. Little does she know that when she DOES get pregnant she's going to have to make the hard decision of choosing between her husband or her baby. She chooses her baby and does everything she can to be a strong, independent woman. She is determined to do this on her own because if her own husband doesn't want her and their child then who else would?! Cue Ethan who has been a long time family friend and Lauren's high school crush.
I loved Lauren for making the decision that she did but I got so frustrated with her at times. I really wanted to shake her and tell her that she does NOT need to be the martyr. She CAN accept help and not everyone is like Paul! I also got frustrated with her because she would always refer to her child as being defective or imperfect or not normal. I can see why some people would think that but over the years I've had the opportunity to work with special needs children and they are the most amazing individuals you will ever meet! And hearing things like "defective", "imperfect" or "not normal" just breaks my heart! Who are we to decide what is or isn't defective, imperfect or normal?! In the end Lauren realized that it didn't matter if her baby was special needs or not... she was going to love him just the way he was. :)
And I just have to say that Ethan was the most patient and amazing man!! I absolutely LOVED him!! Even though Lauren pushed him away and ignored him at times, he never gave up. He knew what he wanted and he was determined to be apart of her life. He loved her and her son and was willing to sacrifice whatever he had to just to be with them. He was a river, a constant, exactly what Lauren and her baby needed in their lives. He totally made my heart smile! :)
Imperfect Love is the first book of Rebecca Talley's that I have read and I can say that I'll definitely be checking out more by this author.
Thank you for your review!
ReplyDeleteAnd those words, "defective" and "imperfect" also make me sad. I wish people didn't think of my son as being that way, but that's how much of the world sees him. I wanted to write a book that made people stop and think.
Thank you for your honest review and for sharing your reactions to the story.
I think you did an amazing job of writing a book that would make a person stop and think. As I said in my review, over the years I have had the opportunity to work with special needs children and your book still made me stop and think about what I would do. I believe that ALL special needs children are precious gifts from God and the select few who are willing to bring them into this crazy world, love them, nurture them and help them to be the best that they can be are truly amazing people... people that I admire. Thank you for sharing this story with others. :)
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