The Book:
The Divorce Party by Laura Dave
Published January 18th 2022 by Penguin Books
Date read: January 30, 2022
The Characters:
Gwynn and Tom Huntington
Their children, Nate and Georgia
Maggie, Nate’s fiance
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Sizzle Factor: SPF 50. A secret marriage, lies about affairs . . . even sex on the day of the divorce party (USA Today) a novel by the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller and Reese’s Book Club Pick, The Last Thing He Told Me
Set in Hamptons high society, The Divorce Party features two women-one newly engaged and one at the end of her marriage-trying to answer the same question: when should you fight to save a relationship, and when should you let go? An insightful and funny multi-generational story, this deeply moving novel is sure to touch anyone whose heart has weathered an unexpected storm.
The Review:
Thank you to Penguin Books for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I loved The Last Thing He Told Me, so I was extremely excited to see another Laura Dave book available. The Divorce Party is actually a republishing of one of Dave’s earlier works, originally published in 2008.
The Divorce Party is told through two perspectives: that of Gwynn, the family matriarch, as she prepares for her divorce from Tom, and that of Maggie, Nate’s fiance, new to the family and offering a refreshing outside perspective. I enjoyed how we learned about this family from both the inside and the outside. I preferred Maggie’s POV. Gwynn was somewhat unlikeable in the beginning, although I understood where she was coming from by the end.
I enjoyed that the characters were not perfect and that their love stories felt real. There is no storybook ending in real life, and The Divorce Party does a good job of reflecting realistic relationships.
The setting of this book is unparalleled. I have never been to Montauk, but I feel like I can perfectly picture the Huntington estate and surrounding town. I’m a sucker for the suspenseful setting of a summer storm.
This book is very short, and at times I wanted a little more from the story. Overall, though, I enjoyed the hopeful themes and the reminder that love is not simple, and everyone’s love story looks different.
QOTD: What’s the strangest themed party you’ve attended?
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