Claire thought she had everything a woman was supposed to want—a loving husband, a newborn son, a beautiful home in the suburbs. Then she walks in on her husband canoodling with their realtor in their newly renovated kitchen, and in an instant, her perfect life comes crashing down.
With her marriage heading for divorce, Claire knows it’s time to stop feeling sorry for herself. But how can she move on when she’s still stuck in the orbit of her husband’s world? For starters, she can get rid of her soon-to-be ex’s possessions—including his prized, gigantic foosball table—by dumping them onto the curb…until complaints from the neighbors get the police involved. Now Claire is busy dodging the mean mommies at story hour and hiding from her ex-husband’s girlfriend in the grocery store. But as Claire soon learns, suburbia still has a few surprises in store for her—surprises that will make her question her choices from the past, send her down an unexpected road to self-discovery, and maybe even lead to new love.
Desperate for a positive outlet to channel her frustrations, she turns to girlfriends Lissy and Antonia for help. Together they join forces to re-brand Lissy’s local stationery store and turn it into a thriving business. But as Claire soon learns, suburbia still has a few surprises in store for her—surprises that will make her question her choices from the past, send her down an unexpected road to self-discovery, and maybe even new love.
Featuring a second coming-of-age story, Regrets Only deftly explores the subtle nuances of marriage, family, friendship, and what it means to be a woman today, while delighting readers as its unforgettable heroine acts on impulses we’ve all been guilty of having. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)
Erin Duffy's debut, Bond Girl, made it to one of my annual favorites lists. When I saw the cover and synopsis paired with her name for Regrets Only, I knew I wanted to read it.
Regrets Only was an easy and entertaining read. I instantly was absorbed in the story and felt lots of sympathy towards Claire. She was in an awful situation from the very beginning, and her soon-to-be ex-husband kept making things worse for her, even though he was the one at fault. I got so mad at him on her behalf! And to top it off, the women in town were acting like middle school mean girls. I could definitely relate to her loneliness in a new town where it's hard to make friends, especially with other moms.
I like the trajectory of this novel and where it led throughout. There were some funny moments alongside the sad and frustrating ones. The entrepreneurial angle was really good and I liked how Claire helped Lissy remodel and re-brand her stationery store.
The only part that felt a bit much for me was how Claire tended to overreact or fly off the handle more than necessary. I understand why she was angry, but sometimes I felt embarrassed for her. This did not take away from my enjoyment of this novel.
I found it hard to put this novel down until I was finished. I look forward to reading whatever Erin Duffy comes up with next, and I also need to add Lost Along the Way to my TBR pile in the meantime.
Movie casting suggestions:
Claire: Anna Kendrick
Antonia: Jaimie Alexander
Lissy: Julia Goldani Telles
Owen: Allen Leech
Fred: Corey Stoll
Dee Dee: Emily Rose
More by Erin Duffy:
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