8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
When Life Throws You for a Loop, Nov 11 2007
By Tamela Mccann "taminator40" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Accidental Mother (Paperback)
Sophie Mills has the "perfect" life---she's a successful event planner on the fast track for promotion, she's got a great flat, and her shoe collection is to die for. Everything is going along just fine until she receives word of the death of her best friend, Carrie, along with custody of Carrie's two young daughters, Bella and Izzy. Unprepared as she is, Sophie gamely agrees to watch the girls until their father can be located to return for them. What happens next is not only a comedy of errors, but a tender change of heart for all concerned as Sophie realizes that maybe her life isn't quite what she'd hoped for after all.
This little gem of a book is British chick-lit at its best; funny, irreverent, life-affirming, romantic. Sophie's upheaval is told believably and I particularly was glad that there was none of the "love at first sight" plotline. I loved how Sophie came to care for the girls and their father, and how she stopped putting herself first (though I found it reassuring that the author chose to periodically remind us that Sophie did, indeed, think of her own needs first, at least for a time). I would like to have seen how things worked out with the family, and whether or not Sophie was able to settle into the life she'd chosen. Overall, this is a good read and easy to get into. Nice brain candy and a heart-warming tale, complete with adorable children and a love interest; really, who could ask for more?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent story!, Nov 18 2007
By A. Pohren - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Accidental Mother (Paperback)
Delightful story! I have to say that the beginning reminded me a lot of the movie Raising Helen - single woman, who is very career driven, suddenly finds herself in charge of children, when she seemingly has no experience with anyone below the age of 25. Through the final wishes of someone close, they become the guardian.
This is where the similarity ends however. In The Accidental Mother, Sophie finds herself suddenly in charge of her childhood best friend's two daughters, Bella age six and Izzy age three. Sophie had once promised her friend, Carrie, that if anything would happen to her, she would take care of her children. When the unthinkable happens and Carrie is killed in a car accident, Sophie finds that she is the legal guardian of her godchildren. However, this does not fit into Sophie's vision for her future - she is working hard as a corporate manager on the track to a promotion. What is she going to do with two young traumatized little girls? Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Sophie begins the search to find the girls' long lost father who, after leaving behind his wife and children, is nowhere to be found. After Sophie hires a Private Detective, Louis, the girls' father, is soon located. By this time, Sophie has become closer to the girls and has second thoughts about their father coming into the picture. This is where the story takes a twist and gets very interesting...
While reading, I was reminded a bit of Sophie Kinsella's work. Very enjoyable and very fun. I love to get into the British voice through a delightful story such as this.
The Accidental Mother touches the reader with both humor and heartwarming sincerity. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a relaxing and enjoyable read!
This is a story that proves that life does not always go as planned - but the detour takes you to a much better place, in the end.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Needs better editing, Dec 29 2007
By Betty - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Accidental Mother (Paperback)
I loved the book, but rated it 4 stars because there were an awful lot of typos and misprints. Using spell check is not enough! I know it sounds picky, but when one or two turned into 5 or 6 and so on it gets annoying.