The Comfort of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers Review

About the book:

“Happiness at someone else’s expense came at a price. Tia had imagined judgment from the first kiss that she and Nathan shared. All year, she’d waited to be punished for being in love, and in truth, she believed that whatever consequences came her way would be deserved.” Five years ago, Tia fell into obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption.

Five years ago, Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead, she’s questioning whether she’s cut out for the role of wife and mother.

Five years ago, Juliette considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan’s affair. He promised he’d never stray again, and she trusted him.

But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his daughter? And if he’s kept this a secret from her, what else is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a collision course with consequences that none of them could have predicted.

Riveting and arresting, The Comfort of Lies explores the collateral damage of infidelity and the dark, private struggles many of us experience but rarely reveal.

My Review:

This is one of those rare books where I did not particularly like any of the three main characters but I still really enjoyed reading the story.  Caroline, Juliette, and Tia were all well drawn out characters that felt real and I became very involved with reading about the problems that each woman faced.  I did not feel any connection to any of the characters but Meyers does such a good job of bringing all three woman to life that I found myself really getting into the story without feeling a connection to any one character.

Another aspect of the book I really like was the fact that lots of different issues were brought up in the story that really made me think.  The issues included were motherhood, adoption, infidelity, the bonds of marriage, how to balance work and family, and several more that would make this book an excellent read for a book club.  The Comfort of Lies really had me thinking about all of these different issues while I was reading and it really added to my enjoyment of the book.

This was my first time reading a book by Randy Susan Meyers and I was very impressed with her ability to write such a character driven story.  If you enjoy thought provoking reads about love and family I would highly recommend this one.

My rating:  4 stars out of 5

I received this book from NetGalley for a review.