Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart

Synopsis from Goodreads:  In her youth, Sarah Price had dreams of becoming a poet. But the meticulously responsible 35-year-old traded her MFA for a steady job that allows her husband, Nathan, to devote himself to his fiction. And there are two small children who need their mother’s attention as well. But Sarah is happy and she believes Nathan is too, until she discovers that his new novel, Infidelity, is based in fact. Suddenly Sarah’s world is turned upside down. How well does she really know Nathan? And more importantly, how well does she know herself?

Why I chose this book:  I wanted to read Husband and Wife based on three things.  The first was a review that I read on a book blog (sorry, I don't remember whose it was) before I started blogging.  The second was the synopsis, it sounded like a good story, and the third was the cover.  I've admitted before, that I occasionally judge a book by its cover.  I'm not sure what it is about this particular cover.  It might be the simplicity of just a man and woman embracing, or it could have been the red jacket.  One night I happened upon Leah Stewart's page at the Harper Collins website and noticed that she went to high school in Clovis, New Mexico.   Clovis is a mere 293 miles from Las Cruces, New Mexico where I went to high school.  I thought I could use this for a Literary Road Trip post since New Mexico is sort of  local since I still have family there.  I know its a stretch, but it was what I thought at the time.  The idea was cemented, I had to get my hands on a copy.

My thoughts:  Imagine sitting down to coffee with a friend that you haven't seen in awhile.  You're catching up on things that have happened in your lives.   This is what reading husband and wife was like for me. The story is told from the perspective of Sarah Price a 35 year old with two young children.

Its a story about infidelity, but I found it to be so much more than that.  Its a book about marriage, motherhood, growing up, and life in general.  There were several parts of the story that I thought Stewart had peeked inside my life.  At one point a conversation that Sarah was having with Nathan reminded me of a conversation that could easily have taken place in my house.  There were situations that anyone who has had small children could relate to.  These were just two of the parts that I found to be laugh out loud funny.  More than once I got some strange looks as I was chuckling to myself while I was reading.  

This is not to say that I didn't get frustrated with the characters on occasion because I definitely did.  If they would only TALK TO EACH OTHER! 

If you get a chance you should visit Leah Stewart's website.  She's got some great responses to FAQ's on there. 

The bottom line, I loved this book.  I recommend it to anyone who likes to read about "real life" and all of the messes we get ourselves into from time to time.  I would go so far as to say that this is my favorite book that I've read so far this summer. 

Disclosure:  I was provided a copy by  Harper Collins with the hope that I would review it.  Receipt of the book did not affect my review in any way.  This is my honest opinion of Husband and Wife.