Margaret meets Fitz when she has just started college. Shortly after she has an unfortunate experience with another student which colours all her future decisions. A sort of mini saga which doesn’t cover very many years. Despite not an awful lot really happening I did enjoy it as it meandered along featuring 3 points of view. A pleasant read with nothing much to dislike!

I absolutely adore books like this. Books that are just real and explore the mundane every day and how the past shapes our present. I could relate a little bit to all the characters and just enjoyed watching how each of their stories unfolded.

What an utter delight this book is. It's the first I've read by this author and I've enjoyed it so much I'll be looking at her others.

The four main characters, whose lives are entwined by love, are so believable I was sorry to get to the last page and leave them all behind.

Margaret, shy and beautiful, meets Fitz, morbidly obese, at college where they become instant friends. Fitz, though, has fallen in love with Margaret. She goes on a date with one of the college's most attractive men, but the date turns into a nightmare as she is raped. The only person she tells is Fitz, who despite his misgivings, keeps her secret. Eventually they leave college, going their separate ways – he to work in his father's insurance company, she to work as an accountant, then to marry Douglas. She knows she's settled for Boring and Ordinary, but it feels safer than playing the dating game. Brenda is Fitz's secretary; she loves her boss but he is unaware of her feelings.

So here we have a story of unrequited love, but it's much more than that. There are many complex layers here with Margaret's continuing trauma and inability to carry a baby to term. Douglas's jealousy. Fitz, although having lost a considerable amount of weight is haunted by childhood memories of bullying and teasing, being forced into a career of his father's choosing, dominated by a snobbish strong-willed mother, and finally Brenda who craves a love she thinks she'll never have because of a disfiguring illness.

Had this been marketed as a “romance” I wouldn't have gone near it, as that conjures up a certain type of fiction which doesn't interest me. This, however, is all about the characters. Beautifully written, nothing soppy here, sharply observed and a joy to read.

This book was read thanks to NetGalley however they do not intervine with my review.


Sorry for the delay I went on vacations and didn't take my books with me.


Now here we are with one of the best women's fiction I have read.

This book has different perspective about love and how can hurt people, each has their own experiences about love that clearly leaved a mark on them.


I highly recommend those who love read about love, not necessarily romantic but the feeling of love it makes your heart full.

The Liability of Love by Susan Schoenberger

📓Genre: Women's Fiction | General Fiction
Star: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

🔖 This book is a multi-layered depiction of the different sides of love, and how it can both beautifully and devastatingly affect the most pivotal decisions of our lives.
🔖The story follows the life of Margaret, introducing her at the beginning of the tale as a naive, wide-eyed teen, who – after losing her Mom to cancer – searches for her 'epic love', in hopes of finding true happiness.
🔖As the book progresses however, hard and traumatizing events force Margaret to acknowledge that her Mom had in fact been right in saying that relationships aren't as simple as portrayed in novels. Having her dreams crushed, she marries a man who is far from her earlier version of her 'prince'.
🔖What was really interesting was the journey and transformation of Margaret from the dreamy-eyed teen to the emotionally-layered adult, with painful secrets buried deep in her heart.
🔖The secondary characters, like Douglas (Margaret's husband), Fitz (her caring friend, who secretly loves her), Anders (the current famous star, who had assaulted her back in college) – all play important roles in Margaret's life and they each are kind of a representation of the different sides of love. The protagonist's decisions affect each of them in their own ways, presenting a complex tale of love, trust and inter-connected lives.
🔖I quite liked the writing style. It was emotional and yet lucid.
🔖Overall, this story is one of transformation, self-realization and the multi-dimensional sides of human emotions, especially love. It was a lovely read.

🔸Final Verdict: Good
🔸Book Cover: I loved the symmetry of soft hues.
🔸Writing Style: Engaging, emotional
🔸Character Development: Well-developed characters.

✨Many thanks to She Writes Press / SparkPress (Publisher) and Netgalley for sending me the ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

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#TheLiabilityofLove #NetGalley #arc #bookreview

I was provided a free copy of this text by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a tough one to read. I finished it, but it was drawn out with very little plot to drive the reader forward. With some edits this could be a good novel, but for now it is a disappointment.

This was such a touching and emotional read and I throughly enjoyed it. I was upset when it had to end. This one you won't be able to put down. I’d like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley UK, for my copy of this engaging story which I recommend to anyone looking for a fulfilling, page-turning read.

The title says it all; unrequited love is truly a liability. It is obsessive, painful and usually a complete waste of time. Here, Schoenberger shows us how the desire to love and be loved affects the lives of Fitz and Margaret, college friends bound forever by a horrific experience that crushes Margaret and awakens a desire in Fitz to save her. but Margaret marries Douglas, a good man, but one who doesn't thrill her. And there's Brenda, Fitz's helpmeet, who pines for him in secrecy. THE LIABILITY OF LOVE is shown through each of their eyes and results in a truly touching story I did not want to end.