Restless in L.A.

Restless in L.A. by Robin Finn is a must read for all womne. It instantly took me deep into a married woman's life. Complicated, complex, and adventurous. A full-time mom, battling the struggles of her marriage and children. One of her children has a lot of symptoms that make it hard for him to fit in within a normal classroom setting. His behavior and learning needs are hard. His school isn't helping him and Alex knows it. Her son needs more. Something different. Alex tries to tell her husband but he doesn't agree. It's like a constant battle between them. Tense, messy, and unraveling. Just in case, Alex didn't have enough to juggle in her life...there's a photo of her old lover. A man who made her heart race and feel on fire. She ends up making a lot of mistakes, but she needs to really find herself. Life happens...and it can be both bad and good. Restless in L.A. is a contemporary romance that explores a restless married woman's life. Funny, sad, sexy, and frustrating. Robin Finn writes extremely well. The first few pages were slow, but the plot build up quickly after that. I was hooked. This story was believable. Robin Finn captured real life in her novel. Overall, I recommend it to readers everywhere.

Enjoyed reading this book. Looking forward to reading another from this author.

I loved this book. The main character was so real and relatable. I read it in one day and was sad when it was over. I hope that she has more books forthcoming.

Alex is approaching forty and suddenly doesn't know what she wants in life. She has three kids, a great husband, and a lovely house, and she's drowning in all her good fortune, which isn't actually that good. Her middle child has ADHD and is constantly getting into trouble at school, the other children resent all the time and energy he takes, her husband is only supportive providing he doesn't actually have to do anything, and she spends all her time doing chores, running errands, and taking care of everyone in her life except for herself. Instead of being the writer she'd once dreamed of being, Alex is now a nanny and a chauffeur, shuttling her kids to dance, soccer, and therapy appointments. Then one day she friends an old flame on Facebook, and her life is turned upside down.

Alex's story is typical, which doesn't make it any less real and compelling. Like countless other women, she's submerged herself in what her family--first her parents, then her husband and children--want from her, until she doesn't know who she is or what she wants for herself at all, if she ever did. Alex's first-person narrative about her day-to-day activities is interspersed with entries from the anonymous blog she's started posting, and journal entries and flashbacks from her affair twenty years ago with the handsome and compelling Matt Daniels, whom she has just invited back into her life. This jumping back and forth is skillfully handled and heightens the tension, as we know that Alex and Matt's relationship broke off, but we don't know why until Alex herself figures it out after reviewing her old journal entries and memories, and coming to some long-overdue realizations.

Readers are likely either to find Alex extremely sympathetic, or not at all, depending on whether they think that well-to-do stay-at-home moms who are trying to find themselves are a fit subject for literature, or not. There's nothing here that hasn't been written about in other romance and "women's fiction" novels before, but Alex's soul-searching is particularly profound, and her struggles to deal with her child with ADHD, who continues to have problems despite--or maybe because of--all his therapy sessions and the cocktail of drugs he's being given, add a layer of depth to the story and are likely to ring a bell for readers going through similar issues. There is also a fair amount of explicit sex in the novel, which you'll enjoy if that's your thing, but readers should be aware that this is not a completely "clean" read. It is, however, a compelling one, and a worthwhile entry to the genre of women's fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The plot of this story seemed very promising and truthfully I didn't like the book until the absolute end. It was so frustrating seeing a main character that just letting things happen to her and I love how she took charge of her own decisions and life at the end. It was an ok read but I'm not compelled to read it again like other books.

A story of a woman who has been moulding herself to suit others, but seldom found out her true self.

Restless in LA is Alex's story. Alex is married and has three beautiful kids. Juggling between her duty as a mum, and a wife she finds herself lost in life. Finding her ex online through Facebook, she starts an affair that wrecks the status quo of the family.
As things begin to fall apart around her, she copes with change and begins a healing process. One that leads to rediscovering herself.
The book was well written and enjoyable. Some would claim that Alex is perhaps selfish in her interest, but aren't we all to some extent?

This book was quite different from my usual reads but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I could empathise with Alex & the stress of raising children & I think everyone does a little Facebook stalking of their ex! I found myself gripped by the story & couldn't put it down. I would definitely read more from this author

This is one of the most authentic books I've read in a while. The author burrows into the thing that affects so many of the women I know, working or stay at home Moms - the sense that somehow the person they used to be disappeared and they just don't know who they are anymore. Despite marriages that are on most accounts happy, and lives that are apparently fulfilling, it is disconcerting to discover you don't really know yourself.
The author doesn't sugarcoat any part of the story. Alex is at times a sympathetic character and at times infuriating. Jason and Matt are both multifaceted, although less so than Alex. And the description of Alex's choices on her relationship with her children, especially the challenges of a child with ADHD, is compelling.
This is a story that reflects the real life of so many women, and it is beautifully told. While many would not make the same choices as
Alex, I'm sure many will see pieces of themselves in her.
This is a great book for book clubs that double as girls night out societies, and for stimulating a little introspection!

This isn’t a book that I would have picked up on my own as the cover gives off the impression that I’m about to divulge into a steamy romance novel. But I figured I'd give it a shot. What this book really boils down to is wondering what would have happened if you didn’t let the one that got away get away. Are there second chances? Or if you’ve been stuck in a lifestyle for so long, is that the course you need to continue down?

The main character, Alex Hoffman, is a woman who is stuck in a world of suburban routine. She lives in a nice house with her husband and three school-aged children. Her life is complicated by the fact that her middle child, Ryan, suffers from a multitude of behavioral issues including severe ADHD and is struggling with interacting with others. Alex is isolated from all the other moms as they have shamed her and shut her out of their circle due to her son’s behavior. Without the support of her husband, who works long hours at work, she feels trapped.

Throughout the book, Alex writes entries in an anonymous blog entitled “Restless in L.A.” based on the recommendation of her new age life coach, Lark. Once a blooming writer, this is Alex’s attempt to get back into what she once enjoyed. I found this to be unnecessary to the telling of the story. We’d already been exposed to the Alex’s dialogue, so I didn’t find this to add any substance to the story. It was fluff that I felt I could skip over without missing a beat. I understand that this is meant to by symbolic of Alex finding herself. We are told that she was once a brilliant writer, and the blog doesn’t support this claim.

As Alex continues with her monotonous routine, she is slowly approaching her 40th birthday. As she searches for old phots in the garage, Alex uncovers an ancient relic: her journal from her year abroad in England. The journal reflects her time she spent growing close to her former boyfriend and fellow American, Matt Daniels.

It’s obvious through the journal entries that back in college Matt and Alex were passionately in love. But when Alex moved back home suddenly, they lost touch. After finding the journal, Alex searches Facebook and friends Matt, who now has a family of his own, and promises to meet up with him for dinner to catch up. When they do meet up, one thing leads to another and an affair begins. Throughout the story, Alex is tormented on what she’s done and what she wants out of life. She’s been a mommy for so long, she puts others ahead of herself without thinking about what she wants out of life.

I found the characters to be unbalanced. I have a very clear image of who I image Matt to be, every move he makes is very clear and deliberate. Matt makes it clear what he wants, but Alex is playing an emotional game of tug of war with herself. Throughout the book, we get glimpses of the life that Alex and Matt shared. Their sweet, silly love makes you cheer for them and wonder why they would ever give that up. I kept hoping for a second chance for them even though I knew what they were doing was wrong and was cruel to their families. The flaw in this is that we know very little about her husband. The background between them, while there are small glimpses, we don’t get a clear view of who he is as a person. Without knowing much about Jason, it’s hard to have a clear view on the struggle that Alex is torn between.

I like books with strong, female characters. I kept getting angry at Alex who, to me, felt like a wisp of a character. I wanted her to grow a backbone and make a decisive decision on what she wanted. She has so many excuses that she finds to hide behind. If she’s going to hurt everyone that she loves, I wanted her to be deliberate about it. You wonder what it is that Matt sees in her to risk his family. I kept trying to see the woman that Matt saw, but would come up short every time.

Overall, I would say that this book was entertaining. I read it in 3 days and didn’t have trouble getting through it as it was a relatively easy read. This is one that I would recommend taking to the beach if the Chick-Lit genre is your thing. There’s a good mix of suspense and emotion, but the story and characters aren’t once that will stay with me long.

This was such an emotional book. It was gritty and real. Alex was 40 years old, married 16 years with 3 kids, one of which had ADHD. She had everyday problems like all of us. She found an old journal of hers when she was 20 and lived in London. It was about her whirlwind love affair with Matt, who she has not spoken to for 20 years. This journal conjured up all kinds of unresolved feelings and emotions. So Alex took the plunge and friended Matt on Facebook. That's all it took for everything to spiral out of control. I don't want to give away any spoilers. This book was just so well written. I can't even give it the justice it deserves with this review. I don't know how to write what I'm feeling. This booked ripped me apart. Not only for all the adults involved. But for The 3 kids, too. Just an amazing book that needs to be read