Another Piece of my Heart

Author: Jane Green
Genre: Modern Fiction, Women's Fiction
Type: e-audiobook
Source: Local Public Library
Listening Length: 13 hours, 42 minutes
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
First Published: March 2012
First Lines: "The sheets are drenched."

Book Description from GoodReads:  Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she's finally found him.  Ethan--divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia--is a devoted father and even better husband.  Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.

My Review:  This past year I've found the wonder that are e-audiobooks.  I love to download them from our public library (they're free from the library, people!!) onto my iPhone and listen to them when I'm on a walk or driving.  They make me feel like I'm doing something other than just walking or driving and on a long 10 hour trip recently e-audiobooks were a great way to pass the time.  Brad, my husband, especially likes me listening to them for part of long trips because that ensures that I'm not talking his ear off about any and all topics that enter my head. 

I have read at least one book by Jane Green (over ten years ago) and I remember enjoying her writing style.  Another Piece of my Heart showcases the intricacies of step-family relationships and I thought that the premise was interesting but unfortunately the execution was quite weak.

As lovers of audiobooks, we know that the narrator can make or break our enjoyment of a book.  This book was read by the author who is British and while I love to listen to a British accent I have to admit that her accent threw me several times since the characters are all from California.  My mind kept placing the characters on the west coast of England, not California and that really distracted me in the beginning.

Unfortunately I also felt that the characters were underdeveloped and felt very clichéd -- the step-mom trying to fit in, the sullen, rude and obstinate teenage daughter who hates her father's new wife, the perfect younger sister ...  At first I found the issues between Emily and Andi interesting and complex but their issues soon felt very repetitive as they kept having the same arguments over and over again with no resolution in sight.  Emily's noxious behaviour and feelings towards Andi also seemed over the top at times and paired with her dark moods, psychological manipulations of her father and Ethan's rather great impression of an emotional doormat and I can't say that I had anyone to really root for or connect with. 

This isn't a bad book but it could have been so much better.  Green managed to keep me interested (but barely) and I can't help but feel that there could have been more drama and energy into the plot.  While the premise was interesting, unfortunately the plot was rather predictable and not very well executed.  Add to this the cliched characters with the contrived ending and this wasn't a favourite Jane Green book of mine. 

My Rating: 2.5/5 stars