Triangles

[Angie]

I was quite excited to read Triangles, since I love the author's YA novels. I didn't expect to connect with any of the characters, since they're at totally different points in their lives than I am, but I found that I did care about their problems even if I couldn't relate. Holly is fast approaching her 40th birthday, and is going through what could be considered a midlife crisis, but it's more than that. Meanwhile, her best friend, Andrea, is having no luck in the love department, even as her ex-husband is moving on. Finally, Andrea's sister Marissa is dealing with a very sick four year old, a rebellious teenage son, and a distant husband. Nothing is going right for any of these woman, and the more pages I turned, the worse it got.

Of Triangles' three intertwined stories, I found myself most invested in Holly's. She's not feeling the passion in her marriage, so she decides to find it elsewhere. At first, she just liked the attention from strange men, then moved to flirting. But once she joins a writing group and meets Bryan, she's found exactly what she's been missing. It's not just that Bryan is someone new, but he allows and encourages her to experiment sexually. Holly is not happy with the vanilla sex in her marital bed, so she's excited to dip into BDSM in hotel rooms, and even attending swingers' parties. Of course, going out to satisfy her own needs, she's missing what's happening at home with her oldest daughter. On top of all this, she's also searching for her birth parents. Her life is in a complete upheaval, and not everything is going to settle the way she wants it. Many readers will probably find Holly selfish, but I loved how she's going after what she wants. Just because she has what would be considered a perfect life from the outside, doesn't mean it's the life that she wants. She doesn't have to settle.

Andrea's story didn't hold my attention much. The description does tell us that she's going to be the one to comfort Holly's husband after her indiscretions, but that doesn't come about until nearly the end. For the most part, she was just boring. She goes on some dates, which doesn't lead to the romance she wants. She has some important discussions with her daughter and parents. She acts as a support for her sister during her time of need. But I really didn't care. I was expecting a hot affair with her friend's husband, but nothing much came of that either.

I was surprised that I liked Marissa's chapters as much as I did. And I think that's because in the beginning she admits to being disgusted with her daughter at times, and admits to wanting to get an abortion if she had to do things over. We're always shown parents who get defensive if you even suggest that they may resent their dependent children, even though you know part of them does. That's not to say they don't love them, but it's natural to want more. Shelby has SMA, which is a horrible disease. She will never have a life, meaning Marissa can't have a life since she must attend to Shelby's every need. Her husband isn't a help at all, since he's more married to his job. At least that's what Marissa assumes. That, or he's avoiding their daughter, and their son who's lifestyle he doesn't support. Her chapters are brimming with emotion, but even then I didn't fully connect.

In the end, I did enjoy Triangles. I'm a sucker for drama, and these women have it in spades. Each of their lives are crumbling, and there's nothing they can do to stop it. I am a little bothered by how it all ended. Not necessarily the ending events, but how the women react to them. I'm sure these situations to resolve like this in real life, but I wish the reasons had been better.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.