TLC Book Tours Book Review: The Divorce Diet

Author: Ellen Hawley
Title: The Divorce Diet
Publisher: Kensington
Publish Date: Dec 30, 2014
Review Copy Provided By: TLC Book Tour & Net Galley
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

Abigail is sure the only thing standing between her and happiness is the weight she gained along with her beloved new baby. Until she instantly loses 170 pounds of husband.

When Thad declares that "this whole marriage thing" is no longer working, a shell-shocked Abigail takes her infant daughter, Rosie, and moves back to her parents' house. Floundering, she turns to an imaginary guru and best friend, the author of her new weight-loss book. But surviving heartache, finding a job, and staying sane as a suddenly single new mom isn't easy, especially on a diet--sorry, life journey.

Make an inventory of your skills, Abigail's guru instructs. Abigail loves cooking and preparing food--real food, not the fatless, joyless dishes her diet prescribes, or the instant-frozen-artificially flavored fare she finds in her mother's kitchen. So far, following everyone else's rules has led to being broke, lonely, and facing a lifetime of poached eggs, faux mayonnaise, and jobs in chain restaurants. What might happen if Abigail followed her own recipe for a good life instead?...

Review:  The Divorce Diet reads quite a bit like Bridget Jones' Diary. Both Abigail and Bridget have some similar annoying qualities, but for some reason, I liked Abigail, a little bit. That's not to say that I loved her, because most of the time I wanted to hit her with something or shake her, or make her do her laundry.

She's not the most likable of heroines. Granted, her life has taken a turn for the worse, but she is really annoying. She clings to her daughter and lets what is left of her life spiral out of control. (She has laundry issues that terrify me).

I loved how the diet book and Abigail's inner voice provide a little bit of levity, so that her story isn't too depressing. I also like that though a diet is what Abigail needs and is on, it isn't the focus of the book and losing weight isn't going to instantly fix things and bring happiness into her life.

Abigail's relationship with food is full of passion, and not in a bad way. I liked how that passion finally shaped the person that she would become post marriage. When she discusses food, it is hard not to start feeling hungry.

Her adventures in food service are down right hilarious.

I wish there were a little more back story to Abigail, especially with her relationship with her husband, Thad and her parents. Abigail is only 25 and her mom and dad are written like they are REALLY REALLY old. It just doesn't feel right. Plus I would have loved to have understood Abigail a bit more.

This was a great book for a quiet afternoon. It was quick and fun and I may just try to make Abigail's meatloaf at some point.

Rating: 4 flowers