Mrs. Perfect
Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter was sent to me to review because it deals with divorce and midlife issues, relationship themes I primarily focus on. As I mentioned in my review just below, this was the first of Porter’s books that I’ve read but it definitely won’t be the last.
Mrs. Perfect is told from the perspective of Taylor Young, a woman who is the absolute perfect “trophy” wife. She’s flawless, always in total control, and she manages her household and a staggering array of community involvements without raising a sweat (or so it would seem). To tell the truth, I pretty much hated her and was quite happy when her perfect little world started crumbling. I’d be surprised if anyone lives life for long in that kind of rarefied atmosphere except Kimora Lee (and who isn’t just slightly happy to see that even she can’t keep the weight off?). Sorry, I think I got off track a bit.
Okay, so this type of woman really annoys me because everything has to do with image and money. Within Taylor Young’s world status is everything, but, being on the top of the pedestal is precarious at best and as difficult as the climb to the top may have been, the fall from the pedestal is much, much worse.
From the back cover:
For Taylor Young, life is very good. She has a handsome husband who loves her, three gorgeous children, a personally designed and decorated dream house. Suburbanite trendsetter and super mom, she reigns supreme over her perfect world. And as long as no one notices the fragile woman beneath her coiffed and polished image, things will stay that way.
Then a devastating secret bursts Taylor’s fairy-tale bubble, suddenly making her a cul-de-sac pariah and stripping her of the role that defined her. Struggling to maintain her alpha image, Taylor finds help from the unlikeliest of people, her noncomformist nemesis, Marta Zinsser. But to become the woman her family truly needs, Taylor must first believe in the person she is hardest on–herself.
As with Odd Mom Out, if you’re looking for a sappy romance novel with a happy ending (and a heroine you might dislike a bit along the way), get a copy of Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter.