But, in addition to managing as much as she does, she's a drug addict. Now according to Allison, she can't be an addict because she's taking prescription drugs that were first prescribed by a doctor after a back injury. And she's not a REAL drug addict even if she's buying the drugs illegally online, and sneaking money from her job and her family into a secret bank account so she can buy those drugs illegally online.
So, Allison's husband, who has suspected for a while, finally calls her on it and sends her to rehab.
For the first time, during and after reading a Jennifer Weiner book, I had to ask myself, "where the HELL did she get her information?" Do addicts lie and steal to get drugs? Yes, she got that right. Do addicts shop around for different doctors to get their drugs? Yes they do. Do addicts buy drugs illegally online not caring if they're paying for poison that might kill them instantly? Yes, they do. She got ALL of that right.
What I don't understand is, what rehab facilities did she research? There is a scene where Allison plans and succeeds in "escaping" from the rehab to attend her daughter's birthday party. The rehab doesn't even call her husband when they discover she's gone. How she gets through the doors is ridiculous. Is Allison a voluntary patient or is she involuntary because her husband took her there? This is never really spelled out so we are made to assume that she went because her husband insisted in which case, she'd be there voluntarily. But even with the rules we read about, she probably still would not be allowed to leave most real rehabs.
There is a point in the book where Allison's mother shows up alone without Allison's husband for a therapy session. In this session, Allison's mother then tells her that she's been a functioning alcoholic since Allison was a child, revealing to Allison something else that explains why she doesn't drive a car. And then…..that's it. Oooookay. So what then? Nothing gets done with that after it's mentioned in the therapy session.
While I have so many issues with this book, I will only add one more. Allison starts out at first not even willing to admit she's an addict. Okay, that's normal. When she gets to rehab, she refuses to believe she's nothing like everyone else in rehab. Okay, also normal. One thing Allison never really gets past, I thought, was that she thought herself as better than everyone in that rehab. You may think differently when you get to the end but I still wasn't buying it.
Most of the characters that SHOULD have a LOT of weight in this book, don't. Allison's husband is too minor a character. The people she meets and befriends in rehab are still too minor. There is emphasis on her daughter but since Jennifer Weiner is so ambiguous about what her daughter's issue is, she gets far too much ink in this book.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book. I actually couldn't put it down. Maybe because I was hoping for some surprising changes. If you like Jennifer Weiner's books as I do, you will read this book and determine for yourself how you feel about it. If you have never read a Jennifer Weiner book, I'd recommend that you become familiar with some of her other books before you embark on reading this one. Try "Good In Bed," her first novel. It's fantastic. Try "The Guy Not Taken: Stories." her collection of short stories. THEN, read this one.
I was given an Advanced Reading Copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
There is a point in the book where Allison's mother shows up alone without Allison's husband for a therapy session. In this session, Allison's mother then tells her that she's been a functioning alcoholic since Allison was a child, revealing to Allison something else that explains why she doesn't drive a car. And then…..that's it. Oooookay. So what then? Nothing gets done with that after it's mentioned in the therapy session.
While I have so many issues with this book, I will only add one more. Allison starts out at first not even willing to admit she's an addict. Okay, that's normal. When she gets to rehab, she refuses to believe she's nothing like everyone else in rehab. Okay, also normal. One thing Allison never really gets past, I thought, was that she thought herself as better than everyone in that rehab. You may think differently when you get to the end but I still wasn't buying it.
Most of the characters that SHOULD have a LOT of weight in this book, don't. Allison's husband is too minor a character. The people she meets and befriends in rehab are still too minor. There is emphasis on her daughter but since Jennifer Weiner is so ambiguous about what her daughter's issue is, she gets far too much ink in this book.
Overall, it wasn't a bad book. I actually couldn't put it down. Maybe because I was hoping for some surprising changes. If you like Jennifer Weiner's books as I do, you will read this book and determine for yourself how you feel about it. If you have never read a Jennifer Weiner book, I'd recommend that you become familiar with some of her other books before you embark on reading this one. Try "Good In Bed," her first novel. It's fantastic. Try "The Guy Not Taken: Stories." her collection of short stories. THEN, read this one.
I was given an Advanced Reading Copy of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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