Book Review: Pretending to Dance by Diane Chamberlain

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Pretending to Dance
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Contemporary
Released: October 6th 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

  

Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family—the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants?

This is the first, but not last, time I read a book written by Diane Chamberlain. I’ve heard of her and her amazing stories, but never have I been so fond of a book like Pretending to Dance. The flashbacks to Molly’s teen years were like looking back at my own timeline. Just like Molly, she made some choices that were not wise, but this is what made this story feel so real.

Pretending to Dance is one heck of a reading. Molly and her husband are about to make a huge step, that is to adopt. However, with this big responsibility, Molly is worried about some secrets. These are pretensions. She is pretending to live a life of pretensions. But the more you pretend, the more you pretend to dance around life, the more life will backfire. Although Molly is slow to slow to mature and quick to judge, adopting a kid is opening her eyes to things she never thought of.

Molly’s imperfect character made this story perfect. It was surreal to read this story and the events. It left me wanting more. Honestly, Pretending to Dance was simply a stunning read. This book covers grief, family drama and the true meaning of living life - that is being honest. As in not only to others but to yourself. I highly recommend this book and now I’m off to binge her other books!