The Replacement Wife

Goodreads Synopsis:
 Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone. But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming.

 The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I started this book with a lot of excitement. The plot sounded so heart-breaking and real. I thought that Eileen Goudge had found something sensitive and touching to write about. I was right. This book was wrought with frailty and human emotions that are very easily believed. I cared about all of the characters and wanted so much to see them become whole again. That is where the book's short-comings come in.

First of all, the characters were over-detailed and over-developed. I usually have the opposite problem so this was a strange feeling. The book was about 100 pages too long to get her point across beautifully. That problem caused all of my other issues with the book. Goudge gave too much information about the side characters. There were conversations that Camille would have or Elise would have with people that just went on and on about the other person's life. They weren't important enough characters to the plot for me to need to know that much about them. If Goudge would have cut all of the extra junk out, the book would have been more reader friendly. It would have had better pacing and been a better length. I'm not intimidated by a long book. I just want the long book to be packed with relevant information. That was not the case with this book.

Goudge also broke my heart when she tidied up all the character's lives and made them happy. Everyone was coupled up (except Camille of course). Everyone was getting married, and happy, and getting along with everyone else. It was kind of sickening. She took the reality out of it at the very end and that makes me sad. It just doesn't make sense that all those people would find exactly what they need at exactly the same time. She really sold herself short by giving the book and ridiculously happy ending. She had me hooked until then.

All in all, I like the book. It could have used a little tidying up, but it was heartfelt and nice. I would definitely read other books by this author.

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