Review: "School for Husbands" by Wendy Holden

Let me start by saying that I should be banned (by my husband) from "browsing" at Coles (or affiliates). Last week I was at our local shopping centre running a few errands with two of my boys when I decided to "browse" through my local Coles store, just to see if there was anything interesting out. At the front of the store was a table marked "4 for $10.00" and the chick-lit-y titles caught my eye. I had $60.00 in Chapters/Coles gift cards from various sources in my wallet, so I figured that it was harmless to purchase $10.00 worth of books. While I was there I saw that a book that I had read (and loved) in hardback had just came out in paperback so I picked that one up, and then another one I had been lusting after caught my eye. Getting up to the checkout the incredibly friendly cashier told me that if I bought one more regularly priced book, I would get one free. Well, not one to pass up a bargain, I selected another two, of course. 8 books, 1 reusable tote, and $60.00 later I headed for home. Thank goodness for gift cards!

Needless to say, that story had a point (other than the fact that I am a bookaholic). "School for Husbands" by Wendy Holden was one of the first books that I picked up and it was a fabulously entertaining read! Sophie (new mom to Arthur) and her husband Mark are having typical marital problems. He doesn't help with the baby or appreciate the fact that she works full time, and she doesn't realize that the only reason that he works late all of the time is to provide for Sophie and Arthur in an unstable job market. The last straw is when Sophie (incorrectly) assumes that Mark is having an affair. Sophie packs up and moves to her mother's house with Arthur and promptly files for divorce. Mark, on the other hand, finds that he doesn't want their marriage to end, and he begs Sophie to delay the divorce while he enrolls in "School for Husbands" a two-week long therapy-based program designed to save marriages. Hilarity ensues, of course, while Sophie and Mark struggle to figure out if their marriage is worth saving.

There's not much I can say about this one, except that it was hard to put down and will make a great beach read for anyone who hasn't read this one yet (just a note: the hardcover version is on sale for $5.99 on chapters.indigo.ca right now)! The plot was entertaining, the characters endearing, and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen. Two thumbs up, four stars, etc. It's not surprising that this one was a bestseller!