"How Do You Know?" by Meredith Schorr

Maggie Piper is 39- and she's dreading turning 40. It's not that she's not happy, because she is, but she questions if she's happy enough. Her boyfriend Doug is amazing but she has her doubts about their relationship. She likes her job and she's good at it but it isn't necessarily her dream job. She's not sure if she wants kids or not but if she does want them her time to have them is running out. All of her friends seem to have a good idea of what direction they want their lives to take, but Maggie feels like she's a mess. When she sits Doug down shortly after her 39th birthday and requests a break, Doug requests a break-up, and Maggie spends the next year on a tumultuous path towards figuring out what it is what she really wants from life, and if being merely happy is enough for her.

I loved How Do You Know? for so many reasons. I read a lot of women's fiction and chick lit and I found that this book was well-written and very thoughtful. I loved the main character, Maggie Piper. She was far from perfect and she seemed fixated on her appearance as she approached forty but she somehow felt approachable still and she was definitely easy to relate to. I found myself rooting for her. Although we have chosen very different paths in our lives- I had three children and was married by the time I was 30 and she is unsure of the path she wanted her life to take by 40- I wanted her to find her own happy ending. I appreciated her journey towards getting to know herself. It was bumpy and unsteady at times but it was authentic. Maggie's voice felt real and not forced at all, and I honestly didn't know what path her story would take until the very last pages. It's not often that a story can surprise me- I can usually see an ending from a mile away!- and I loved that How Do You Know? kept me guessing.

The supporting characters are fantastic as well. I loved that author Schorr created characters that were all so distinct from one another, yet it didn't feel like she was writing them in just to fill a particular role. They felt like a real group of kick-ass girlfriends who you would be able to rely on during your time of need. All of them supported Maggie in her choices, even if they didn't always make sense! In reality, I wish that I had a group of girlfriends this awesome!

I laughed during parts of this book, and I reflected on my own choices in life during others, but most of all I sat back and enjoyed this one. Schorr has ventured into writing women's fiction (rather than its lighter counterpart, chick lit) with How Do You Know? and I feel like this was a successful expedition. I'm definitely looking forward to future books in this series, and I thank the author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest review!