July 28, 2008
In her latest novel, Scotch tackles an oft-asked questionâwhat if I had held on to the one that got away?âwith an engaging, fast-moving, high-concept drama. Endearing Jillian Westfield seems to have it all: a loving lawyer husband, a healthy infant daughter, and a lovely home in Westchester County, N.Y. But cleaning spit-up and dealing with her husband's long office hours have begun to wear on Jill, and it hardly helps that she's just learned that her post-college boyfriend, Jackson, is getting married. The day after a deep, chi-clearing massage, Jill wakes up and finds herself seven years in the past, giving her the chance to revisit her life with Jack in Manhattan, when she worked as an advertising executive. Hindsight, of course, is anything but 20/20, and Jill's new choices hold unforeseen consequences for herself and those she loves. As Jill, through trial and error, rethinks her biggest decisionsâsuch as her choice not to reconcile with her estranged motherâScotch keeps one dexterous step ahead of page-flipping readers eager to guess the outcome.
September 15, 2008
Jillian has what seems to be a perfect lifea beautiful house in the suburbs, a loving husband, and an adorable baby girl. But she also has a nagging feeling that something isn't quite right. Could it have something to do with Jackson, her past boyfriend, who couldn't be more different than her solid, stable, and perfectly predictable husband, Henry? One morning, Jillian wakes up seven years in the past, in bed with Jackson, and she has the chance to live her life againa do over, complete with the knowledge of what her future will become. Will she still quit her job right on the cusp of making it big? Will she run for the hills when she meets Henry or be drawn to him again? Or will Jackson's easygoing, wild lifestyle pull her back from her future baby, the adorable Katie? So many life choices come at Jillian, and she can go forward as she pleases, knowing the outcome of one direction. If you've ever wanted your own do over, this cute, light read by a debut novelist will keep you guessing 'til the end. Recommended for women's fiction collections.Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC
Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2008
A second chance. Its the thing everyone wishes for, and Jillian Westfield gets it. On a day when her suburban, young-mother, bored-wife, disinterested-spouse life seems insurmountable, she has her chi adjusted by a masseuse. When she wakes up, she is in the bed of her former lover, seven years in the past. She has not yet met her husband, Henry, and her daughter, Katie, is just a memory. Convinced that Jack is the one who will make her happy, she fights her longing for Katie and molds herself into the woman she thinks Jack wants, not realizing that that is exactly what made her so miserable with Henry. And then Henry begins turning up everywhere.When Jillians memory of the future gets confused with the past, she needs another massage. Scotchs second book shows a writer coming into her own, a storyteller who doesnt take the easy way out, and a woman with a fine understanding of human nature.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)