Sweet Life -- Mia King

In Sweet Life, Marissa thinks she has it all. She has a great job, a smart daughter who is involved in all sorts of activities, a supportive best friend, and a good (if not perfect) marriage. Marissa's husband is suddenly transfered from New York City to Hawaii to manage a luxury hotel. This means giving up her job, and uprooting the entire family from bustling NY to the laid back "big island" of Hawaii.

You can imagine the generic chick lit events that happen: she doesn't adjust well to being an at home mom; their house is a bit more of a fixer-upper than they anticipated; her husband needs a break from the marriage. What will she do? How will she come through?

This book is a chick-lit romance. It was pretty predictable. That does not mean that I didn't enjoy reading it. It is well written and beautifully descriptive of Hawaii. It has a nice message of women working together. At first I was a bit put off by Marissa's reactions to the coffee barista and the sling wearing, long term breast feeding mom (hey, I was one of those!). But that was just to show how uptight she was, and how far she could come.

This book surprised me with a pro-Homeschooling message. As Marissa's daughter starts to take horseback riding lessons (which she likes much more than the upscale dance lessons she took in NY), she becomes friends with a girl who is homeschooled. The daughter soon wants to be taught at home as well. After gathering information and visiting the other homeschool family, Marissa ends up homeschooling her daughter. As a homeschooler myself, I was impressed.

So, Sweet Life won't change your life, but it will make you want to see the lava flows on the island of Hawaii. Find it at your library, or throw it in your cart when buying Christmas gifts on Amazon this month. It would be a great read for your Christmas break.