WITH OR WITHOUT YOU

Author: Carole Matthews ISBN: 0373895453 8/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: RED DRESS INK

After her live-in boyfriend extraordinaire, Jake, dumps her for a type-A Angelina Jolie look-alike who climbs Mt. Everest, Lyssa Allen decides maybe a little adventure of her own can win him back. Leaving hair dryer, lattes and dreams of babies behind, this funny, neurotic and tougher-than-she­thought London editor sets off for Nepal, to the envy of her all-too-fertile sister. Her monthlong sojourn in the East teaches Lyssa that maybe her horizons are bigger than she knew-and the man of her dreams far different than she thought. Even her ideas about children undergo a change, and she gains a new perspective on her former obsession with having a baby. As her eyes are opened by her handsome and serene American tour guide, Lyssa wonders if she can ever return to her old life. When it's time to go home, she has the chance to find out and faces the hardest decision of her life.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Lyssa Allen wants a child more than anything, but her world comes crashing down when her boyfriend, Jake, leaves her for another woman. Lyssa is faced with a choice: wallow in self-pity, or get on with her life. Her friends and family agree that she could have possibly prevented Jake’s defection if she had only obsessed less about becoming a mother. Lyssa decides to be more like Jake’s new girlfriend—fearless and independent, so she decides to go trekking in the Himalayas. Lyssa’s friends and family can’t believe her—Ms. Dependable has just decided to do something so out of character they wonder if she’s gone off the deep end.

Lyssa’s trip turns out to be just what she needed. She finds a wonderful man and shares a very meaningful relationship with him while she is in Nepal, but more importantly, Lyssa learns a lot about herself. She realizes that maybe all that happened between she and Jake, as painful as it was, was a blessing in disguise. Jake meanwhile is realizing the error of his ways.

WITH OR WITHOUT YOU is empowering and uplifting. Lyssa Allen is a woman who realizes that she can control her destiny to a point, and she chooses to make something of her life, and become someone she is proud of. I really enjoyed this novel, and connected with Lyssa. I felt her pain and desperation after Jake left her, and I felt her pride and happiness when she realized she didn’t need him in her life after all. This novel reminds us that we can do anything we set out to do and that there are always cheerleaders in our corner, whether they are our family, friends, co-workers, or lovers. I recommend this one—it’s sure to give you that encouragement you need to conquer your fears and climb mountains!

Carrye Syma