Indie October Review: Misconception by Christy Hayes

Title: Misconception
Author: Christy Hayes
Publisher: Self-Published
Publish Date: June 20, 2011
Source: Received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Why You're Reading This Book?:

• You like books that cover real issues.
• You like sort of slice of life books.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "MISCONCEPTION is the story of suburban Atlanta stay-at-home mom Pace Kelly and what happens when an unplanned pregnancy three years after her husband's vasectomy rocks her happy marriage. When her husband Jason turns up sterile, Pace tries to explain the unexplainable. Her patience wears thin while Jason struggles with his suspicions and her two young sons look at her as if she's to blame for their problems. As rumors of trouble with their marriage begin to circulate through the neighborhood and Pace begins to feel the sting of isolation from people she thought were her friends, her once perfect world begins to crumble. To top it all off, her overbearing mother's insistence on creating a Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving during the biggest crisis of Pace's life is making her crazy.

Despite Pace's insistence that she hasn't cheated, Jason Kelly is left to wonder if his blueblood wife has finally grown tired of his humble background and their middle class lifestyle. When he finds Pace in a compromising position, he ignores the advice of his brother and the marriage therapist who have warned him about jumping to conclusions and makes arrangements to have Pace followed. But the truth he discovers is a heavier burden to carry than the innuendo that was eating him alive. Now the tables are turned and he's left holding a smoking gun.

An innocent wife. A desperate husband. A no-win situation. When the smoke clears, will their marriage survive?"

My Two Cents:

This book is sort of a case study of what happens when we don't talk to our loved ones. Jason and Pace are sort of happily married but they have a little bit to work on, including talking to each other to make sure their relationship doesn't go astray. While I reading this book, I happened to also be taking a communication training class. I felt that Jason and Pace would have done well to take a class like that. They definitely would avoid some of the issues they faced in the book. Mis-communications can happen though, especially in relationships even those that we've been in for a long time. We don't say what we need to say or we're afraid to ask the tough questions. In that way, I thought the book was really realistic. 


Pace's dad is a U.S. Senator and while the book takes place in Atlanta, you can get a little taste of that DC flavor, which I really liked. 


This book is well written and really pulls you in. I found myself rooting for the characters and hoping that everything turns out okay. It's not a high brow book but the characters are really realistic and relatable. 


Bottom line: This is a good quick read.