Laura Jamison

All the Right Mistakes from Laura Jamison is a compelling relationship-driven novel about all that life throws at us and the many ways we try to cope.

The novel basically takes place over about a year and a half with each chapter being from a character's point of view. This works very well for this story because it both provides the backgrounds of all five characters (perhaps a little less of Heather's background) as well as the background of the group, and does so from multiple perspectives. You see the overall strength of the group and the internal rifts, much like any group of friends.

The obstacles these women face, and have faced, are a mix of general things anyone might experience and the roadblocks society throws in the path of women in particular. Specifically in the paths of successful women.

Heather's book highlighting the "mistakes" of her friends serves as a catalyst for a lot of soul-searching and decision making. But the idea of a mistake carries a negative connotation and also a very judgmental one. Some so-called mistakes turn out to be positive, some lead to life changing decisions that aren't so much positive or negative, just different from what was expected, and some really are mistakes. But the person best positioned to judge a potential mistake, the person who made it, is often the least likely to be able to step back and really assess. That is where friends come in, though not usually in the form of a best selling book that humiliates you.

Anyone who enjoys relationship driven novels will find a lot to enjoy here. Readers who have to constantly grapple with whether or not they made the best decisions will also find a lot here to incorporate into their own thoughts. Not so much in the form of advice or answers but in the form of different perspectives. These characters are flawed, but not any more than the rest of us, so most of us will find many things to relate to.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (más)