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If You Could Write Your Own Happy Ending, Would You?

Authors: Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman

Just as Thea’s life is becoming picture-perfect – new book reaching bestselling status, handsome husband, baby on the way – tragedy strikes. And the thing is, she made it happen.

Thea has a certain way with words – a way she has never told anyone about. The first time she wrote something into being, she told no one. Perhaps it was just a coincidence. But with her husband dying the same way her main character does in her novel, Thea becomes convinced that there is no such thing as coincidence.

Few people know about this fear. Many just suspect that Thea is shutting down with grief. Others have put out dark speculation on the Inernet – maybe SHE HAD her husband killed. But her daughter is now nearly six, and she is still grieving, still not writing, still holding back her latest book, the manuscript of which was on the verge of acceptance and a huge payoff when Sam, her husband, died.

Many have encouraged her to write again. To move out of her in-law’s guest house. To date. Sam wouldn’t have wanted her life to end so early. And so, she does an experiment. She writes a happily-ever-after book about a woman falling in love with an astronaut who is lost in space but then found, an epic romance that symbolizes everything she ever loved about Sam and, if her suspicions are true, will bring him back.

Her book is a raging success, but things become creepy when a Sam-like man who is also an astronaut comes into her life. Thea is falling in love, thinking that maybe writing her own future isn’t so bad. But her friends, her mother-in-law, and her publisher suspect that something else is going on, that this astronaut is far too good to be true. And they may be right.

Before the story is over, hearts are broken, secrets exposed, grief explored, and the power of fiction showcased for all to see – just not in the way you expect.

Every now and again I must put my horror books and grisly thrillers aside and step into a brighter world for a moment, indulging in a little lighthearted chick lit, which is what I thought I was getting here. Instead, I got something far deeper, far more perceptive than I expected.

Image by Free Fun Art from Pixabay

Authors Tracy Dobmeier and Wendy Katzman draw us in to a story that oscillates between hopeful and grab-the-tissues-I’m going to cry vibes. I was at turns irate on behalf of and sorry for Thea, thoroughly into her story and even questioning my own sanity as I sojourned with her and wondered about these strange coincidences in her life.

We begin the story thoroughly in Thea’s camp. The supporting characters bring life and vitality, especially Thea’s little girl, and showcase just how stuck and lost this loving mother is. We cannot help but feel for her – feel the impact of grief, see the shrines set around her home, but also feel the all too human desire to emerge from the sadness into some kind of new hope, and all the guilt and complex emotions that come along with that sought escape.

Then, Thea’s in-laws get involved, and the fight for Lucy, Thea’s child, is on. That’s when I started feeling ALL the emotions and the happily-ever-after veered as astronaut Max adds his own layer of betrayal. It was a very emotional ride before we got answers and resolutions, and I was there for every moment. This was one of those books that made me feel miserable from my empathy and anger on behalf of the protagonist. I wanted to throw down the book, march into those pages, and start pummeling the people shredding Thea’s just now healing heart. I was so there for that. It was an exhausting but intensely rewarding emotional ride.

Ten Thousand Light Years from Okay was just sooo, sooo good. This may be labeled chick lit, but it has all the elements of a juicy drama along with some life lessons and an ending that is hopeful but altogether realistic too. The magic is there from the first to the last page, and you can’t help but be immersed in this memorable and unique story. Highly recommended.

– Frances Carden

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Frances Carden
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