Book Review: Belong To Me

Book: Belong to Me

Author: Marisa de los Santos

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Brief synopsis:

I absolutely adored this book. It was a nice, light, but meaningful read. De los Santos also managed to give it a twist I never saw coming! It was fun, sweet and really showed the impact of friendship, and how those that are the most unexpected can sometimes be the strongest!

I will admit, the first chapters were a little slow for me and I wasn't sure if it was going to grip me, but by the third chapter, I started to realize that I was probably going to like this book and the deeper in I got, the more I fell in love with all the characters, some to my surprise. In the end, I loved it and was really glad I stuck with it!

Here is a brief description of the book:

Everyone has secrets. Some we keep to protect ourselves, others to protect those we love.

A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised herself when she was gripped by the sudden desire to head for an idyllic suburb. Though she knows she's made the right move, she approaches her new life with trepidation and struggles to forge friendships. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt, the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake, and Cornelia develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman.

As their individual stories unfold, the women become entangled in a web of trust, betrayal, love and loss that challenges them in ways they never imagined, and that ultimately teaches them what it means for one human being to belong to another.

There were a couple things I loved about how de los Santos wrote this book.

It told the story in the voice of three characters, which many authors do, but de los Santos chose to only make Corneila Brown's voice first person. The story was also told in the voice of Piper Truitt and Lake's son, Dev. Lake's story being told through her son Dev made Lake remain a mysterious character, which only added to the unveiling of the story in a unique way. The reader had to understand her, and her presence because she really is a presence, through her son, through Corneila and even a bit through Piper's judgmental eyes.

This is a book for someone who wants a light, Saturday afternoon read. It's book about love and friendship, how we can be shaped and challenged by others and how we can shape and challenge ourselves. Ultimately, it's really about finding happiness.

So, female friends out there, I encourage to try Marisa de los Santos! After having read this, I certainly am going to give her first novel, Love Walked In, a read!