It’s not often, or basically ever, that I get to read a book set in the province where I live, so I was easily convinced to pick up A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean who lives in Nova Scotia and set her novel there. Abbie, a doctor, is in a car accident on her way to her son’s hockey game. She’s hit by a drunk driver, but miraculously survives, except the event will have life-altering consequences for her family and her career.

Although A Curve in the Road starts off feeling like a thriller, the focus of the book is not the mystery–which, after the first dramatic twist, really quiets down–but rather the emotional experience of what Abbie is going through. It is a book about what you do with your life after everything you thought was true about yourself is no longer possible. I liked that Abbie was a doctor, but I did find her a little dull at times. That said, the story flowed nicely and I found the book very easy to read. As a dog lover, I also enjoyed the prominent role that Abbie’s dog, Winston, played in the novel.

I was a little disappointed there wasn’t more tension in the last third of the A Curve in the Road, although there was a final “twist”, there had been enough groundwork laid for it, I didn’t find it shocking. That said, if you come into the book realizing it more about Abbie as a character rather than a mystery-thriller, I think the book would be better off. I really enjoyed the relationship between Abbie and her mother, I’m not sure the last time I’ve read a book that captured a mother-daughter dynamic that wasn’t toxic and didn’t include a teenager, and it was refreshing to read. I also really loved recognizing the landmarks and names in the story. Overall, if you’re looking for an emotional and captivating Canadian read, I definitely recommend checking out A Curve in the Road. I loved learning that there’s a highly successful author just down the road from me, and I’ll definitely have to pick up another book by MacLean in the future.

I can confess without guilt that the cover of this book sucked me in, and when i read what it was about i was even more interested!
I love a good family story. Especially if it is about someone tries that starts new after something bad happens!
This book promised to be a great one for me!

It sadly wasn't.
The writing didn't work that great for me, since it sometimes felt very stilted and at the next moment as if it was rushing through the plot.
The plot itself wasn't that great for me either.
It sadly wasn't anything new or with a new spin, just the rather typical "cheating and now what" kind of story that i am neither a fan of nor find exciting to read about if they are done well, sadly in this case it wasn't done well.

The one thing i really loved about this book was how the main character cared for her dog! She's in an accident and basically only cares about her dog! Which is so realistic and relatable in my option as a dog owner!

All in all this was a disappointing read for me.
But overall its not a horrible book so if you don't have anything against cheating in your books give this one a try!

Four emotional stars to A Curve in the Road! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️! This emotionally engaging book was hard for me to put down. Abbie is driving home on a lonely stretch of road one evening when a car approaches. That car swerves into her lane, creating an impact that will forever affect her life. In the fallout after the accident, Abbie learns she was hit by a drunk driver. She cannot reach her husband and as a result, learns shocking secrets about his life. The husband, and the life she thought she knew, has been rocked and will never be the same. I’m not going to give away any more of the story, I’ll just let you know there’s a shocking twist and a rollercoaster of events. I was emotionally engaged and could not put this down. Thank you @amazonpublishing for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

Abbie and her husband are hit by a drunk driver. After the accident, she discovers her husband’s secrets. Abbie’s dog, Winston, makes life easier for her and her son, Zach.

A Curve in the Road is very well written and will keep your interest to the end. You will experience all the feels with this book! I highly recommend it!

Great book! I loved that the dog's name was Winston because I have a friend who's dog has the same name. I fell in love with all the characters. Maybe there will be a sequel? #netgalley #acurveintheroad

** spoiler alert ** This is the first book I’ve read by this author, I must be living under a rock.
Abbie’s life is turned upside down when she’s leaving her mom’s home after their ritual Sunday dinner. She’s on her way home to watch her son’s hockey game when her SUV is clipped and finds herself trapped in her vehicle which has tumbled down off the highway and lands upside down in a ravine. She’s terrible shaken, she’s concerned about her dog, Winston who was with her but unfortunately he was thrown from the vehicle as it’s rolled down into the ravine. Abbie is extremely lucky she wasn’t hurt a lot worse. It takes the jaws of life to extract her from her SUV, she learns that the driver of the car that hit her had been drinking which explains how this accident happened in the first place. While in the ER getting checked out she’s frantically trying to find her husband who was supposedly working but he’s not answering her calls. She then realizes after the EMT’s bring her the items gathered around the accident scene she’s in possession of her husband’s phone. How could that be? She calls her mom to come stay with her until they release her. They are both relieved that she’s only mildly injured but they are both waiting on word regarding, Winston. He’s out in the bad weather scared to death but an EMT promises that he’ll continue to search for him. Luckily he’s finally found but he’s in pretty bad shape, he’s at the local animal hospital.
They are in a small town hospital which isn’t really equipped for major trauma, they learn that the driver of the other car is next to her in the ER. Abbie who is a successful surgeon offers to help when she realizes things are going south for this patient at a rapid pace. She limps over to help and gets the shock of her life! Could it get any worse for her? She finds the other driver is her husband, who has been her best friend, husband and a perfect father to their 17 yr. old son, Zack. She’s in total shock not only has he lied about where he's supposed to have been but he would never drink and drive. He’s a well-respected cardiologist, not this drunk who she’s been wanting to strangle for the past few hours. The weather has turned icy and she’s demanding he be taken to a trauma center to get him stabilized but the chopper doesn’t make it in time. Abbie is left with a lot of unanswered questions regarding her marriage, did she ever really know the man who has been her rock for the past 20 yrs? She’s stranded in her hometown dealing with her grief as well as her anger regarding her husband, things are just are not adding up. Her Alan would never drive under the influence and where was he coming from? Plus she received an odd call from his cell while she was in the hospital. What has she been missing from her marriage?
She gets her priorities under control and has a friend bring her son to her mom’s home after the ice thaws the following day. She robotically goes through the motions of planning the funeral and staying strong for their son.
She’s caught off guard by a few things that she finds unsettling in regards to a mysterious person who seems to be turning up in odd places. Why would her husband’s death have such an impact on this person? Abbie decides the best way to deal with this problem is head on and she learns something that shakes her to the core. She’s not about to let this matter go, but she doesn’t want to taint her son’s memory of his father. She finds herself alternating between anger and the emptiness of losing her husband.
This is a beautiful story that is full of love and compassion, you can’t help but admire Abbie’s dignified manner as she’s hit with more bad news through her first year of widowhood. She’s determined to stand strong to deal with whatever else life tosses her way.
Zack is about to go to University and he has decided that he is going to stay local so he’ll be near his mom. Abbie will not hear of it, his plan has been to go away to University and that’s what he’ll do.
We would all love to be able to have a bit of Abbie inside of us, she’s human her emotions are all over the place but she stands tall even when she thinks she’s losing it. She has every right to trip up and fall into the grip of depression but she faces life with the attitude of “Glass Half Full.”
I hope this book is the start of a series, I wasn’t ready to leave Abbie and I would love to read more about Abbie and this new phase of her life.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided with this galley from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinion I expressed above are my own.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D7CEB85KFHHL?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22557296-michelle-bolton

I loved this book! I started the first chapter thinking I would read a chapter or so to get started. I couldn't put the book down. I was drawn into this book so quickly, I had to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. Julianne MacLean is a talented writer. I love that she got to the point of the story without adding a lot of fluff or too much description. The story was interesting and the characters were likeable and well developed. I'm sad to see the story end, but I will look for more from this author! I received this book through Netgalley and this is my honest review.

I really liked this one.
What would you do if you had the perfect life on paper then get into an accident and have it all unravel in one night? This book had it all a bit of suspense and mystery, some romance, and a whole lot of drama. Its not a whole lot complex and doesn't have any big twist but the story just captures you and is fast paced from the very beginning.
I lapped it up it in less than a day. Would definitely recommend.

Holy Rollercoaster Ride Batman!!! Hang on to your seats folks! The emotional journey you will go on in this book is insane. It was so hard to pull myself away from the story, but alas - I had to sleep.

So, what do you do when a curve in the road flips your life upside down? Not just once or even twice, but multiple times. To the point you feel like you're in a NASCAR race and can't get off the track. This is Abby's new life. I say new because the life she knew really wasn't the life that was reality. And just as she gets around one curve she is immediately thrown into another one. How do you heal? How do you move on with your life? How do you forgive? This was one of the aspects I liked most about the book - Abby was constantly being challenged and forced to grow in one direction or another. It's heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time to read how Abby reclaims her life. All the supporting characters in this story are very relatable - whether you like them personally or not.

My one criticism has absolutely nothing to do with the author's writing or writing style - I felt as a doctor, Abby should have gotten medical attention for her symptoms before attempting to operate on a patient (that's just my personal opinion). But overall this was a truly enjoyable and cry-worthy book to read. Make sure you have Kleenex handy!!!

My thanks to Julianne MacLean, Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love all of Julianne MacLean's books. I always feel as if I'm reading about my own life in a way. Her stories draw you in and you stay in the story. Sometimes it's hard to get out. LOL In this particular story I cheered for Abbie all the way. You never know when the road that is your life suddenly takes a curve what you will do. Abbie is living what she feels is an idyllic life until one day a car accident changes her life and her perception of her life.
Infidelity will be revealed, secrets will be kept, lives will be changed. And through it all Abbie has to be the one that is resilient. But no matter what, at the end of the road there is always something waiting for you. The same is true for Abbie, if she chooses to accept what is at the end of the road.
Really good story that makes you quesitons the "what if's" in our own lives.

Wow this book was such a great read! I finished it in a day! I could not put down! First time I read this author and now I want more!

I truly loved this story that kept me engaged throughout. It was one of those books that made me think: what would I do in the same situation? I LOVE LOVE LOVED Winston the Dog, and will recommend this book to fellow readers.

This was a book that grabbed you into the story from the very beginning! I love books that start like that. And this one just kept going, twisting my emotions, page by page.

You never know when life is going to throw a big curve your way. And the characters in this book went through so much. Grief, sadness, shock, secrets, happiness, forgiveness...this book had it all. And the author definitely had me not wanting to put the book down.

I've heard so many good things about this author and her books that I'm glad I finally got around to reading one. It will not be my last! This book absolutely lived up to her reputation as an author. Looking for an excellent book? Try this one. I recommend it highly!

* I was provided an ARC to read from the publisher and NetGalley. It was my decision to read and review this book.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3CNR3X9KX0H1Y?ref=pf_ov_at_pdctrvw_srp

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
The characters and the plot was awesome.
I haven't read much of this author but that will now change now

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Annie's world is about to change in a big way. One moment, and one accident will make her rethink everything she thought she knew about her life. Heartfelt, emotional and beautifully written. Unputdownable!

Abbie MacIntyre was living a full, seemingly perfect life as a successful surgeon, wife, mom and daughter. If something appears to be too good to be true, it usually is...

As fate would have it, Abbie's life hits a major curve in the road. While driving home one night, Abbie is involved in a horrific accident as she is hit by a drunk driver. As her car plunges, out of control, down a ravine, her perfect life begins to fracture.

While Abbie fights her way back to normal, she uncovers devastating secrets. As Abbie begins to heal, physically and emotionally, she chooses to not let bitterness win.

The characters in the book came alive. The relationships were real and believable. The family dog was included as an integral character. A well crafted story and a very enjoyable one!

Thank-you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book.

Oh my goodness. Such a good book. Kleenex needed throughout. Meaningful characters. Book made me feel sad, Happ, mad, just wanted to sceam at times

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book.

My thoughts on this book: the story line felt a little disjointed, and some parts of the book seemed to drag on longer than necessary. I did enjoy the Hallmark movie feeling, and the relationship she eventually developed with Nathan. I guess too much of the book was implausible, hence the 3 star rating. This book will give you Elin Hilderbrand feels, but it’s not quite as engaging. If you’re expecting something you cannot our down, this is not it.

“Sometimes we go though life seeing only what we want to see.”

Abbie sees her husband, Alan as almost perfect. A loving husband and father, a caring, professional and well respected doctor, an all around great guy. So what happens when you are faced with a totally different reality that will destroy everything you have ever believed? That is pretty much the beginning, middle and ending of this book. Abbie is portrayed as an heroic woman, capable of normalcy while being smacked from here to forever by betrayal by her husband, her beliefs, her health. Sorry, nothing worked for me, but I would love to be able to embrace the amazing characteristics ascribed to Abbie.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy

The story grabbed me from the very first chapter. Loved all the twists and turns along the way. Would have enjoyed less summary style writing toward the end of the book, it seemed to drag. Overall, I would highly recommend this book!