5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful, poignant and sad
By Maggie on August 14, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
I truly loved A Curve in the Road. A twisty plot, I couldn't put it down and read way too late into the night/morning to finish! While the story is so very sad in some ways, there is hope and understanding. I enjoyed the descriptions of South Shore Nova Scotia, too. Highly recommended!

What an emotional book. I really feel bad for Abbie. She goes through so much in this book. Abbie's perfect life is shattered one Sunday in November. Abbie goes through grief, anger, lots of anger and finally forgiveness and acceptance. Abbie is a very strong woman and that helps her through the worse thing in her life. As you read this book all you want to do is be Abbie's champion and fight along side her. This book is one I didn't want to put down until the end.


*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*

A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean. I will be the first to say I cried with this story. Abbie MacIntyre was a successful surgeon, married to a cardiologist with a teenage son getting ready to soon go off to college. She had a great marriage and one night on the way home from her mother's place, a drunk driver hit her car sending her down an embankment. To watch her come back from all the trama, betrayal and secrets showed her strength. I don't know if I could have handled everything that she went through over the course of that following year. Certainly a story of learning to trust and to heal.

A Curve in the Road was a dramatic and emotional book! I enjoyed the way that the story evolved. Abbie is a successful surgeon and married to a cardiologist. They have a son who is a senior in high school. Then one night, Abbie is in a car accident. It is at this moment that her life is shattered. Her life will change in serious ways as the days go by after the accident. Her life will quickly spiral out of control and nothing will ever be the same. Secrets will be revealed. She must deal with her loss and grief to rebuild her life, as well as deal with all of the changes. Author Julianne MacLean presents Abbie’s character to us on the day of her accident and the days after, as well as some flashbacks of her past memories. She presents the events and interactions of Abbie’s days with great detail where you feel as if you are right there with Abbie.

Wow, Wow, Wow! A Curve in the Road is an astounding read. Julianne MacLean reminds us from the beginning of this novel that life can change in a blink of an eye. From there it is one turn around and surprise one after another. As the story progress, several turns had clues so that the reader could predict, but the one at the hospital was shockingly unexpected. I never would have predicted that in a million years.

I was reading this while on a road trip with my husband. I must have grasped because he wanted to know what I was reading. After I told him, he kept asking for updates. That has never happened before. Typically, he couldn’t care less about what I am reading as he is driving. So this book deserves 5 stars just for that fact.

This is women’s fiction at its best. Plenty of drama, unexpected events, complex characters and one incredible dog. Fans of Kristin Hannah, Ava Miles and Katherine Center as well as any dog lover will love this book as much as I did.

How well do you know your spouse? When Abbie and her husband are in a tragic car accident, Abbie uncovers her husband's secrets while dealing with the aftermath. I went through so many emotions in this book...shock, grief, anger and happiness. A Curve in the Road was very well written and the story flowed easily. I had a hard time putting this one down!

Thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

It will send you reeling right from the start. Abbie, the main character is hit by a drunk driver and her life is never the same afterwards. She had just left her mom’s and a drunk driver clipped the back end of her SUV and sent her life spiraling out of control. The family dog, Winston, was with her and she was very worried about him. She goes through so much and then loses her husband, Alan,of twenty years. Many secrets come to surface about him that keep her life in limbo too. Who was this man she had loved with all her heart for so long? He turned her world upside down.

Their son, Zack, thought he had the perfect life with parents who loved him beyond words. While they did, his father was dishonest about a few things. But never his love for his son, or his wife for that matter. He did truly love them both with all his heart. He just had some secrets that he forgot to share.

Could you forgive someone who took so much away from your heart and soul? Would you be able to forgive someone you trusted who had a whole other life that you didn’t know about? Could you forgive someone who changed how you looked at them inside? It would be hard I know. This book touches a bit on sleep disorders which was very interesting. It’s a disorder that needs to be addressed more I believe.

Julianne MacLean did a wonderful job of writing this story. It pulls you in from the start and keeps you wanting more even after you finish. You will definitely need a big box of Kleenex handy as this story is very emotional. It is sad, funny at times(not a lot but just enough), happy, loving and just a well written story that you won’t soon forget. I highly, highly recommend this one and it’s the first I have read by this author but I do look forward to more.

Another 5 stars for another wonderully emotional book.

A Curve in the Road was an interesting story about a woman's struggle to cope after finding out her husband had been keeping a lot of secrets.

I could see myself in her shoes definitely and so related to the character, but I expected more suspense and so was somewhat let down. Also I don't typically care for first person stories so I struggled a bit with that.

All that said, I'd happily try a Julianne MacLean book again because the writing was solid and the story did pull me in.

If you enjoy this genre, please give the book a chance. Not every book is for every reader and this might be a great read for you.

A powerful and thought provoking read about life and all its twists and turns. What I love about Julianne MacLean"s books are how emotional and moving they are, they always seem to linger in my mind long after finishing the last page. Abbie, the main character, faces challenges that she would never have expected and the mystery and questions that follow, made this a read straight through kind of book for me. I finished it in one day and it reminded me to be grateful for all the blessings in life, as well as take time to enjoy every precious moment

True to its title, A Curve in the Road will lead your heart down multiple paths. As a surgeon and mother, Abbie is juggling life as best she can. She has a good handle on it until one fateful night. After almost losing her life in a head on collision, Abbie’s accident brings to light a secret her husband has been keeping- leaving her with more than just physical bruises. As Abbie begins to navigate the new path her life is taking she learns she is capable of handling each blow that comes her way- and believe me, the blows keep coming.

A Curve in the Road took me by complete and utter surprise. I anticipated an enjoyable, easy read, but I did not anticipate the suspense, drama, and affection I felt towards Abbie and all she endures. This novel is so relatable to women and the internal battles we place upon ourselves on the daily. It touches on the tough decisions we have to make as daughters, mothers, wives. Each chapter brings with it a new level of pain but also a triumph. A perfect novel to get anyone out of a “reading rut” and back on the road.

A Curve In The Road has been an interesting book to read and unlike any I’ve read before. It is written in the first person and at times I found that difficult, though I completely understand why Julianne Maclean wrote that way.
This story is very much that of a woman whose perfect life turns out to be anything but after a car crash turns her world upside down and one bad thing after another is thrown at her.
What I liked about the story was that as it progressed and Abbie was challenged again and again she grew stronger and stronger within herself so that at the end she was able to hold her head up proudly, embrace life and live it to the fullest again.
This is really a story about one woman’s journey. There are support characters - Abbie’s mother, her son Zack, Nathan the vet and her golden retriever Winston. They all play a part in helping Abbie to reclaim her life, but ultimately it is Abbie questioning her choices, overcoming her challenges and growing into the strong, resilient woman she has become by the end of the book.
I did find the story hard to read at times, but I also found this to be a story that caused me to question my views on human relations. The story is gently written and carries its readers through really confronting situations in a thoughtful way. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was my first book by author Julianne MacLean and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I couldn't put it down! I found the characters so relatable and the story line kept me interested throughout.

A gripping story of family, love, lost and forgiveness. A perfect family only to be shattered and remade with tragedy, lost, lies, love and forgiveness!

This story grabbed me at the beginning and held on to the end. Abbie has the ideal life until she is struck by a drunk driver. Then the nightmare begins and her whole life is changed in a blink of an eye. Her husband is dead, her dog may not have survived the crash, she finds that he husband was keeping so many secrets and she has a health problem that will make her change her career. Then when she begins to think that things are starting to calm down, she is dealt another blow. But, through it all Abbie keeps working through all her emotions and learning to handle life on her own.

Abbie’s life will never be the same after the fateful night she gets hit by a drunk driver. She is thrown a curveball and her storybook life begins to unravel.

I engaged immediately in this well-paced intriguing story and its’ interesting characters. The author excels at building character relationships and sprinkling in twists I never saw coming. I loved Abbie’s awesome dog Winston who enriched the lives of his ‘humans’ Abbie and her son Zach as they attempt to rebalance their lives.
*will post in additional online venues upon publication.

A Curve in the Road is one of the most stomach dropping roller coaster of feels that I’ve read. By the end of the first chapter, I was ugly crying. At work. For a moment, I thought I’d have to stop reading - there is a certain line that I have that cannot be crossed in books. Thankfully, said event didn’t occur, so I was able to finish reading this fantastic book.

The characters are magnificent, as is the story. Each secret revealed added so much intrigue and emotion to the story. Despite all of the tragedy, there is a thread of hope that grows as the story progresses.

I will definitely read more book by this author.

I will repeat what others have said, because it is true. This book was just…Wow. Life can change in an instant, and Abbie’s does. She had what she thought was the perfect life, but everything changes in an instant, leaving her reeling and trying to figure out her way forward. This was an amazing read. The characters were so well done, I felt the emotions right along with them. The story line moves so easily and quickly, I found myself reading and turning pages just as quickly. I didn’t want to put this down. This was my first experience with Julianne MacLean’s contemporary work, but it won’t be my last. This is a book for my keeper shelf!
#ACurveintheRoad #LakeUnion

This book moves quickly and drew me in immediately when Abbie is in a serious car accident - only to find out her husband was the drunk driver that hit her. As Abbie moves past this event, she starts to learn more about her husband's life and some secrets that he kept. The story is a fast read with good character development .

Wow! This book starts off with a bang and doesn't let up! An unimaginable tragedy strikes main character, Abbie. Author, Julianne MacLean, does a superb job portraying nightmarish circumstances and I felt like I was in Abbie's head, experiencing her anguish and confusion. Circumstances unravel a mystery surrounding Abbie's husband, sending her into further turmoil. Although things seem dire, an unexpected friendship does lead to a happily ever after. I highly recommend this book!

This was a new author for me, but I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it! This book made me feel the emotions that Abbie was feeling during the time of her tragedy. I was pulled in from the very first page and this book definitely left me satisfied. This will not be the only book by this author I will read. I will be looking forward to more!