Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for a copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Even though this story deals with grief, lies, and betrayal....the end result is an amazing story. There is healing and forgiveness that happens and turns it around. Abbie finds out that her husband is not the man she thinks he is after a horrendous accident - that she herself is involved in. Her character development is well written and the people in her life are very likable.

This is the first book that I have read by this author. Looking forward to checking out her other stories.

A Curve In The Road by Julianne MacLean is a contemporary novel that deals with grief, betrayal and learning to live again. I read it in just one sitting. It was totally beautiful and heart wrenching. Tissues were needed as my emotions were shot to pieces.
Julianne MacLean writes novels that go straight to the heart. Her characters are realistic and likable. Dealing with grief is complex. We go through a range of emotions. "I'm so angry... Yet I can't bear his absence." Anger is normal. We hate the person for leaving us to cope alone. "Part of me wishes he were alive so I could kill him myself." This paradox is totally understandable - in our hurt and pain we just want to lash out but really all we want is the arms of our loved one around us again. Grief stinks. We just need to work our way through it in whatever way we can.
The novel explores the role of mothers. Mothers are the rock that keeps the family together. No matter how old we get, we still need our mum.
Family dynamics are varied. We see both loving and dysfunctional families.
Life is full of ordinary superheroes. "The police officers... the firefighters and paramedics... I feel as if this town is full of heroes." We salute the kind, compassionate and caring superheroes doing their job every day.
What happens when the life you thought you had is a lie? What do you do when you cannot confront the offender? The reader totally understands the conflicting emotions.
I loved the inclusion of Winston, a golden Labrador. He was as much of a character as the human ones. My heart was torn in two at times. His love and loyalty knew no bounds.
A Curve In The Road was a perfectly wonderful emotional read that tore me apart and put me back together again.
I received this book for free from Net Galley. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

The best way to summarize this book is through the phrase "when it rains, it pours!"
Abbie starts out her day as normal as she can hope, and somewhere between going back home to her husband, Alan, and son, Zack, another driver rams into her car and she goes from trying to stay alive to keeping her cool in the midst of chaos. It doesn't help that the one accident seems to unravel many more unexpected bad news. I saw this on NetGalley and couldn't help requesting to read this book and share my views. It's got characters I related to because I don't know what I'd do if indeed stuff hit the fan like it did for Abbie in this book. PS: Can I just say that Winston wins in this book.

At first I thought this would read like every other suspense book now glutting the market, and it was in a sense, but Julianne MacLean’s style of writing sets this book apart. It was emotionally difficult reading the first few chapters, because MacLeans’s writing let me in the heart and soul of Abbie, her main character, and I felt I was truly experiencing the trauma right along with her. It was beautifully written and intense, and turned a plot we’ve all read about before into a beautiful character study of people, and how they deal with life. The plot keeps twisting along, and I couldn’t put it down until I finished at 3 in the morning.

Once again Julianne MacLean has created a story that will stay with you long after you have finished the book. It is a tale of betrayal, love, soul-searching, and forgiveness. There are twists and turns around every corner and through it all you will find yourself rooting for Abbie MacIntyre, a wife, mother, a woman betrayed, and truly likable protagonist.

I have been a fan for awhile of Julianne Macleans books. The story is about Abbie MacIntyre is living the dream in the picturesque Nova Scotia town she calls home. She is a successful surgeon and is married to a cardiologist, and has a son who is getting ready to go to college.But everything changes when a drunk driver hits her car, Abbie is rushed to the hospital. She survives, but the accident forces unimaginable secrets out into the open and plagues Abbie with nightmares. This book was amazing with the plot.

This authors storyline was very engaging. I didn't want to stop reading! The story slowed in the later chapters but had a nice ending.

I really liked this book, and the author, whom I haven’t read before. I loved her characters and how relatable they were. I especially loved Winston, the family Golden Retriever, whose personality reminded me of my own Golden that I lost this week.
And that’s what this book is about, those we love and lose, our disappoints and the time and effort it takes to recover. Abbie is in a devastating accident and loses her husband, Alan as well. She goes on, with the goal of protecting her son Zack from the heartache of the loss of his father, by withholding information that may damage the memory of his Dad.
As Abbie suffers physically, emotionally, and mentally, she struggles with the advice that “things get better”. If I had to find one glaring criticism, it would be that she didn’t seek the counseling that she needed so badly.
A binge worthy read, it deserves 4 stars. My thanks to NetGalley and Julianne Mc Lean for the opportunity and hope my review encourages the reader to hop on this one. Again, I loved Winston.

Life can change in an instant. This is what happens to Abbie. Happy marriage, loving husband...gone. Career and health...redirected. But, a new day always comes, whether we like it or not. The book starts out fast, with a few twists and turns. Ending is predictable but you are so invested in the characters, you will be routing for it. Characters are likeable, situations fairly realistic. Well written, love the way the situations unfold.

Fast read, great for a summer day or winter night! Can be devoured in one sitting!

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

5* Heartbreaking New Journey Stars

I was drawn to A Curve in the Road as soon as I saw its beautiful cover and knew I had to read it. I was so happy that I got the opportunity to read an early copy and from the first page I was absorbed in this heartfelt emotional read. It was a definite page-turner.

The story of Julianne MacLean was so realistic and tragic. What she went through was heartbreaking and I was rooting for her to overcome her sadness and find happiness again. Her constant companion, her beloved dog Winston was her rock as was her devoted son Zack. The secondary characters were likeable and wonderfully supportive to Julianne and Zack.

This story deals with grief, anger, forgiveness, and family and has some light romance to it too.

The book was very well written and flowed well without too much unnecessary waffle. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reading of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for this lovely edition.

What a beautiful plot. Set in a lovely neighborhood, I could almost picture the scenes right in front of me.

Books like these are so relatable, and it drew me so close to tears. Have you watched the movie Life as We Know It?

Yes, they are relatable.

This was wonderfully written Women's fiction. The author weaved a beautiful story mixed in with heartbreak and tragedy.

What a great book. 5 Stars!! I didn't want to put it down from the moment I started it. The story pulls at your heart from the beginning and the main character Abbie is thrown into discovering life wasn't as perfect as she thought. The author does a great job at character development and building relationships through out the book. I'm especially happy Winston has become an important part in her recovery.

I really enjoyed this book! It grabbed my attention from the very beginning and kept my attention with various plot twists throughout (the hospital scene following the accident had me going WHAT!?). I found the main character, Abbie, very likeable. After the accident, she focuses mostly on being there for her son and making sure that his world isn't shattered the way hers was. The author does a great job with the progression of Abbie's grief - from sorrow and disbelief, to anger, to acceptance and moving on. This was the first book I've read by this author - after my experience with this book I would definitely read more books by her. I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley - my opinions are my own.

I was captivated by A Curve in the Road by Julianne MacLean. I had not read any of her other novels but will be sure to seek them out now that I have found her. This one had me on a rollercoaster of emotions and it was hard to put down. Abbie seems to have the perfect life until an accident changes everything & opens up a Pandora's box of secrets. Abbie struggles to get her post accident life back to some sense of normalcy & to protect her son while doing it. I enjoyed the characters, even the awful ones, and the resilience Abbie had. I really enjoyed the undertones of positivity despite the tragic situation Abbie was in. This should be on your reading list if you enjoy suspense or adult fiction. There is a little romance too.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance read of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance read of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'd never read anything by Julianne MacLean, and it looks like she might've just moved over to Lake Union. If so, I think her books will be those I'm seeking in the future. After I read this, I sought out some of her others, and I'm not sure I'd love them. So, based on this one, I'm definitely hoping for more. This story deals with grief, the messiness of families, empty nests and finding yourself again. But, it's done in a plot that had me wanting to read just another chapter until I could figure out what was happening, or what the characters would do. I couldn't STAND some of the characters, but that's probably an indicator of good writing. It was resolved well, I felt the characters were well done, and I learned a bit about narcolepsy, a condition about which I thought I knew things, but I learned I didn't. This is a great addition to your reading list.

Reading this book I was able to jump in and feel the concerns that Abbie had and then some. The anguish of wanting answers and the challenge of getting them. The whirlwind of event after event, story after story, is enough to knock anyone down, yet Abbie holds her own. You must read to see how she handles the deceit and drastic changes that take place in a split second, while trying not to lose her mind and still be a considerate mom. Alan (her husband) makes you want to scream because of the weight you know this family is carrying after such SERIOUS turn of events.

You will find heartbreak, anger, resilience, acceptance and suspense as you turn the pages of this beautifully written book.
Abbie has the "perfect" family, life and job until she and her dog Winston are in a horrendous car accident one night while driving back from a visit to her home town.
The destruction that occurred that tragic evening changes the family, and Abbie is learning to rebuild, trust and move forward.
Her beloved dog Winston, is her rock on an unsteady mountain she climbs each day.
This book had me reading well into the night to find out how the plot played out.
I was not disappointed!