Tempting Fate: A Novel

Gabby is a woman in her 40s who has, on paper, a wonderful life: a marriage to a successful doctor, a large home in the suburbs, two precocious teenage daughters and a gaggle of girlfriends with whom she regularly spends time. But, in reality, Gabby is a woman who would like to find a little excitement; nothing too dangerous, nothing to promiscuous, just something to help her feel a little more alive. She goes on a "girls' night" with her friends to a local dive bar and experiences the thrill of the chase; "she isn't the slightest bit interested in actually doing anything, but what fun to play at being the sort of woman other men want. What would be the harm?" Well, for Gabby, the devil is in the details; she becomes completely addicted to the feelings that are brought forth in her burgeoning flirtation with the young man she meets and she cannot seem to talk her way out of it. It was interesting to me that, early in the novel, Gabby speaks very confidently about having a "choice, and you do the right thing; you don't act on it." Later on, she reframes her charge, stating, "It is very easy to say things like that when temptation has never crossed your path." Green, as always, does a superb job of connecting readers to Gabby's dilemma as well as to the other people affected by the decisions she makes; the story line had its moments of predictability, but it was certainly not without surprises. In an online chat via Redbook Magazine and Goodreads, Green stated that, "even the best of marriages become pots and pans;" she said that with email and social networking making new connections possible, "people's fantasy lives can collide with reality in a way that didn't exist a generation ago." This was an intriguing, thought-provoking work by Jane Green and I highly recommend it; I lost many hours of sleep trying to find a stopping point. Not only was I drawn in by the drama between Gabby, her husband and her daughters, but there is also an interesting turn with Gabby's best friend, Claire...but I don't want to spoil that for you.

Gabby and Elliot are happily married with two daughters. When Gabby's friend announced she was pregnant, Gabby knew if she wanted another child now was the time since she was already past forty. Elliot vetoed another child and scheduled a vasectomy without telling Gabby. Her friends were going out for drinks and she decided to say yes this time. She was shocked that her friends were flirting with the middle aged guys that approached them. Thinking it must be nice to be looked at as desirable she began talking to the young man who asked if he could buy her a drink. Gabby never planned on doing anything other than chitchat but Matt started to flirt and one thing led to another and they began texting one another. This goes on so long I was ready to quit reading about a married woman and a young man getting emotionally involved. In the next few pages Gabby made the biggest mistake in her life and had sex with Matt. She immediately felt horrible about her behavior and told Matt she couldn't see him anymore. He was a gentleman about her decision and they said goodbye. The writing is very good and I'm glad I continued to read. The characters have depth and show believable feelings. It was easy to understand the emotions behind the behaviors. One theme that came up time and again was there are always consequences for behaviors. The rest of the story explored those consequences. Without telling you how the story ends, I will say I found the ending very satisfying. If you enjoy the writing of Nora Roberts and Nicholas Sparks, this is a book you will like.

This book has strong writing and sympathetic memorable characters. But what seemingly starts out as a cautionary tale, ends as a fairy tale. And I'm not sure the social implications of said fairy tale are positive. In the old days, true feminists had disdain for fairy tales because they didn't believe it was helpful for girls to dream of being saved by knights in armor. This isn't that kind of fairy tale, but to me it is as implausible as any of those and maybe, possibly, as harmful to women. I'm sorry to say that because I am sure that that was not this author's objective. But, although the writing and story telling are great, the book left me feeling a little sick and messed up. It might be a good book club read and produce lively discussions.

I have never been disappointed by a book by Jane Green, and this time is no exception. Once again, I had a great time reading a Jane Green's book. And I can even say that this particular book was just GREAT! I really really loved it. It totally deserves the 5 stars and even more. I was hooked by the story from the very first page. This book is very inspirational, makes you think of your own life and what could happen in your life because the story of this book can happen to just anyone even the one that thinks he/she will stay forever faithfull to her/his partner. This book is also about judgement we can give sometimes, when we don't know half of the story behing. This book is about love, weakness, life,forgiveness, and again love love love love. I rarely cry when reading a book but this time I did, my heart was overwhelmed by sadness sometimes, by love sometimes, and by joy sometimes.... Thank you Jane Green for this absolutely WONDERFUL book that makes you realize so many things about love and life. Yes very inspirational book for me :-) again, thank you Jane! Can't wait for your next book!!!!!!!

Sou super fã dessa autora. Essa história foi ótima, me surpreendeu muitas vezes e me prendeu por todo o livro. Recomendo para todas!

Since reading "Saving Hope" I was dying to get back into a another by Jane Green. So I chose this one taking a little break from thrillers and disappearances. This book made me feel many emotions and knowing that the situations in this book are an everyday life for some peopl. Reading this made me realize how strong relationships, no matter how complicated, can stand the test of time when you really love someone. Girls, this is a good read. It's sad, exciting and in the end perfect. Pick. It. Up.

Great book, great condition

In Tempting Fate, Jane Green does an excellent job describing the feelings of a woman who is infatuated with a man who isn't her husband and has an affair with him. The first third of the book is good, regardless of how you may feel towards Gabby, the main character. The second part of the book deals with the consequences of Gabby's choice to spend a night with Matt, the young man who has a thing for her. Up to the point where the baby is born, the story seems fairly real and Jane Green takes Gabby, her husband Elliott and their two daughters down the logical paths of pain, anger, broken trust and regret. But after the baby is born, the story goes down hill. The end is pulled straight out of a fairytale. I like fiction of this nature to be somewhat believable. The end doesn't have to be the worst that could happen, but relationships don't mend the way Jane Green has them mend in this novel. Despite the unrealistic end, I still recommend the novel as a sincere, up close look at what an affair means, how it can happen, and how destructive it can be.