I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi

A story from debut author Abby Fabiaschi that is "as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking."

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch...until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened. How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How they can possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.

Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge...but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal?

Upon receiving this book, I couldn’t wait to start reading this book. When I started the first chapter, I was immediately drawn into it. I wasn’t sure what I was reading, the way “Maddy” was explaining about having found the perfect candidate to put into her husband’s and daughter’s life had me a little confused at first. I wasn’t sure if “Maddy” was already dead or if she was sleeping and deciding what she was hoping to accomplish once she died. When I read the summary on the back cover I already knew that she died, but then starting the story, I was surprised at the way it started. While I was expecting the story to start completely different than it did, I was caught up in I Liked My Life already.

 I hadn’t planned to read 4 chapters in one sitting, but I was glad I did. I love how Abby Fabiaschi could draw me in to the story so quickly. I loved how much emotion the author put into each character and could make me feel it just by reading about them and what they were going through. I felt a lot of sadness and uncertainty with “Brady” and I felt a lot of mixed emotions, but sadness and anger the most with “Eve”; I could imagine if I was going through a tragedy like that and trying to move on exactly how I would feel during that terrible time. I really liked how although “Maddy” was dead she still had a lot of emotion and say-so in what was going on with her family. Although “Maddy” had died I was still able to put myself in her shoes and feel the same feelings she did and I was rooting for her just as much as I was for her husband and daughter. I loved how concerned “Maddy” was for them even beyond the grave.

     I liked how involved “Maddy” was in everyone else’s life too not just her husband’s and daughter’s. The way I was wrapped up in I Liked My Life, I felt like it could be an actual movie or something that was happening to someone who was close to me. By the last 2-3 chapters of the book, I was both surprised and happy at the same time. I was surprised because I thought I already knew the details about what had happened to “Maddy” and then it seemed to me like the plot did a 180 degree turn and ended a little different than I thought it would. 

I was happy as well because I thought that although things weren’t as they seemed everything worked out for everyone and it seemed like “Brady” and “Eve” were able to move on and find happiness again. I really liked the way Ms. Fabiaschi separated the chapters. It made it easier to follow along by knowing who which character was speaking or had the spotlight at any given point. I wish more authors would do that, sometimes it gets confusing trying to remember which character is “talking” at any certain point. I think a lot of readers who like Jodi Picoult will enjoy reading this author too. I give I Liked My Life a 10 and Abby Fabiaschi a 10! I can’t wait to read more of her books, I hope they’re all as good as this one was.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Tiffany