Title: The Life You’ve Imagined
Author: Kristina Riggle
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pages: 352
Year: 2010
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Source: Personal Collection
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary:
Anna and Cami are both returning to their small Michigan town of Haven. Anna, recovering from the death of a friend, returns to Maeve a loving mother with a secret. Cami, a gambling addict, is forced to live with her mean alcoholic father again. Their old friend, Amy, never left, but went through a big transformation herself. In one summer, all of their lives change.
My Thoughts:
The Life You’ve Imagined is told from the alternating viewpoints of the four women: Anna, Cami, Amy, and Maeve. Each character has her own struggles, and although they relate to each other a little, the book could almost be four novellas with a common conclusion.
While I expected a story of friendship, what I found was more a story of individual awakening and reinvention. And as sometimes happens with multiple viewpoints, I had a favorite. While I could relate to others, I really loved Cami and I would have gladly read a book of her own.
Personally, I loved the Michigan setting. I can picture the fictional town on Lake Michigan clearly, and for me there is magic in a Michigan summer. This connection is what drew me to Kristina Riggle on twitter in the first place, and I now know I should have read her long ago.
my books. my life. 
I like how this book feels like 4 separate stories that come together in the end, and I do think that all of the individual characters sound interesting. It’s not a book that I am familiar with, but it is one that I will be looking for, based on your positive experience with it. Thanks for the great review!
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I read this one when it came out and I remember feeling the same way, that I liked one character more than the others, but it’s been so long now that I can’t recall which character.
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