Becoming Us {Review}

Emily and Trevor come to California hoping for a fresh start.  After years of infertility and financial exhaustion, the couple is seeking a new beginning at their uncle's car lot.  And when invited to a women's Christmas party, timid Emily comes out of obligation... and vows not to get close.  But as the group becomes more intwined, the women find that they need each other... and that becoming is truly a group effort.  Will Emily and Trevor get the break they need to start a new life?  Or will their "becoming" be cut short?

Written by the author of Christy Miller and Sisterchicks series, Becoming Us follows the lives of five women as they try to discover who they really are.  In various stages of life, they form a community through effort and time together.  I really appreciated the way Gunn always brought the story back to relationships: Emily with the other women, Trevor and Emily together, family relationships, Emily and her daughter... and so many more.  It is these relationships that bring the women through a variety of tough situations.  And these relationships that ultimate tie Trevor and Emily even closer together.  It was this marriage relationship that was even more enjoyable for me to watch... the way they both supported and encouraged each other.  

There were times that I felt Gunn minimized some of the character's issues.  For example, timid Emily quickly changes her ways and opens up to the group.  And some serious marriage issues were resolved rather easily.  These were issues that I felt could have been further developed and seemed somewhat trivialized.  But all in all, it was a light quick read about the importance of relationships... not only in terms of friendship, but also in terms of becoming all we were meant to be.  

* Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.