Table For Five by Susan Wiggs

# of book read so far this year: 19

Title: Table For Five

Author: Susan Wiggs

Year Published: 2005

Rating (1-5): 4

Date Finished: 2/29/08

Genre: contemporary romance

# of pages: 456

Number in Series: ~~~~~

Where did the book come from: used bookstore

Why I read it: I read it because I've really enjoyed Susan Wiggs' books so far and this was just another one to add to the pile. And several people had been recommending this book to me.

Blurb (story line): A divorced couple Crystal and Derk are killed in a car accident one afternoon, leaving behind their 3 children Cameron, Charlene (Charlie), and Ashley. Derek's brother, Sean is granted guardianship and Crystal's best friend Lily, also spends a lot of time with the children. Sean is a professional golfer and plays in a tournament the following summer. Sean, the children, and Lily drive across the country for the tournament, and during the course of the summer, they realize their feelings for each other. The following October, Seans asks Lily to marry him. Meanwhile, the children are dealing with their grief over the death of their parents. Cameron acts out by commiting vandalism, Charlie struggles in school, but slowly improves, and Ashley is really too young to realize what's going on. However, it is discovered that Ashley is not, in fact, Derek's child. She is the child of Cameron's golf instructor, who mom had an affair with.

My personal thoughts and comments: This book somewhat reminded me of the movie Raising Helen. I will say that it was a little bit different than what I was expecting, so I was slightly disappointed. I didn't like how it seemd to focus more on Sean than on the children, though I have to admit that the summer away did all 3 children good. When I first started the book, I was annoyed by the Derek and Crystal's denial of Charlie's problems, not knowing what was coming next. I also felt that they didn't really take Cameron's begging for attention by acting out very seriously. I do think though that between the two of them, Sean and Lily did a great job caring for the children. I kept waiting for something to happen regarding the truth about Ashley's father, and was expecting it much earlier than it actually happened . I was glad the instructor chose his golf tournament instead of Ashley, only so Ashley could stay with her brother and sister, and Sean and Lily, people she KNOWS and TRUSTS.