After the Party: The page-turning sequel to Ralph’s Party from the bestselling author

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Jem and her sister see themselves as a modern-day Kate and Allie, but with a few more kids and a husband between them.

And so, for a very short while, over twelve years ago, back in 1996 when Oasis was the most famous band in the country and football was, supposedly, coming home, when she was a child of only twenty-seven, had Jem. Vivid descriptions of the bucolic park contrast with the evil lurking around the themes of teenage sexuality, perversion, peer pressure, and the desire for a complete family. It helps that Lisa Jewell gives us both Ralph and Jem’s point of view, making for a very fair view of their relationship. She worries about Ralph, they never talk anymore, but she is finding out who she is not attached to him. They share the children and Jem's career blossoms as well as her health and a fling with a younger man.They came across as the epitome of pampered London types, used to getting their own way, using others without thought of the consequences and so forth, and I really didn't like either of them. I actually do like Lisa Jewell quite a lot, I think in the way that I really like the Whopper with Cheese, or the burgers I get at my local during the lunchtime special.

for a couple plagued by so many problems, marriage seemed like a quick, if not inevitable, surface fix. Parenthood changes a relationship irrevocably and you either grow together as you adjust to the new demands or drift apart. That's the end of the book and they are so happy and both got nookie from younger hard bodied lovers and were ready to embrace Fidelity and forever.

Jem can feel it, even now, as she stands on the pavement, peering through the window at strangers’ mushroom walls—she can still feel the electric jolt of sudden promise, the thrill of new beginnings. As they try to find a way back to each other, back to what they once had, they both become dangerously distracted. Rich characterization and intricate plot development are combined with mid-chapter cliffhangers that cut from one character’s point of view to the next, resulting in a riveting pace.