Review: The Perfectly Simple Complicated Life of Maggie Halloran by Trish Morey

Maggie Halloran’s life is finally perfect.

For recently retired Maggie Halloran, life in her renovated two-bedroom St. Ives fisherman’s cottage is picture perfect. With her daughter in London and her mother in Penzance, Maggie is free to enjoy the odd sleepover with her boyfriend, Nigel, visit galleries, or do her beloved sudoku.

When Maggie’s reserved mother falls giddily in love, Maggie takes it in stride. At the wedding, Maggie’s daughter, Alice, announces she’s pregnant and needs somewhere to live. Oh, and she has a new puppy, too…

Alice and Maggie have never been close, and Nigel’s allergic to dogs, but blood is thicker than your average Saturday night sleepover. Suddenly Maggie’s humouring her demanding daughter, fielding visits from her nostalgic ex-husband, and accommodating Alice’s baby daddy. And then Maggie’s mother arrives on the doorstep in tears, suitcase in hand, because she’s left her new husband. The only one keeping Maggie sane is Mitch, the builder converting the loft into another bedroom.

Maggie’s three-level terrace is now home to three generations—soon to be four—and her perfectly quiet, drama-free life is gone. The question is…does she want it back?

 

My Review:

I loved everything about this book.

Just when Maggie was enjoying retirement and living a quiet stress-free life in her cottage by the sea, her life suddenly upended.  First, her demanding, single, unemployed, pregnant daughter moves home along with her new puppy.  Then, Maggie’s mother leaves her husband and moves in.  What was once Maggie’s solitude became an overcrowded, noisy place and Maggie was no longer happy there.  Everyone expected Maggie to do everything for them and Maggie was at the end of her rope.  The only saving grace was Mitch, the handyman that Maggie used for renovations for her cottage when she first bought it.  If Maggie can find happiness with Mitch, surely there is a way to find happiness with her family even with the madness going on in her house. 

There is a lot going on in this story, but it didn’t bother me like some books do with a situation like this.  I found the story easy to follow.  I felt sorry for Maggie, but at the same time, I was also cheering her along, especially when she started to put herself first, even if it annoyed her family.  I can’t wait to read the next book in this series.  Hopefully there will be some updates on Maggie, Alice and Daphne.