Published: March 25, 2012
Words: 63,246 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9781476375915

Short description

When Renee and Colleen were in college, they made a pact. No matter what happened, they would always be honest with each other, even if the truth hurt. But it’s all but impossible to be honest with anyone all of the time—even with yourself. In Kelly James-Enger’s latest novel, The Honesty Index, these two friends navigate the waters of their 30-something lives.

Extended description

Renee and Colleen have been friends—best friends—since they were college roommates their freshman year. But a lot happens between college and your early 30s. Renee stayed in St. Louis, where the two moved after college, and left her nonprofit job to work in catering for her boyfriend’s family. Colleen got married, moved to the Chicago suburbs, and started having kids.

But when Renee’s life is suddenly uprooted, she shows up on Colleen’s doorstep with little more than a broken heart and an overnight bag. She envies Colleen, who has it all—a loving husband, three adorable kids, and the ability to stay home to take care of them. She has no idea that Colleen is facing her own struggles. As a SAHM (Stay-at-Home Mom), she’s always aware that she has the most important job in the world, even if it offers no sick days, no vacation time, and no pay. So why does she feel so isolated and alone, even when she’s surrounded by fellow SAHMs who all seem to be perfectly happy?

Wh.. (Read more) Renee and Colleen have been friends—best friends—since they were college roommates their freshman year. But a lot happens between college and your early 30s. Renee stayed in St. Louis, where the two moved after college, and left her nonprofit job to work in catering for her boyfriend’s family. Colleen got married, moved to the Chicago suburbs, and started having kids.

But when Renee’s life is suddenly uprooted, she shows up on Colleen’s doorstep with little more than a broken heart and an overnight bag. She envies Colleen, who has it all—a loving husband, three adorable kids, and the ability to stay home to take care of them. She has no idea that Colleen is facing her own struggles. As a SAHM (Stay-at-Home Mom), she’s always aware that she has the most important job in the world, even if it offers no sick days, no vacation time, and no pay. So why does she feel so isolated and alone, even when she’s surrounded by fellow SAHMs who all seem to be perfectly happy?

When Renee and Colleen were in college, they made a pact. No matter what happened, they would always be honest with each other, even if the truth hurt. But it’s all but impossible to be honest with anyone all of the time—even, or especially, with yourself. In Kelly James-Enger’s latest novel, The Honesty Index, these two friends try to navigate the waters of their 30-something lives—and learn that regardless of what kind of life you have, it’s up to you to make yourself happy.

Kelly James-Enger is an author and ghostwriter who lives in a Chicago suburb very much like the one described in this book. She shares her home with one husband, one son, one daughter, and one golden retriever. Author of more than a dozen published nonfiction books, The Honesty Index is her third novel. Her first two novels, Did you Get the Vibe?, and White Bikini Panties, are currently available as e-books.
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Tags

friendship, happiness, motherhood, suburbs, heartbreak, contemporary womens fiction, stayathome mom, fiction about women

Available ebook reading formats

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Plain Text (download) (flexible, but lacks much formatting)	Buy	No sample available
Plain Text (view) (viewable as web page)	Buy	No sample available

Reviews

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Review by: Barry Fink on April 18, 2012 :
Kelly James-Enger has a touch rarely seen in authors; namely, the ability to create characters in her fiction that act and feel like real people we may meet and know in our lives. Fortunately, she has found the time to return to her fiction and write a third novel, The Honesty Index, which contains two such characters. In some ways, it is a continuation of a theme the author first demonstrated in her first novel, Did You Get The Vibe?, tracing two friends' lives and interactions, in alternating chapters. Only now the heroines, Colleen and Renee, are in their 30s, and in the case of Colleen mother of three. The life situations they find themselves in are not unusual- Renee has returned to Chicago when a long term relationship she had been in ends, landing at the door of her best friend from college. Colleen, that friend, on the surface has it all- good husband, three healthy and active children, only she is feeling a bit suffocated by her life revolving almost totally around her kids. Renee, herself with no attachments at the beginning of the novel, is on the rebound from her failed relationship. They try to be there for each other, although sometimes they are not quite speaking the same language. In that setting, Kelly James-Enger goes to work, tracing their lives and relationships through the months following their being reconnected. The book is at times funny, at times a bit sad, and through it all and overall, recognizable, touching and true. It shows Colleen and Renee coping and learning how life is different, and more complicated, for thirty somethings than for college students. As with all her novels, the characters are not stereotypes, but real people managing their lives in the suburban Midwest. Colleen and Renee learn, and grow, through ordinary events, from which they both do learn life lessons- Renee how to believe more in herself, and Colleen how to assert her individuality in her busy, child-centric life. Colleen and Renee feel so real that when the novel ends, I found myself wondering what happens to them, a tremendous tribute to the author's skills. I hope this and other reviews convince people to read Kelly James-Enger's fiction. The title theme is all about honesty, even when painful; fortunately, the brutal truth here is that this is a fine book, set in the modern day, grappling with familiar challenges, and leaving the reader with some universal truths. Let's hope the book sells well, and the busy author continues to make time to express her talents in her fiction.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

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