Review: The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge

Title:		The Replacement Wife
Author:		Eileen Goudge
Publisher:		Open Road Media
Pub. Date:		3/27/2012
ISBN:		9781453225028
Pages:		482

Camille Hart, one of Manhattan’s most sought-after matchmakers, has survived more than her fair share of hardships. Her mother died when she was a young girl, leaving her and her sister with an absentee father. Now in her forties, she has already survived cancer once, though the battle revealed just how ill-equipped her husband Edward is to be a single parent. So when doctors tell Camille that her cancer is back—and this time it’s terminal—she decides to put her matchmaking expertise to the test for one final job. Seeking stability for her children and happiness for her husband, Camille sets out to find the perfect woman to replace her when she’s gone. 

But what happens when a dying wish becomes a case of “be careful what you wish for”? For Edward and Camille, the stunning conclusion arrives with one last twist of fate that no one saw coming. 

At once deeply felt and witty, The Replacement Wife is an unforgettable story of love and family, and a refreshing look at the unexpected paths that lead us to our own happy endings.

(Summary and cover via Goodreads)

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Camille Hart has a great job, great family, and really great husband. As a matchmaker, Camille gets to help people find as much love as she has found. Then one day, Camille discovers the cancer she thought she had beat is back with a vengeance. As Camille tries to make plans for the future, she realizes her husband is not ready to be a single father. Camille decides to use her matchmaking skills to find her own replacement, but this proves to be much more difficult in reality. Everyone's lives will be changed as Camille tries to deal with it all.

This was a very interesting book that gave me a lot to think about. Camille knows she is dying, and she really wants to make sure her family will be taken care of after she is gone. Naturally, her husband Edward resists this idea. However, a friend suggests to Edward that he humor Camille's wishes, he goes along for the ride. Camille soon finds that doing what you think is right can still be very hard, especially as you see something you love slipping away. I was left wondering what I would do in my situation. Would I want my husband to find someone new as quickly as possible? I'm not so sure. I think Camille vastly underestimated Edward's ability to take care of things (or hire someone who would). Of course, she did have her past experience from her previous battle with cancer to go on, but I still think things would have been different.

I was enjoying this book greatly up until a point. I don't want to give away any plot points, but there is one thing I cannot abide no matter what. I was greatly disappointed when this happened, and I could no longer like a character that I had felt a lot of admiration for. This really pulled me out of the story and just kind of made me angry. The ending was very sweet for what it was, but I was still unsatisfied. That was just me though. I think a lot of people will enjoy this more than me (and probably be way less judgmental than I am). I did appreciate how Camille handled things though. I thought she was a great character, and I found myself liking her even more in the end. I wouldn't consider this an easy read, but it is a very interesting one nonetheless.

Galley provided for review.