Book Review - Mad About You by Snead Moriarty

Amazon UK

Title: Mad About You

Author: Sinead Moriarty

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 8th May 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

Sinéad Moriarty's riveting novel, Mad About You, makes you stop and think about the importance of trust in relationships - how fragile it can be, how easily damaged, how hard to repair. Sinéad combines the storytelling genius of Jodi Picoult, and the compassion and humour of Marian Keyes, in a gripping story of contemporary marriage.

Emma and James Hamilton have weathered lots of storms in their ten-year marriage. From the heartbreak of infertility, to the craziness of then becoming parents to two babies in one year, to coping with James losing his job, somehow they have always worked as a team.

However, the pressure of moving for James's new job puts them under stress like never before. So when James starts getting texts from a stranger - texts that show startling insights into their lives - Emma is not sure what to think. She is far from home, isolated and before long finds herself questioning everything about their relationship.

Somehow she has to get a grip, but how can she do that when a stranger seems set on driving Emma out of her home and her marriage?

Emma and James have 2 adorable young children. Lara who is 3, and Yuri who is 4 and was adopted from a Russian Orphanage as he tells everyone. When James is offered the job at London Irish Rugby Club based in London, he has no choice but to uproot his family and they move from Ireland to London.

James starts working incredibly long hours, leaving Emma in charge of the children in a place she doesn't know, away from her main support network. It doesn't take long for Emma to get a new job, and amazingly she hires a perfect sounding child-minder, Claire, to look after the children while she is at work. 

Not long after James starts his new job, he starts receiving text messages insinuating he's having an affair, then Claire starts receiving completely inappropriate gifts. Before long it is clear that someone is stalking them, and that they want Claire out of the picture. 

Keep your eyes peeled for the scene when the first "present" arrives. Absolutely hilarious.

Emma's sister Babs is outspoken, opinionated and incredibly loveable and is responsible for most of the more light hearted moments in the book, in addition to the very adorable children.

Unfortunately it was under half way through, before I figured out (correctly for a change!), who was sending the texts and presents, which left me reading the second half of the book purely to see if I was right, and just how it would all resolve itself. 

Despite this, Mad About You is a very engaging story, one that did interest me from start to finish, partly due to the support characters. Yuri and Lara are two of the cutest children I've read about this year, and were very well written.