Review: Ilana's Wish by Annette Lyon

 

Ilana's Wish: A Newport Ladies Book Club Novel by Annette Lyon
Published: April 2014, Covenant Communications Inc, 224 pages

Description: On the surface, Ilana Goldstein leads an enviable life: a thriving career and a happy marriage to a handsome doctor. All that's missing is a baby, an emptiness that will surely be filled with time . . .
Then, in an instant, her life falls apart. Now, beneath Ilana's once flawless exterior hides a dark secret that may destroy the woman who seemed to have it all. Following a rapid succession of crushing trials, Ilana turns to prescription medications to take the edge off her agony both the ache of her body and the anguish of her soul. But when her desperation to dull the pain leads to the downward spiral of addiction, her friends in the Newport Ladies Book Club must do whatever it takes to save one of their own. Will Ilana's devastating losses bring about her own self-destruction, or will the loving determination of friends and family lend her the strength to overcome?

 

My Review: There's a lesson that I've been taught all of my life, but I've really been learning it lately--it's impossible to judge someone else; appearances can be deceiving. Ilana's life seems absolutely perfect! She has all anyone could ever want--except for a baby. When that dream falls apart, her life falls apart, too--at least on the inside. Her life seems perfect, even without a baby, yet she's dying inside, which leads me to the lesson: How can you really judge someone? We all have hard times and we all handle them differently, even in fiction. This story was yet another powerful example to me that things aren't always, if ever, as they seem.

Ilana is so lucky in that she has some great new friends! When her life reaches a very critical point, they're there for her. I've enjoyed learning about each member of this book club. They're all so unique and different, yet they have the common bond of reading. 

Ilana's story really helped me understand those who struggle with innocent addictions better. I was amazed at the thought processes that she went through and the lengths she went to cover herself. Very realistic, in my opinion. 

Content: no language; no violence; very mild romance; talk of drug use and side effects, but it's not recreational. I would consider it clean for an older reader!

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About the Author:
Annette Lyon is a Whitney Award winner, the recipient of Utah’s Best in State medal for fiction and the author of ten novels, a cookbook, and a grammar guide as well as over a hundred magazine articles. She’s part of the Timeless Romance Anthologies line of sweet romance stories, a senior editor at Precision Editing Group, and a cum laude graduate from BYU with a degree in English. When she’s not writing, editing, knitting, or eating chocolate, she can be found mothering and avoiding the spots on the kitchen floor.

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