Book Review: The Goddesses

The Goddesses

by: Swan Huntley

Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Finished on: July 25, 2017
Publisher: Doubleday Books

Thank you to Doubleday Books, who sent me a finished copy of this book for review prior to it's release!

"...yes, I am a housewife and yes, my life is small and yes, sometimes boring.  But then maybe my boring life was a miracle."

Synopsis:
Nancy moves with her husband and twin teenaged boys to Hawaii.  She is a stay-at-home mom who wants to reinvent herself after her husband's recent infidelity.  Nancy decides to become a better person and to work on her happiness.  The Goddesses not only tells the story of Nancy's quest to forgive her husband, raise her children, but also her newfound female friendship with her yoga instructor, Ana.  Ana and Nancy immediately hit it off and start spending all of their time together. But as is the case with many relationships, the lies and manipulation start a course of events that may not be able to be stopped.

"Maybe it wasn't real  Maybe I didn't deserve to feel lighter.  And maybe it was selfish - doing this good thing to make myself feel better, to make myself better.  But, even if it was selfish and even if I didn't deserve to feel better, no one could argue that a person who did good deeds wasn't a good person, at least some of the time."

My review:
*First, let me know gush about how gorgeous this book is.  The cover is unique and beautiful, but there are also great artistic details within the book.  For me, this was perfect for a book set in the gorgeous location of Hawaii.  Of course, a beautiful book and a lush location help offset some of the ugliness of the characters.  Just because something looks perfect doesn't mean that it is!  This book tackles alcoholism, infidelity and murder while flawlessly immersing you in Nancy's life.
*I immediately related to Nancy.  While I honestly have little in common with the character (I'm not married, I don't have children, I have a successful career, etc), Swan Huntley was still able to create Nancy as a character that most women can relate to.  She is the woman we fear turning into.  As a woman in my early 30s, it was easy for me to picture my life turning out to be a version of Nancy's by the time I become middle-aged.  This is one of those train-wrecks that you just can't look away from because you ultimately feel that it could happen to you.
*The writing and the world-building in The Goddesses is great - I felt like I was living in Hawaii with Nancy and Ana.  It was so easy to picture yourself in the backseat while they are out on their karma adventures.
*The female friendship was superb.  I do not have a ton of close female friends, but every once in a while I click with someone I meet and fall fast.  I'm talking about the head-over-heels woman love that is completely platonic but takes total control of your life.  The person that you can't believe you hadn't met before and been best friends with since you were children.  Swan Huntley perfectly writes this kind of female friendship in this novel.  The type of bond that you would leave your regular life and family to spend just a little more time molding.

I adored this novel and finished it in 2 days over just a few sittings.  Overall, I rate this 4.5/5 stars.  The Goddesses tells the story of an all-encompasing but ultimately toxic female relationship.  I definitely classify this as women's fiction - I'm not sure that it would translate as well for male readers, but I would recommend this to my mother, my sister and my female co-workers.  It is a fun ride!