Book Review: I Liked My Life

This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

“A heartbreaking and ultimately heartwarming read about life, death, and family.” ― PopSugar

A story from debut author Abby Fabiaschi that is “as absorbing as it is illuminating, and as witty as it is heartbreaking.”

Maddy is a devoted stay-at-home wife and mother, host of excellent parties, giver of thoughtful gifts, and the bestower of a searingly perceptive piece of advice or two. She is the cornerstone of her family, a true matriarch…until she commits suicide, leaving her husband Brady and teenage daughter Eve heartbroken and reeling, wondering what happened.

How could the exuberant, exacting woman they loved to disappear so abruptly, seemingly without reason, from their lives? How can they possibly continue without her? As they sift through details of her last days, trying to understand the woman they thought they knew, Brady and Eve are forced to come to terms with unsettling truths.

Maddy, however, isn’t ready to leave her family forever. Watching from beyond, she tries to find the perfect replacement for herself. Along comes Rory: pretty, caring, and spontaneous, with just the right bit of edge…but who also harbors a tragedy of her own. Will the mystery of Maddy ever come to rest? And can her family make peace with their history and begin to heal?

Book Summary:

Maddy was a stay-at-home wife to Brady and mother to Eve. She was the glue that held her family together.

So why would she commit suicide by jumping off a building?

Brady and Eve are reeling from their loss. They continue searching for answers about why Maddy left them.

Do you ever really know another person? Even if you live with them and see them every day? Sometimes you don’t.

Maddy isn’t gone yet. She is watching over them. Maddy sees that Brady and Eve desperately need help. She feels that she can’t move on until she finds her replacement.

She chooses Rory. Rory is a pretty, perky, caring, and loving person, taking loving care of her dying mother. She is obviously compassionate and kind. She has the qualities that Maddy wants for her family.

Maddy must somehow maneuver Rory into their lives in a subtle fashion.

Maddy is being pulled farther and farther away from her family every day. She doesn’t have much time to right things for them so she can be at peace.

My Review:

I find it amazing that this writer is a first-time novelist. She wrote a very compelling novel that I loved reading. Her characters are well-formed and defined.

The message I got from reading this book is that no one knows what is coming tomorrow. You will never have everything done that you want to do. You’ll never be ready and have your family prepared for your loss.

Furthermore, you have to live each day as though it is your last. In case it is.

I hope this writer writes more books because I will be standing in line to read them.

You will be surprised by the ending of this excellent book.

About The Author:

Abby is a human rights advocate interested in economic solutions to social/cultural problems.

In 2017, she co-founded Empower Her Network. This organization paves a path for survivors of human trafficking with a will for independence by breaking down housing barriers, financing education, and uncovering employment opportunities.

When her children turned three and four, she resigned from her post as a high-tech executive to pursue writing.

I Liked My Life (St. Martin’s Press) is her debut novel.

She and her family divide their time between West Hartford, Connecticut, and Park City, Utah. When not writing or watching the comedy show that is her children, she enjoys reading across genres, skiing, and hiking.