PBG Book Club: Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

I am currently reading Belong to Me by Marisa de Santos.  It was a great find by my mother in her office book exchange.  Even though I haven't finished this book I highly recommend it to any 30-something women out there who are on the verge of starting a family. 

A Quick Summary
Cornelia Brown a born and raised city girl moves to the suburbs with her husband Teo, the very handsome doctor. She is quickly tested by her very stereotypical, overly judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt—the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she'd find in suburbia. Thankfully Conelia quickly bonds with another new addition to the neighbourhood, Lake and her son Dev.  However, time son shows us who Cornelia's real friends are.

My Take on It
This book (so far!) has been fantastic.  I can totally relate to the main character, Cornelia.  I envision her to be about the same age as me, and while I am not married to a hunky doctor (although I am living in sin with a hot to trot budding Ironman instead) I can relate to where she is in her life and her expectations of her future.  I can also relate to her need to have strong female relationships.  Having moved back to my home town after living in Toronto for 9 years I struggle to establish strong female friendships.  Cornelia's run-ins with Piper are classic - you just cringe when she enters the scene. 

I do not usually read these kinds of books but for some reason as soon as I picked up this book I was hooked.  I am about 2/3rds of the way through the book and the most recent twist is riveting.  Marisa de los Santos has a style that is easy to read and draws you in.  Unlike so many characters in modern writing, her characters are easy to relate to.  You can see yourself in them, and that makes for a story you can relate to.