Book Review: This Time Could Be Different, by Khristin Wierman

Guest review by Becki Bayley

Madeline’s feet pounded along the dirt path as Green Day’s “Horseshoes and Handgrenades” roared in her ears. She’d started running along this trail a few weeks before. But today she wasn’t paying attention to the sunlight cascading through the dark trees or the smell of fresh leaves.

“I think you might also want to examine how anger fits into your stories,” Olivia had said cryptically after they’d made no progress on Madeline’s issues with having what she wanted. Madeline had felt herself stiffen. “Anger can be scary.”

Madeline’s body tightened even more. “I’m not afraid of it.”

“Were you allowed to safely express anger as a child?” Madeline studied the sandbox. “Anger is information. Usually, to alert you that someone is invading your space somehow, forcing a story onto you that’s in opposition to who you really are.” Olivia seemed to pause to let that sink in. “When we’re allowed to express anger – when it’s allowed to move and we’re able to keep our story, our boundaries intact – the anger sails away, leaving us feeling lighter. When it’s trapped, it festers. And flares up at the smallest things.” Madeline continued to stare at the sand.

Madeline is truly exploring what she wants from her life, but Emma is also learning where she wants to be and what she’s willing to do to get there. 

Official synopsis:

A compulsive overachiever, Madeline lives by the credo that easy is synonymous with mediocre—which is why, at forty-nine, she’s a senior vice president at a prominent bank, frantically adheres to a five-step nightly face cream regimen, and panics anytime she’s a foot away from her phone. Madeline works alongside her best friend, Emma—a master juggler of her own career, marriage, and motherhood to a fourteen-year-old daughter who speaks only in baffling acronyms. The path ahead for both women is brimming with opportunity. There’s only one problem: Madeline is miserable.

Seeking purpose in her life while trying to unravel the source of habits she wants to change, Madeline reluctantly agrees to try yoga, meditation, and other wacky suggestions her new-agey therapist tosses her way. She feels as if she’s risking everything—but in doing so, she just might unlock a world more fulfilling than she ever could have imagined.

Madeline is admirably practical. She is the girl boss who is getting stuff DONE. And then she meets Rob, and he shows her she could be happy. Being as practical as she is, she recognizes that she does not know how to be happy in a relationship, and she enters therapy with Olivia. Best. Choice. Ever.

Emma has navigated both her career and a personal life. While working with Madeline for quite a while, she’s also gotten married and had a child. Now she strives to be a good mother, and still have a competitive career. As Madeline’s best friend, she thinks she has a better handle on her faults, but also wants her to be happy.

Olivia offers Madeline excellent (well, EXPERT) advice about reviewing her past, and rewriting the stories that set her expectations of life. Madeline is an excellent pupil and views therapy as something else to be successful at. 

The story could almost have been a memoir instead of fiction, and it was easy to imagine parts of the characters as recognizable people. The book earned 5 out of 5 stars. Even without Madeline’s traumatic past, her therapist’s advice seems like the sort that could improve anyone’s life. This engaging contemporary story is recommended for women (especially) who enjoy self-help stories, career vs family stories, and mostly happy endings. 

{click here to purchase via my Amazon Affiliates link}

Becki Bayley is a Gemini who enjoys crisp fall days, feeling the sun on her skin, and sleeping without an alarm waking her in the morning. Her dream job is not to need a job. Check out what she and her family are up to on her blog, SweetlyBSquared.com.