The Trophy Wives Club by Kristin Billerbeck
is introducing
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kristin Billerbeck was born in Redwood City, California. She went to San Jose State University and majored in Advertising, then worked at the Fairmont Hotel in PR, a small ad agency as an account exec, and then,
she was thrust into the exciting world of shopping mall marketing. She got married, had four kids, and started writing romance novels until she found her passion: Chick Lit. She is a CBA bestselling author and two-time winner of the ACFW Book of the Year. Featured in the New York Times and USA Today, Kristin has appeared on the Today Show for her pioneering role in Christian chick lit.
Split Ends: Sometimes the End is Really the Beginning (April 17, 2007)
She's Out of Control (Ashley Stockingdale Series #1) (Nov 13, 2007)
Calm, Cool & Adjusted (Spa Girls Series #3) (Oct 1, 2006)
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Haley Cutler is the consummate trophy wife. Perhaps "was" is the more accurate term. Haley married Prince Charming when she was only twenty years old – back in the day when highlights came from an afternoon at the beach, not three hours in the salon.
When Jay first turned his eye to Haley, she was putty in his slender, graceful hands. No one ever treated her like she was important, and on the arm of Jay Cutler, she became someone people listened to and admired. Unfortunately, after seven years of marriage, her Prince Charming seems to belong to the Henry the XIII line of royalty. When Haley loses Jay, she not only loses her husband, she loses her identity.
With her first independent decision, Haley leaves LA and moves home to Northern California. Feeling freedom just within her grasp, Haley learns that her settlement payments must go through one of Jay's financial advisors, Hamilton Lowe. Haley believes he's nothing more than a spy. And the feelings of distrust are mutual. Yet somehow, Hamilton finds himself handing over the monthly checks in person, and Haley can't deny that there's a kind of tenderness and protectiveness in Hamilton that she's never experienced in a man before.
But before Haley can even consider another relationship, she must learn to accept her inherent worth, and what it is to be loved for who she is, not what's on the outside.
My Review:
At first I have to admit that I was annoyed by the character Haley. I thought her bitterness and mouthiness was hard to take. I eventually came around to really caring about her and hoping she would heal from her divorce. In the end, even the bitterness couldn't take away her underlying loyalty and ability to care for others. The circumstances of her divorce are painful and ripped out her sense of self-worth. The marriage to someone who was emotionally unavailable also left her calloused and lonely. Her sharp tongue developed out of a coping mechanism to keep people from hurting her any more.
What I really like was the friends she makes in the church group. They pursued her with love and concern even when she pushed them away. We could all use friends like that. They prayed for her and pushed her to move on. They sought her out time and time again, even when she rejected them. What a powerful reminder of the beauty of God-given girlfriends!
The Trophy Wives Club was more and more captivating to me, the further I got invested in Haley and her choices. 
I give this book my "sunny day" rating for Billerbeck's daring to look at the pain of divorce without condoning it and for the women of the Trophy Wives Club and their kind of friendship that I wish there was more of.
I give this book my "sunny day" rating for Billerbeck's daring to look at the pain of divorce without condoning it and for the women of the Trophy Wives Club and their kind of friendship that I wish there was more of. Q & A with Kristin Billerbeck:
Does The Trophy Wives Club represent a departure in any way from your past books?
"It does and it doesn't. There's romance, humor and a fiesty heroine--which is normal for my books, but in this one, there are also some series issues: a neglectful husband, an emotionally battered wife, and the fear of the unknown."
How did you go about creating the character of Haley?
"I watched a husband take his wife for granted as though she were a potted plant, and I thought, what would happen when that wife wakes up to her life? What might happen if she never did wake up and her life crumbles around her? I thought about the type of wife who tries to do everything right, but still can't keep her marriage together, since it ultimately consists of two people."
Haley is able to draw strength she didn't know she had from the refreshing example of a group of independent, professional women friends. What made you decide to focus in this way on the importance of female friendship?
"Now that I'm older, I've watched marriages flourish, fail and flounder. One thing remains constat and that is your girlfriends. They will support you no matter what the situation is, and I wanted to pay homage to that.
