lets just pretend it never happened.

I read The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson while traveling on a train to NYC for labor day weekend. Between the way there, and back, I flew right through it. My boyfriend was sitting next to me and he asked me how the book was. I told him how much I was enjoying it, and then he (probably because he was bored) acted interested in what it was about.

"Well....I mean, it's interesting, but it's not like good in the way, that I want my life to be that way or anything, I mean, the main character had an affair and had a hard time getting over him, but the husband took her back, and okay I am explaining this really wrong. I just like the characters okay? The characters are interesting." Nice Jenilee, excellent explanation. NOT.

It seems whenever I am reading a book and my man-cub asks me what it's about, it always has to do with an affair, and I am always like, this book is SOOO good. And he's like um, okay? It's not like I want to have an affair, I just like the drama of it. I don't like reading about people getting hurt, but wild, passionate, WRONG sex - I don't mind living in that world for a little while.

The Stuff That Never Happened, is a story about an about-to-turn fifty housewife/children's book illustrator named Annabelle. Her and her husband, Grant got married when she was only twenty, after only knowing each other for a short period of time. They moved to New York City where Grant had a teaching job at Columbia waiting for him. It took a while for Annabelle to grow accustomed to being married to Grant. The book goes back and forth between the present time, and the time when the two first got married, and the troubles that followed. Annabelle's affair with a man that Grant really looked up to, someone the couple LIVED with. Yes, Annabelle and Grant lived with Jeremiah and Carly, a thirty-something couple with twin toddlers. Annabelle and Jeremiah fell in love, and had an ongoing affair for over a year.

We know that Grant and Annabelle end up together, so what happens? And what happens when Annabelle goes back to New York to care for her bedridden pregnant daughter, Sophie? Does the past relive itself?

I'm not telling.

*FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK, E-MAIL YOUR NAME, ADDRESS AND THIS BOOK TITLE TO: jenileerose@yahoo.com!