As Is by Rachel Michael Arends is a great summer beach read! As I absolutely love reality/decorating shows, the plot was very intriguing to me. Gwendolyn Golden and Armand Leopold have been the lifestyle couple in "So Perfect" - giving viewers a glance at their 'perfect life' with their decorating, cooking and styling tips with a catalog of their products, tv segments, and a beautiful house in Scenic, North Carolina. Turns out Gwen is really not a homemaking Martha Stewart diva but an insecure artist, their marriage is not real, and the whole premise is a scam. Gwen and Armand do love each other as best friends and Armand is the styling and decorating guru.
As their lives fall apart, Gwen is made into the scapegoat and returns home in disgrace to help with her ill father. As this book has many layers, we also meet Gwen's sister, an old boyfriend, and a fan who has decorating talent and is going through a divorce. Not one character has the "perfect life" and they learn to deal with life "As Is" and grow together through their struggles and heartaches.
As Is would be a great beach read and a good book club discussion book - I'll be recommending it to my book club! I'd give it 4 1/2 stars.
Publisher's description:
As Is
0.0 of 5
Gwendolyn Golden and Armand Leopold have been America's go-to couple for home decorating tips, letting cameras into their So Perfect house, their So Perfect life, their So Perfect marriage.
One problem: it’s all an act.
Actually, two problems: America just found out it’s all an act.
When a picture of Armand kissing another man hits the newsstands, everyone knows the jig is up. Both are evicted from their home and eviscerated by the press. While Armand deals with his very private life becoming very public, Gwen Golden returns home to Riveredge, a quiet town where her sick father, her angry sister, and the guy who got away still live.
After years of pretending, Gwen has to rebuild her life for real. But while turning a new house into a home, and starting the next chapter of her life will be tough, reconnecting with the man she once loved may prove to be the most difficult of all.
With humor and charm to burn, Rachel Michael Arends has written a beautiful novel of rekindled romance, home improvement, and how only the truth can really set you free.
One problem: it’s all an act.
Actually, two problems: America just found out it’s all an act.
When a picture of Armand kissing another man hits the newsstands, everyone knows the jig is up. Both are evicted from their home and eviscerated by the press. While Armand deals with his very private life becoming very public, Gwen Golden returns home to Riveredge, a quiet town where her sick father, her angry sister, and the guy who got away still live.
After years of pretending, Gwen has to rebuild her life for real. But while turning a new house into a home, and starting the next chapter of her life will be tough, reconnecting with the man she once loved may prove to be the most difficult of all.
With humor and charm to burn, Rachel Michael Arends has written a beautiful novel of rekindled romance, home improvement, and how only the truth can really set you free.
Paperback
Thanks so much for this review, Ann! If you do read As Is for book club, I'd be happy to electronically stop by to answer questions if you like. Thanks again! --Rachel
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