Book Review: The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr

The Unbreakables

Author: Lisa Barr

Genre: Adult Fiction – Women’s Fiction/Chick-Lit/Contemporary

Publication Date: 04 June 2019

Pages: 352

Publisher: HarperCollins

A delicious, sharp novel about a woman who jets off to France after her perfect marriage collapses, putting the broken pieces of herself back together while rediscovering her own joie de vivre—a lust for life, art, and steamy sex. 

The worst birthday ever might just be the gift of a lifetime…

It’s Sophie Bloom’s forty-second birthday, and she’s ready for a night of celebration with Gabe, her longtime, devoted husband, and her two besties and their spouses. Dinner is served with a side of delicious gossip, including which North Grove residents were caught with their pants down on Ashley Madison after the secret on-line dating site for married and committed couples was hacked. Thirty-two million cheaters worldwide have been exposed…including Sophie’s “perfect” husband. To add insult to injury, she learns Gabe is the top cheater in their town. 

Humiliated and directionless, Sophie jumps into the unknown and flees to France to meet up with her teenage daughter who is studying abroad and nursing her own heartbreak. After a brief visit to Paris, Sophie heads out to the artist enclave of Saint-Paul-de-Vence. There, for the first time in a long time, Sophie acknowledges her own desires—not her husband’s, not her daughter’s—and rediscovers her essence with painful honesty and humor, reawakening both her sensuality and ambitions as a sculptor. 

As she sheds her past and travels the obstacle-filled off beaten path, Sophie Bloom is determined to blossom. Allowing her true self to emerge in the postcard beauty of Provence, Sophie must decide what is broken forever…and what it means to be truly unbreakable.

I was initially drawn to this book because it kept popping up all over bookstagram as a must-read for the summer. While I was a bit hesitant at first (since I hate being let down with over hyped books), I finally decided to take the plunge into The Unbreakables. Let’s just say, this one definitely lived up to the hype for me.

On the night of Sophie Bloom’s 42nd birthday, Sophie is surrounded by her husband Gabe and her two best friends, along with their husbands. The group of six have been inseparable since high school and college, so they have always been there for each other no matter the highs or lows.

During dinner, one of the husbands reveals that he accessed the Ashley Madison list, which contains the names of all the cheating men in their town. What was supposed to be a situation of innocent gossip turns into an utter nightmare when everyone sees that Sophie’s husband Gabe is one of the men on the list. And to make matters worse, he used the service for 43 separate transactions making him the top cheater of their town.

Sophie thinks things cannot possibly get any worse, but she learns that Gabe isn’t the only one who has been lying to her for years. When Sophie gets a distressed call from her daughter Ava (who is studying abroad in Paris) who has also just had her heart shattered through infidelity, Sophie gets on the next flight out to Paris. While in France, after putting Ava’s needs first (as she always does), Sophie decides to head to Provence where she decides to focus on reclaiming her life including her passion for sculpting and her sexual desires.

This new me is not going to depend on anyone – no more clinging monkeys.

Lisa Barr does an incredible job of being able to make you feel so many different emotions while reading Sophie’s story. There were several points where I was laughing then crying on the same page. Sophie is such an a relatable character. She’s broken, but she’s also fierce and determined to not waste what’s left of her life. She’s sick and tired of being everyone’s doormat. It’s time to put her needs and wants before everyone else’s.

Overall, I can’t recommend this book enough. This story of self-discovery and rebuilding is one that makes me even think about the decisions that I’ve made and the path that I’m on. No one wants to be a side character in their own story, and Barr does an incredible job of showing you what happens when you decides to take back control of your life.

Have you read The Unbreakables? Is it on your TBR? Let’s discuss!