A Book Worth Reading: Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

I was so excited when Areli told me that there was a sequal to Marisa de los Santos’s best seller Love Walked In.  I enjoyed the book so much and couldn’t wait to see what the next chapter of Cornelia and Teo’s life would hold.  Straight away I went to the library website and requested  Belong to Me.

This story is just as delightful and more intriguing than the first book.  The three storylines that begin the book seem so separate – yet you know they are going to intertwine as the story unfolds… and boy, do they!  Cornelia, the spunky protagonist has moved with her physician husband to the suburbs.  She’s hoping to conceive a baby and is trying to embrace life in the suburbs, amongst crazy trophy wives and soccer moms.

Piper is the leader of the pack of perfectionist women in the community.  She’s starting to unravel as her best friend slowly looses her battle with cancer, leaving Piper to mother Elizabeth’s two kids in addition to her own two.  It’s an interesting position for readers – you can’t decide whether you like Piper’s character or not.

This story deals with the quiet moments and intimate details of normal life.  You see women, men, and children form families in unlikely circumstances and learn to love one another.  It’s real and heart wrenching at times.  Santos is a poet and her writing is beautiful and lyrical.