The Girls Of Mischief Bay

By Susan Mallery

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery comes a brand-new Mischief Bay series, bringing to vivid colour to the story of three friends on the brink of a new life.

Nicole Lord wants to be a good wife, but there's a difference between being supportive and supporting her husband, who quit his job to write a screenplay she's never seen. He won't even help take care of their son, leaving Nicole to run the house and work full-time at her Mischief Bay Pilates studio. Can she say enough is enough without losing the man she loves?

Sacrificing a personal life for her career is how Shannon Rigg rose to become vice president in her firm, but she wonders now whether she made the right choice. An exciting new relationship with a great guy convinces her that it might not be too late — until he drops a bombshell that has her questioning whether she can have it all. And if she can, does she want it?

Although Pam Eiland has a beautiful house and a husband she adores, she feels...restless. She wonders who a stay-at-home mom becomes after the kids are grown. Finding sexy new ways to surprise her husband brings the heat and the humour back to their marriage, but when unexpected change turns her life upside down, she'll have to redefine herself. Again.

Through romance and heartbreak, laughter and tears, three very different women will discover that friends can become family, and that life is richer with sisters at your side.

"An engrossing tale of emotional growth and the healing power of friendship." — Library Journal on Three Sisters

"A well-written story of healing, letting go, and making room in your heart for hope." — USA TODAY on Barefoot Season

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Mar 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9780857996077

Susan Mallery

#1 NYT bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives—family, friendship, romance. She's known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages.Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur. Visit her at SusanMallery.com.

Reviews for The Girls Of Mischief Bay

[mrsmommybooknerd7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5 starsThis is one of one of the first books I have read by Mallery. I was excited when the book arrived and it was the first in a series. I am not somebody that can start in the middle of a series and I often don't have time to start from the beginning of a series and get caught up (even if I really want to). So this was a treat I was so excited for! I have to say that Mallery has a way to make you feel the characters. I was crying, laughing and was so moved by the women within the pages. There is a compelling and thought provoking story that Mallery writes so brilliantly that you cannot help but get emotionally invested in the characters. I cannot wait to see where this series will take us, but one thing I know is that I need to bring my tissues with me!!!! 4.5 stars

[pennykaplan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Three women each at a different place in life are joined by their gym membership. One becomes a widow, one gets divorced, and one get married. Entertaining drivel!

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Girls of Mischief Bay is the first book in a new series by Susan Mallery. It features three women Nicole, Shannon and Pam. They are great friends despite their age differences and they each have problems that get discussed but not totally solved in this book. The author did a very good job of making her characters and situations very real and the women all felt like people you could sit down and have a cup of coffee with. I look forward to future books in this series - just hope we don't have to wait too long!

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good story about love and friendship. Nicole, Shannon and Pam are all friends who met through Nicole's exercise business. Each one is at a different stage in life. Nicole is a thirty year old fitness instructor with a husband and a four year old son. Shannon is a single woman, forty years old, with a successful career. Pam is a fifty year old, stay at home mom, with a husband and three grown children. Each of them is about to experience some major changes in their lives and it's their friendship that helps them get through.Nicole arrived home one day to find that her husband Eric had quit his job to devote himself to writing a screenplay. While he spends his time surfing, writing and going to meetings, she is left running her business, paying the bills, and taking care of their son and the house. I thought Eric was a selfish SOB, concentrating on what he wants and whining about her lack of support for his dreams when all she wanted was a little help from him. I understood her frustration. When the unbelievable happens, Eric changes even more, leaving her wondering what will happen to their marriage. I liked the realism of her life, from trying to figure out how to fit everything she needs to do into her day, to her reactions to her son's current obsession with a cartoon character. I ached for her when it seemed that all her efforts weren't enough for Eric.Shannon has made her career the focus of her life, but now she's ready for something more. She has dated some, but each relationship crashes when the man can't handle the demands of her career. She meets a terrific new guy with whom she has a lot in common. Having a demanding career himself, he understands hers. I really liked Adam. He's a sensitive guy who owns up to the mistakes he made in his previous marriage and is determined not to make the same ones in his new relationship. Shannon is falling hard for him, and for his two kids, and starts dreaming of building a family with him. But not everything goes smoothly. First he drops a bombshell that puts a kink in her hopes for that family. Then, an issue arising from his daughter's birthday party puts additional strain on the relationship. Shannon worries that it's the end of her dreams. I admit that I really wanted to shake him and make him see that he was being manipulated by his kid, and I was definitely pleased when the truth came out and he realized what an ass he'd been.Pam was the oldest of the group. She has a happy marriage and three great kids. But she's suddenly feeling her age and that things may have gotten a bit too comfortable and predictable in her marriage. She takes steps to liven things up. It was great fun to read about their weekend away and how it turned out to be something that neither expected. I loved seeing their happiness, which made what happened next even more of a shock. I ached for her as she tried to deal with the pain and sorrow. I was especially worried about her with some of the decisions she was making, and loved seeing her make some new friends. The last day of her cruise was especially emotional.The entire story was full of both fun and deeply emotional moments. Each of the ladies was someone I could relate to in one way or another. All of them are going through struggles and discover that they are easier to deal with when you have good friends backing you up. And sometimes, helping your friends with their troubles can point out the way to get through your own.

[bette_hansen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an awesome read. A beautiful story of three strong women dealing with life and realizing that through good times and bad, true friends make everything better. The writing is of course fantastic and the characters are some that will find a place to stay in your heart. I highly recommend this one.

[ethel55_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's great to start a new series along with the author. Mischief Bay is tucked along the coast of California, not too far away from Los Angeles. It's big enough to support housing developments and a yoga studio, which is where the three heroines who star in this book met each other. Pam, Nicole and Shannon became friends as dedicated attendees of classes at Nicole's yoga studio. I liked the realistic way in which these friendships continued to grow, both giving support and space when needed. The groundwork seems laid for a wonderful series about this town. I enjoyed meeting several characters who will no doubt get their chance to shine in subsequent stories. I haven't read a lot of Susan Mallery's titles, but I think there will be time before the next Mischief Bay book to catch up on her other series.

[mchwest · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book and hope this won't be the last we here of these woman. It was a different tale with different story lines and endings! Read Susan Mallery for a nice get away from every day life!

[busyreadin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Charming story with great characters. Just the right mix of drama and sadness.

[jbarr5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The girls of Mischief Bay by Susan MalleryHave read other works by the author and have enjoyed the books.Nicole ran a Pilates workout studio for women. She also had to tend to a lot of the house chores where she found her husband, Eric was lacking in that department. He had quit his job to write a screenplay and to surf.Pam is obsessed with her dog, LuLu and she has her days to herself. She's 50 and her children are grown and successful and left the house with her husband John. He is a contractor.Shannon is the CFO of a company and is dating via online sites. As it was only the two women for the class they decided to just go to lunch instead...they know each other and are comfortable.At times it's confusing about which of the 3 women the narrator is talking about.Lots of drama and life events that occur and how they deal with them. Like the idea of the wheelbarrels!I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device).

[mlake_22 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a fun fast read. Perfect for reading before bed and when I wake in the middle of the night. Looking forward to the next in the series.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this day and age, it's easy to say you have a million friends. Just look at your Facebook account and the number of people who ostensibly want to follow along in your life. But most of these people are more properly acquaintances or just casual friends. And that's okay. But deep down, true friends are gold. And they are much rarer. They don't need Facebook to know what is going on in your life because they are already there for you for all of the good and the bad. The three women in Susan Mallery's newest novel, The Girls of Mischief Bay, have this kind of friendship. Nicole, Shannon, and Pam are very different women. They met when the latter two started taking classes at Nicole's Pilates studio and as the most dedicated and regular of all Nicole's clients, they've forged a friendship that goes well beyond their fitness class. Shannon and Pam are trying their hardest to support Nicole through a difficult time in her marriage. Her husband Eric decided to quit his job and follow his dream to write a screenplay, leaving Nicole not only the sole breadwinner for the family but still the one in charge of all the housework and childcare for their young son. Nicole is doing her best to support him but the increasing emotional distance between them, the lack of communication or sharing, and her flat out exhaustion are taking their toll. Shannon is approaching 40 and she looks at Nicole, even in the midst of an imperfect marriage, and at Pam, who is married to John, the love of her life and has raised a family with him, and she wonders if she was right in sacrificing a personal life for her very successful career. When she meets Adam, the perfect guy, thoughtful and not intimidated by her intelligence and success, she starts to think that maybe she can have it all. Pam, the oldest of the trio, has a good life but her marriage has become routine and she decides to find a way to jazz it back up, especially now that her daughter is expecting a baby and Pam is struggling a bit with the idea of becoming a grandmother and with aging. From these apparent minor issues, each of the women will have a major bombshell explode in her life, causing them to turn to each other and the genuine, caring friendship that they have created together, as they face the new directions their lives must now go. This is the first in a new series of women's fiction, set in an imagined small coastal California town not too far from Los Angeles. In building the setting, Mallery has added in a few too many unnecessary details, like the names of the restaurants the women have lunch at or where they get their lattes. These things might be pertinent in later books but they jump out to the reader as just a touch too much here. She does a good job building complete and realistic characters though, as each of the women are unique and believable, as are their situations and the choices they face. The support they offer to one another feels right and certain scenes are completely spot on in their emotional depth as each of the women faces grief over the loss of the life she thought she was going to lead. The narration is third person but it shifts focus from one character to the next, sometimes from paragraph to paragraph giving the story a bit of a choppy feel. The latter part of the book focuses mainly on Pam and the sudden, unexpected way in which her life changes. This focus makes it easiest to identify with her as a character. While Shannon and Nicole are also blindsided by things in their lives, the depth of exploration of these blows is much more shallow than in Pam's case. The novel looks like a light read but in fact it is a serious and oftentimes depressing tale with only the women's friendship offering any hope and light. Mallery's legion of fans will likely adore this as it is very much stamped with her aesthetic, even if it is not a traditional romance and leaves a few threads untied for future books in the series.

[lauigl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Girls of Mischief Bay is about three women who became friends while attending yoga classes at the yoga studio that one of the women owns. Since there is approximately a ten year age difference between each woman, they are at different stages in their lives and dealing with various challenges incidental to their particular age group; some major and some fairly common, but nevertheless difficult. We learn how each woman responds to her particular plight, and how the friends rally together to support one another during each others’ times of distress. The process of working on their trials reveals their strengths, vulnerabilities and ultimately the outcomes of their situations. I absolutely LOVED this book!! I laughed, I cried and I stayed up nights eager to know what would happen next with Pam, Shannon and Nicole. I connected with Pam’s character, and I was inspired by the wisdom that she imparted to her friends. I have an inkling that Pam’s wise words possibly echoed Susan Mallery’s own treasures of knowledge and wisdom acquired over the years. That’s just my guess. The emotional parts of this book were so eloquently written I wish I could tear out the pages and read them over and over again. But I dare not destroy this precious book. Incredible writing. In conclusion, I liked everything about this book and I didn’t want it to end. When it was over I teared up and marveled at the perfect ending. I already ordered and received the next book in the series because I have to know how these ladies move forward with their lives. That’s how invested I’d become with these characters. Highly recommended.

[bonniemarjorie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nicole, Shannon and Pam are three friends that are thrown some unexpected curve balls in life with only their friendship to help keep them afloat. Nicole’s husband has quit his job unexpectedly to pursue his dream of being a screenwriter leaving her to care for their child, the household and still maintain her full time job. Shannon has dedicated her life to her career, sacrificing anything and everything especially romance, but when she goes on a blind date she finds herself rethinking her priorities. Pam has quite the perfect life but thinks her marriage could benefit from a little excitement, unfortunately her perfect life is thrown into an emotional upheaval when she’s forced to experience true loss.This is my first Susan Mallery book but I was most pleased with this heartwarming story. I don’t often read contemporary stories because I typically like to escape to a world unlike my own, but sometimes it’s comforting to read stories that you can truly understand and appreciate on a personal level. This was certainly one of those types. All three women managed to possess a certain characteristic that I could relate to despite the variation in ages among them. Nicole’s amount of responsibilities becoming a stressful burden on her, Shannon’s desire to connect with her new boyfriends family and the difficulty of being a step-parent and Pam’s struggle to stay strong in the face of adversity. It was at times a sad tale but in the end managed to become a truly inspiring story of perseverance and the true power of friendship.