4.5 StarsWowza! Diane Chamberlain cannot write a bad book. She's a sure thing. So if you haven't yet discovered her, you really must. Pretending to Dance was heartfelt and full of family, secrets, compassion and anger. The relationship between father and daughter here was so, so special, it left me envious. Sigh....

Diane Chamberlain never fails to keep me turning the pages and staying up past my bedtime. Having read almost all of her books, I can safely say that Chamberlain is an author that can easily captivate her reading audience by producing quality storytelling. In Pretending to Dance, the story's protagonist is Molly Arnette, a thirty something San Diego lawyer, who, along with her husband is looking to adopt a baby and have an open adoption. Similar to many of DC's characters, Molly is haunted by h

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars! Judy Blume’s Forever & Johnny Depp need I say more……. Why I wanted to read this one……Diane Chamberlain is one of my favourite authors and I always like to pick up one of her novels to change up the pace between all the thrillers/suspense novels that I read.  I really like her writing style as it always flows so naturally, and her novels are always enjoyable, ingenious, easy to follow along, and engaging stories with relatable and loveable characters. Thoughts & w...

PRETENDING TO DANCE by Diane Chamberlain is a marvelous family drama full of love, secrets and betrayals that will totally transport you into the lives of her characters. Having read only “Necessary Lies”, which I loved, I was intrigued to read a review copy of her newest book, “Pretending to Dance”. And I was not disappointed. This was one emotional read, a combination of family drama, mystery, and secrets. Time stood still as I read this novel. Molly Arnette, a successful lawyer and her loving...

I always get a thrill when I pick up a Diane Chamberlain. I know that I am going to be totally transported into the lives of her characters and this read was no exception. Molly and Aiden are applying to adopt a baby and everything seems to be going smoothly with one exception. Aiden does not know that Molly has been lying to him all the time they have known each other about her family and now Molly is terrified that background checks will reveal the past and her unconventional upbringing. They

4.5 Stars THE DANCE BEGINS set the stage, and now we find out.........What REALLY happened on Morrison Ridge? The shocking and heartbreaking truth comes out as a fourteen year old Molly tells the story of the close and loving relationship with her disabled father and their unusual, complicated life on Morrison Ridge.As the narrative unfolds, and the secret family meetings begin without her, a naive Molly finds a "wild" new friend who introduces her to a cute older guy and educates her about th...

I have read several books but this author. What I like about reading books from this author is that I can usually find a connection with the characters. Which in this case, I did but I also was turned off by Moly. What I mean by this is that the teenage rebellion phase grew old quickly. I had no sympathy for Molly with her dysfunction family and the way she acted out as she found out the truth about her family. In fact, I kind of found Molly to be a spoiled brat. So thus the story felt longer th...

Pretending to Dance is a women's fiction novel written by Diane Chamberlain. This story is told from the past and present perspective of the main character: Molly. The revolving time frames work flawlessly as the reader witnesses how events in her adolescence follow her into adulthood like a shadow. Life seems to come full circle for Molly and she must address the secrets and lies associated with her past if she wants to move forward. Focal themes include coming of age, adoption, marriage, famil...

As this book starts out Aiden and Molly are living in San Diego, trying to adopt a child. The interview with the social worker is stressful for Molly because she is keeping secrets about her family. Secrets that when they came out cost her a chance at love before. Even though she feels guilty keeping secrets form her husband she believes she cannot afford to let them break free. From this opening the story goes back to Morrison Ridge North Carolina and fills in the story of Molly’s unusual famil...

Unfortunately , even though I have enjoyed a couple of Chamberlain's novels , especially Necessary Lies , this one just did not grab me . I liked the prequel much more than the novel . The story moves back and forth between Molly's life in San Diego as an adult and her teen age life in Morrison Ridge , NC. Way too much time was spent on her teenage years and while this is when the secrets of her past are divulged , the ones that she has kept from her husband , it was just too YA . I felt like I

I wish to thank Net Galley, St. Martin’s Press, and Ms. Chamberlain for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review.I am relatively new to Diane Chamberlain, only having read The Silent Sister, which I loved, and the prequel to this novel, The Dance Begins. After reading those, I jumped at the chance to obtain a review copy of her newest book. Pretending to Dance did not disappoint. The story is told by 14-year-old Molly alternating with chapters narrated by the same charac...

Simply amazing! I absolutely loved this book! This is definitely going on my favorites list, and it may be tied for best book of the year for me.The narration alternates between adult Molly and 14 year old Molly. I loved how well defined the teenage Molly was portrayed, and I adored the relationship she had with her father. In the end, I could relate to the main character, both as an adult and child, and I even feel closer to my own dad. I am extremely grateful to have received an arc of Pretend...

Obviously I am in the minority here but I didn't enjoy Pretending to Dance AT ALL. For the most part this book reminded me of a Judy Blume book, which I used to enjoy when I was a teenager, but now that I'm in my 30's? Not so much.I kept waiting for the book to get started, which it never did. I kept waiting for some likable characters, which I never found. I kept waiting for some kind of a point, which never happened. Instead I was subject to reading far too much about Molly's awkward and borin...

I have yet to pick up a Chamberlain book and be disappointed. Her stories are so touching. She manages to get the reader invested in the characters from the beginning and this novel was no exception. Besides great characters, the 1990s imaginary setting in Morrison Ridge, North Carolina was interesting. Would have loved growing up in a place like that. Pretending to Dance is worth the read with a message about love, forgiveness, growing up, and social issues. Plus, the author did a wonderful j...

Beautifully written story about family, secrets, and the fall-out from keeping these secrets hidden.Meet Molly-happily married, successful lawyer who has just started the process of looking to adopt a baby with her husband. While giving background information to the agency, Molly tells her first lie, saying her Mother is dead. What other lies will she have to tell about her family history, and why?The next chapter you meet 14 year old Molly. Living on the family compound, caught between that age...

A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Love the cover...E X T R A O R D I N A R Y ! Top 50 Books of 2015. "2015 Best emotionally driven exploration of family, lies, secrets & moral dilemma (MS)."Diane Chamberlain once again delivers a bittersweet, and compelling suspense page-turner, PRETENDING TO DANCE, hooking you from page one to the end. 5 Stars+ “Must Read” not to be missed! “Life may not be the party we hoped for, but whil...

2.5 Stars for Pretending to Dance (audiobook) by Diane Chamberlain read by Susan Bennett. I really enjoyed the Silent Sister but this story just didn’t work for me. I’m realizing that I prefer stories with one timeline. This jumping back and forth with characters at different points in history can be distracting and confusing if it’s not done really well. I’m really interested in stories about adoption, but even that story line wasn’t enough to sway me. I just didn’t like any of the main charact...

It’s a funny feeling - getting caught up in a story that I’m not totally enjoying, but still finding myself compelled enough to keep turning the pages. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the author’s writing style or even that the storyline was boring. I just found it to be incredibly odd. The half-truths and the family dynamics cast a strangeness over the entire story for me.The story follows Molly, a 38 year-old lawyer, who's on the verge of adopting a baby girl, but her past has sort of come back t...

First--Die hard Diane Chamberlain fans will disagree with me and LOve love love this book! that is ok! I have read almost all her books myself and they all get 3 to 5 stars (necessary lies was a favorite)Second--- Diane got teenage drama right! I did not like the self centered 14 year old Molly. Also I felt like I was an adult reading one of my Judy Blume books. Though the character Molly reads the Judy Blume book, forever to get pointers about sex, it felt very Young Adult. And that is ok to re...

This was a very emotional story and a really good read. I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because in the beginning I wanted the book to deal with the present. It goes back in forth between past and present of main character. And in the beginning I liked the present better than the past and felt it was wasting my time, but of course about half way through the book, the past became very intriguing. This is a love story of different kinds, of a marriage and of open adoptions and a parent with a se...