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Reviewed by Courtnee Turner Hoyle for Readers' Favorite
Not Having It All is a romance that borders on women’s fiction, drama, and comedy. Jennie Ensor paints a picture of diverse characters suffering from paranoia in different ways and the effects it has on each of them. Bea Hudson is left alone with their unruly young daughter, Fran, after her husband, Kurt, leaves for several months on a business trip. After trying to balance the stress of maintaining the demands of her position while balancing her responsibilities at home, Bea leans on her long-time friend, Maddie, for support. Kurt worries that his wife’s relationship with Maddie has progressed beyond the bounds of friendship, and the actions of the characters domino into a funny conclusion. The story is written in the form of emails, journal entries, text messages, and therapy notes.
I didn’t develop a fondness for any of the characters, but it made Not Having It All more realistic. I liked the idea of tying in characters through emails and therapist's notes, as it told the story from multiple perspectives. It also gave a background to the characters without writing it outright in the first-person dialog. The story shows that everyone has their own conception of what they think will make them happy, but no one can have it all, as we are all flawed. The story has a healthy dose of drama, but it leads to some hilarious situations, especially during the climax of the book! I recommend Jennie Ensor’s story to mature readers who enjoy non-traditional romances and refreshingly unconventional storytelling methods.
