This Side of Crazy by Kimmie Thomas

Publication date: September 15, 2010
Pages: 220
Format: Tradeback (e-book available)
Genre: General Fiction
My Rating:



Book Summary: Maxine Payne s poor self-esteem leads her to marry the first man that showed any interest in her. After five years of marriage and misery she has nothing to show for it. Her sham of a marriage is falling apart and her dream of having a child is fading away each day. To make matters worst, she discovers that the people in her life are not there to love and help her as she has always believed. She struggles to come to terms with her failing marriage and her sick mother as she watches her chance at a happy home with children slip away. Her two childhood girlfriends offer help and support but they have their own personal struggles. The old saying, what s done in the dark will eventually comes to light has never been more true. When tragedy strikes, Maxine will have to make the most important decision of her life. But will the lies and secrets her husband and friends harbor bring Maxine s life crashing down around her?



My Thoughts:  Any reader will fall in love with Maxine Payne and want to see her get her life straight and build the confidence that a woman needs. Her husband Doug, well frankly anyone who reads about him will want to just smack him.  He is an egotistical jerk and the absolute last thing that Maxine needs, so when she does finally walk out the door on him, you feel the relief right along with her. Thank goodness she doesn't even look back at him. We then get to go on Max's journey towards independence, learning who she is, taking care of her sick mom, and trying to juggle a man who is deeply interested in her, however she isn't sure she is ready for the plunge. She has two best friends since school age, Cyan and Cilly. We get to know each of them better in this story and what is going on in their lives.

When the book starts out, we meet someone whom is called Mistress. This is an interwoven plot in the book as we try to figure out who Mistress is. You know that it has to either be Cilly and Cyan who is living a secret life as a Mistress with a dungeon where she performs dominatrix type stuff on men.

One thing I found the most shocking in this book was the amount of infidelity in this book. Everyone was cheating on everyone, and I was a little shocked by this. However, this did help make the story. The book was very interesting and kept me wanting to read more. This is an easy read in a day type of book as we get swept away with Maxine. I highly recommend this book. The sexual scenes are a bit strong in this book, so if this isn't your cup of tea, you can always skim over those parts, but don't let it turn you away from this great story of courage for any woman.



**This book was provided to me by the publisher/author in return for my honest review.**