The Ex Chronicles Book

Four The Hard Way,

I was drawn to THE EX CHRONICLES by the clever title. Four girlfriends, New York City, ex boyfriends, broken hearts, alcohol and you have the making of movies via the big screen as well as bookstores nationwide.

Precious caught her fiancé, Darius, in bed with another woman. It's only been three months and she's still harboring love as well as hate. In a moment of weakness, she finds herself back in bed with him. The comfort she was afforded by working from home is now gone as the internet porn industry is also affected by the recession. There are some major changes headed Precious' way, is this change she can believe in?

Bella grew up with a platinum spoon in her mouth. Privileged and self destructive make for an addictive personality as she overindulges in both alcohol and drugs. An only child, Bella has never had a normal family life. Accustomed to using and controlling people with her wealth, when she hits bottom she fears that there is no one to help her. Will she sober up and get her life together?

Zenobia is a working model who has also ventured out opening her own agency. Because of her dark skin, she's rarely able to book gigs, but she gave up her lucrative career for her boyfriend, Malcolm, who seems to only find ways to criticize and tear her down. With a new model, Zenobia believes she's finally found her diamond in the rough. Will she be able to expand her business while navigating her love life?

Hope has had a rough year. Her father died, her mom has dementia and Alzheimer. Add to that a stressful job as an editorial director of Shades magazine, and Hope can barely breathe. In the middle of a breakdown, she finds herself wrapped in Derrick's, her new driver, capable hands. When Derrick takes a chance to invite Hope into his world, she finally finds herself smiling. Can this be what she's needed all along?

Each woman goes through a series of past and present day events leaning on one another for moral support. Once happy, each woman has to learn to rid themselves of what is causing them pain and remove it from their life. Readable, the story is pretentious to a fault. It also isn't parallel as Hope's story appears to be consistent, yet Zenobia seems almost like it was tossed in at the end. I wasn't overly moved or impressed either way as this title is representative of the same retold stories: rich woman, poor man; rich socialite with a drug and alcohol problem; friends becoming lovers; and last but not least, the made over woman. The title boasts more than the story has to offer as everyone lives happily ever after.