What do readers think of Mating for Life by Marissa Stapley? Write your own review.

All of the women in this book have great expectations for the men in their lives and all are at first disappointed and even devastated by the reality of relationships. Marissa Stapley artfully weaves their lives together then rips them apart only to be darned together again. I loved following the lives of these women and how each one had to discover their own inner strength and beauty before they could have meaningful relationships with the men in their lives.

I really enjoyed this story - a bit slow at the start but after the first chapter it held my attention. The introduction for each chapter with a paragraph about an animal and their mating habits was a fun lead in to the woman in the chapter. Might be an interesting book club read.

This book is like sitting down and having a great conversation with a lifelong girlfriend. It encompasses all parts of women's lives and their relationships. This novel is guaranteed to make you laugh and cry, and have every other emotion in between. I loved it because of the relationships and the emotions, its characters and their stories. I felt like the author made me an active part of the story, not someone who was watching the action from a distance. I loved that the chapters wove the different characters into a tapestry made from their challenges and triumphs, and above all the love they have for each other. Stapley obviously loves to read with her references to books and the reading life. I also found interesting that at the beginning of each chapter, she included how different animals mate. It's a book that touched my heart and I will remember it for a long time.

This is an excellent book, characters are very realistic and have very real problems which anyone can relate to. Also, you get to learn the mating habits of various birds and animals which are similar to humans at times. A very worthwhile and easy read.

Okay, I admit. I was skeptical. Aging hippie and her daughters? It didn't sound like my usual cup of tea but I was wrong. This was a lovely book. The characters were engaging and finely drawn. They seemed like real people, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. I genuinely cared what happened to Helen, Fiona, Lianne and Ilsa and the secondary characters like Myra and Johnny. This would be an excellent book club novel with much to discuss about how the various women handled their personal relationships. Highly recommend.

Helen, capable and independent, and her three adult daughters meet every summer at their lake house. Each must do some soul searching regarding their romantic relationship. Warm and insightful, their stories are told in chapters that are almost complete unto themselves, until they come together determining what really matters in each of their lives and what mating for life means to them. Stapley begins each chapter with information about the mating habits of a species which is reflected in some way in the lives of her characters, who are entertaining, funny and perceptive.

If you like a good book about mothers and daughters trying to live as responsible adults after a crazy childhood with a free spirited mother who didn't live by traditional guidelines, then you'll enjoy this book. It took me awhile to really get into it but once I did I wanted to find out how each daughter turned out. I especially liked the way the author wrote - she didn't spell everything out for the reader. You have to read between the lines and make connections for yourself.

I wasn't sure I was in the mood for a "romancy" book, so I began Mating for Life with some skepticism but the well-developed characters soon won me over and I spent a warm and lovely day of my beach vacation in their company. There were enough plot twists to keep me interested and I particularly enjoyed the opening epigraphs of each chapter. A great summer book. I will look for more from this author.