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Summary
Summary
When Layla Brennan married her high school sweetheart, Brett Foster, she finally got the big, loving family she'd always wanted: his. Now she's closer to Brett's parents than he is, partners with his sister in a successful pet-photography business, and confidant to his younger brother. She couldn't be more of a Foster if she'd been born one. There's just one problem: Brett wants a divorce. Stunned and heartbroken, Layla turns to the Fosters for comfort, only to realize that losing Brett means losing them as well. What else can she do but sue him for the most valuable thing he's got-namely, his family. Breaking up may be hard to do, but for Layla and Brett it's even harder to undo.
Fresh, funny, poignant, and brimming with insight into what makes modern families tick-and what can blow them apart- Family Affair proves that in love and war, everything's relative.
Author Notes
Caprice Crane is the author of the novels Stupid and Contagious and Forget About It --both winners of Romantic Times awards. She divides her time between Los Angeles, where she wrote for the TV show 90210, and New York City. She's at work on her fourth novel.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
In Crane's hilarious third relationship soap (after Forget About It), a divorcing couple fights for custody, not of a child or a pet but of an entire family. Layla and Brett Foster became high school sweethearts after her mother died and her musician father abandoned her in the care of Brett's parents. Their subsequent marriage appeared rock solid, but now, on the verge of 30, still immature Brett is a college football coach who begins thinking the thrill is gone. Somewhat clueless Layla is a pet photographer and co-owner of TLC Paw Prints with sister-in-law Trish, and just when Layla brings up the possibility of having kids, Brett blurts out his desire to divorce. In the ensuing domestic battle royale, Brett's family become Layla's fierce allies, and Brett turns jealous and furious when Layla files a countersuit for joint custody of Brett's family. Watching this exceedingly unconventional family duke it out and grow up is truly delightful. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Coming-of-age comedy meets Gen Y love story in this tale of a rough patch in a young marriage, made worse by the wife's extremely close connection to his family. Together since high school, pretty Layla and hunky Brett Foster have what many would consider an enviable life. She's a cheerful fixture at all his football games (he coaches a winning college team) and loves his close-knit family as if it were her own. In many ways it is. When Layla's mother passed away during her teens, Brett's family took her in, giving her the support her absentee dad wasn't capable of. She plays poker with Brett's dad Bill; offers dating advice to his socially awkward bother Scott; and has a pet photography business with his acerbic lesbian sister Trish. But on the cusp of turning 30, Brett starts to see Layla's tightness with his clan as a hindrance rather than an asset; he feels left out, not to mention confused by a wife who acts kind of like a sister. In a turn of events that shocks everyone, he asks for a divorce and moves out. Stunned, devastated and possibly in denial, Layla turns to the Fosters for support, in effect pitting Brett's own family against him. What follows is a no-holds-barred game of one-upsmanship between the estranged couple, including a "custody agreement" giving her alternative weekends with the Fosters. Brett starts dating an attractive new colleague and tracks down Layla's long-lost dad, a failed rock star she barely remembers. Crane (Forget About It, 2007, etc.) gamely depicts the real-life pitfalls of a committed relationship. Immature behavior on both sides leads to some serious soul-searching, including Layla's realization that she might be just a tad too cozy with her in-laws. Has some biting moments, but Brett and Layla's often silly problems don't always make for compelling conflict. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.