3.0

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Once an incredible country home for the Pearmain family, the Bridgewater House has now opened its doors as an apartment building for six different families. Beautifully redone, the Bridgewater House not only offers stately rooms, relics of the previous owner's history, a well stocked fishing lake, and an owner's association that never rests, but it also provides a community to those looking for somewhere to build a new life. THE HOUSE SHARE follows four of the new owners through trials and tribulations, and while it's marketed as "uplifting and funny", I found the storylines to be quite the opposite with themes of infidelity, alcoholism, divorce, spousal death, financial instability, and custody issues.

Marcie is a newlywed, struggling to fit her proud American personality into the rigid expectations of her (much older) husband. Struggling with infertility and the outright hostility of her new stepchildren, it's not surprising she turns to alternative means to get what she wants...

Louise has dutifully raised her three children (now unruly teenagers) and kept an immaculate home for her family as a stay-at-home mom, but after the unexpected news of her husband's infidelity she suddenly has to make it on her own as a single mother. Entering the workforce after over a decade, struggling to keep up with her children's teenage attitudes, all while dealing with her burgeoning feelings for her best friend means she may be well over her head...

Mollie, once an incredibly famous actress, is facing financial difficulties. Newly widowed and determined to be as tough as everyone thinks she is, Mollie struggles to accept the changes of her aging mind and her beloved husband's death-- especially since he keeps showing up...

Lord Roddy Pearmain, or just Roddy now, has just been released from rehab for his alcoholism. Determined to prove everyone (but mostly his stepfather and ex-wife) wrong, Roddy decides to turn over a new leaf and start anew. But when faced with the reality of his previous actions, he may just make desperate moves in order to see his children again...

Despite some pretty difficult formatting issues that made the perspective/time jumps sometimes difficult to follow (take this with a grain of salt, I'm unsure if this is a result from my edition), THE HOUSE SWAP was a heartfelt read about four people starting a new chapter in their lives.