One Less Problem Without You. Beth Harbison

Published: St Martin's Press
Date: 26th July 2016
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 384
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Rating:
                   

Meet Prinny, Chelsea and Diana. Prinny is the owner of Cosmos, a shop that sells crystals, potions, candles, and hope. It’s also a place where no one turns down a little extra-special cocktail that can work as a romance potion or heal a broken heart. But Prinny is in love with her married lawyer and she’ll need nothing short of magic to forget about him.

Chelsea works as a living statue at tourist sites around Washington, DC. It's a thankless job, but it helps pay the rent. That, and her part-time job at Cosmos. As her dream of becoming a successful actress starts to seem more remote and the possibility of being a permanently struggling one seems more realistic, Chelsea begins to wonder: at one point do you give up on your dreams? And will love ever be in the cards for her?

Diana Tiesman is married to Leif, a charismatic man who isn’t faithful. But no matter how many times he lets her down, Diana just can't let him go. She knows the only way she can truly breakaway is if she leaves and goes where he will never think to follow. So she ends up at Cosmos with Leif’s stepsister, where she makes her homemade teas and tinctures as she figures out whether she'd rather be lonely alone than lonely in love.

One Less Problem Without You by Beth Harbison was the first book I have read by this author. I found the pages just turned themselves as I read it. It is the story really of three women, and one man.

Diana is married to Lief (the man!), however the cracks are well and truly there and as we meet them Diana has found she has had enough of his infidelity and abuse. She leaves him and turns to Prinny - his half sister, for help. Diana has a special gift that she has learned for mixing teas, all kinds of teas! I am not sure I'd take a cuppa from her if I was on the wrong side of her.

Prinny is someone who growing up put up with a lot from Lief, he went out of his way to be mean to her. Now with their Dad dead he resents her share of the money she received in the will and is forever threatening her and her business. Prinny has an ability to at times know what is going on for  another person - she has some psychic ability.

Chelsea, is an aspiring actress and in the meantime works part time at Prinny's shop, and makes a good fortune teller as well. For awhile it was a little difficult to see why she was in the story but as things transpired it was no accident.

Lief - pure evil or mad and insane? I certainly did not like him in any way. I know these kind of people exist, we see them on our TV screens every so often after some crime they have committed. So will it be Lief who commits the crime in this book? 

The book is a little dark, and I am not sure really that I agree with the choice of one of the women. Even though I know she was totally driven to it. Did she have the right? Did I read the book right?Would make a good book club discussion.