Product Description

Everyone has secrets. Some we keep to protect ourselves, others we keep to protect those we love.

A devoted city dweller, Cornelia Brown surprised no one more than herself when she was gripped by the sudden, inescapable desire to leave urban life behind and head for an idyllic suburb. Though she knows she and her beloved husband, Teo, have made the right move, she approaches her new life with trepidation and struggles to forge friendships in her new home. Cornelia's mettle is quickly tested by judgmental neighbor Piper Truitt. Perfectly manicured, impeccably dressed, and possessing impossible standards, Piper is the embodiment of everything Cornelia feared she would find in suburbia. A saving grace soon appears in the form of Lake. Over a shared love of literature and old movies, Cornelia develops an instant bond with this warm yet elusive woman who has also recently arrived in town, ostensibly to send her perceptive and brilliant son, Dev, to a school for the gifted.

Marisa de los Santos's literary talents shine in the complex interactions she creates between these three women. She deftly explores the life-altering roller coaster of emotions Piper faces as she cares for two households, her own and that of her cancer-stricken best friend, Elizabeth. Skillfully, de los Santos creates an enigmatic and beguiling character in Lake, who draws Cornelia closer even as she harbors a shocking secret. And from the first page until the exhilarating conclusion, de los Santos engages readers with Cornelia, who, while trying to adapt to her new surroundings, must remain true to herself. As their individual stories unfold, the women become entangled in a web of trust, betrayal, love, and loss that challenges them in ways they never imagined, and that ultimately teaches them what it means for one human being to belong to another.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13815 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Released on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Cornelia Brown, heroine of de los Santos's bestselling Love Walked In, returns in a gracefully written if formulaic sophomore effort. Cornelia and her husband, Teo, move to suburban Philadelphia, where she finds it difficult to fit into the sorority-like atmosphere. Despite a bevy of domestic dramas (planning a family among them), Cornelia's first-person chapters are the quietest of the three points of view. Seemingly shallow and vicious, neighbor Piper shows her kinder side as she struggles through her best friend's fight against cancer. Though the extreme of Piper's two-facedness isn't convincing, her moments of sincerity invite genuine empathy. Cornelia also yields narrative time to Dev, a precocious teenager whose father is missing and whose mother develops a friendship with Cornelia. Dev's connection to the story is initially unclear, though he does grow close to Clare, a troubled teenager with an unconventional connection to Cornelia, and a late-breaking development grounds his role more firmly. Though each story line is a good read on its own, they don't always braid nicely, and while the predictable plot wanders into sappiness, the prose is polished and the suburban travails are familiar enough that fans of the women's fiction and higher-brow mommy lit will relate. (May)
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About the Author

An award-winning poet and bestselling author with a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing, Marisa de los Santos lives in Wilmington, Delaware, with her husband and children. She's the author of the bestseller Love Walked In.

From AudioFile
Cornelia Brown and her husband, Teo, introduced in LOVE WALKS IN, move to the suburbs to find a more relaxed lifestyle and start a family. As they settle in, they make friends, take the pettiness of others in stride, and stumble into the middle of important secrets, one of the biggest of which has Teo at the center. Julia Gibson is an easygoing storyteller who gives the impression of describing events in which she has had a direct part. She is sensitive to the emotion of the characters without overstating it. Her presentation of dialogue and her transition to narrative passages are smooth and well paced. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Customer Reviews

The flaws are forgiveable
A more-than-transparent bid to hit the jackpot on the book club circuit - pay dirt for any publishing house if they can just strike the right balance of mawkish sentiment and a contrived social issue, while aiming for the lowest common literary denominator. But despite the terribly pretentious title, de los Santos rips the facade off a dirty little secret of women's relationships, in which nurturance and caring become entangled with judgment, control, and the expectations and insecurities of other women. The emotionally awkward climax is forgivable in light of the adorable My-Girl-2 subplot that has a preternaturally intelligent teen loner on a search for his father when he meets a cute girl along the way.

Another beautiful story written by one of our best rising stars.
After reading Love Walked In I couldn't wait to refresh my love with the written words of De los Santos once more. Her character creation is on par with some of the greats in the industry and I must admit that the reappearance of Clare was a surprise (albeit a pleasant one) The book in most forms is a further extension of Teo and his wife Cornelia who left the bright lights of New York and moved to the more tranquil PA in an attempt to be closer to their upbringings (a quiet neighbor hood and white-picked fence) They both hope for the quiet life and make fitting in a top priority - until the character Piper crosses their path.

Piper in every meaning of the word is a conflicting character - the term love/hate fits in well with her. At first she appears to be the snobby neighbor bent on driving Cornelia crazy. That is, until her softer side is shone when we meet her critically ill friend Elizabeth with whom Piper acts as caretaker. Another character from the first book is Dev; most will remember this thirteen year old as the heart of her first book and once again plays the role. This young genius has the typical problems facing todays youth - a new school, a new town, and trying to fit in (which he does admirably)

Ms. De los Santos does a wonderful job bringing these complex characters together and forming a great plot driven story. This is a novel you don't want to miss and is a welcomed addition to any library. So treat yourself well and pick up this literary classic by one of the rising stars in literature.

Another book I just devoured this weekend was "Sirens" by Tin Geo: Sirens: A Novel A Novel highly recommend!

Smarter than most ChickLit ... but not as good as "Love Walked In"
I absolutely adored "Love Walked In" because it was a bit smarter than most Chick Lit. No, it was a LOT smarter than most chick lit. Marisa de los Santos is a beautifully talented writer. She has a way of stopping the dialogue so that you know why the character thinks/behaves the way she does. Plus, her stories have so much depth.

As I loved her first novel so much I was excited to read "Belong to Me", but it was a bit of a disappointment. It is still a beautifully written novel, however it seemed like de los Santos was trying to fit too much into one story.

I liked Piper's story and would have wanted to hear more about her life. There could have been a novel about Piper and Elizabeth's lives before Elizabeth got sick, and how Piper's life changed so dramatically after Elizabeth died.

There were some disconnects between the first novel and the second, specifically Ollie's relationship with Teo.

In summary, I did enjoy this book but it didn't quite meet my expectations. Still, I'll read her next novel!