The Accidental Mother (Paperback)

by Rowan Coleman (Author)
Key Phrases: fairy dress, Rowan Coleman, The Accldevttort Mother, The Accídevttort Mother (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Coleman makes her U.S. debut with a disarmingly sweet tale of motherhood and reluctant love. London party planner Sophie Mills becomes the improbable guardian of sisters 6-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Izzy after their single mom, Sophie's childhood best friend Carrie Stiles, dies in a car accident. Life suddenly gets very complicated and dirty for the hyper-organized career chick, and a panicked Sophie figures she'd better launch a search for the girls' long-missing dad before maternal mayhem wreaks havoc on her busy life. But once found, mysterious charity worker Louis Gregory triggers Sophie's own overwhelming sense of loss for her late dad and dead pal Carrie. And for the first time in her life, Sophie is forced to jump into the middle of life instead of planning it from a safe distance. Love isn't the instant fix for Sophie's fragile makeshift family, but Coleman shows how it can kick-start a lonely heart.
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From Booklist
Sophie Mills adores her shoe collection and her job as a corporate party planner in London. Her career is all-consuming, which is fine because she can never make a decision when it comes to men. Just when she is finally about to accept a lunch date, a social worker informs her that her best friend since grade school, Carrie, has died, naming Sophie guardian of her two daughters, six-year-old Bella and three-year-old Izzy. Reluctantly, Sophie agrees to take care of the children until their father, who left three years ago, can be located. How hard can it be to temporarily take care of two girls? And she did promise Carrie, even though she was drunk at the time. Sophie has a lot to learn about children, and by caring for Bella and Izzy, she discovers what it means to be connected to people rather than focused on her next promotion. British author Coleman creates witty and endearing characters and delivers an exceptional and touching read about loss and love. Engelmann, Patty

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Pocket (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416532706
• ISBN-13: 978-1416532705
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #97,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When Life Throws You for a Loop, November 11, 2007

By	Tamela Mccann "taminator1" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Sophie Mills has the "perfect" life---she's a successful event planner on the fast track for promotion, she's got a great flat, and her shoe collection is to die for. Everything is going along just fine until she receives word of the death of her best friend, Carrie, along with custody of Carrie's two young daughters, Bella and Izzy. Unprepared as she is, Sophie gamely agrees to watch the girls until their father can be located to return for them. What happens next is not only a comedy of errors, but a tender change of heart for all concerned as Sophie realizes that maybe her life isn't quite what she'd hoped for after all.

This little gem of a book is British chick-lit at its best; funny, irreverent, life-affirming, romantic. Sophie's upheaval is told believably and I particularly was glad that there was none of the "love at first sight" plotline. I loved how Sophie came to care for the girls and their father, and how she stopped putting herself first (though I found it reassuring that the author chose to periodically remind us that Sophie did, indeed, think of her own needs first, at least for a time). I would like to have seen how things worked out with the family, and whether or not Sophie was able to settle into the life she'd chosen. Overall, this is a good read and easy to get into. Nice brain candy and a heart-warming tale, complete with adorable children and a love interest; really, who could ask for more?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story!, November 18, 2007

By	A. Pohren (IA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Delightful story! I have to say that the beginning reminded me a lot of the movie Raising Helen - single woman, who is very career driven, suddenly finds herself in charge of children, when she seemingly has no experience with anyone below the age of 25. Through the final wishes of someone close, they become the guardian.
This is where the similarity ends however. In The Accidental Mother, Sophie finds herself suddenly in charge of her childhood best friend's two daughters, Bella age six and Izzy age three. Sophie had once promised her friend, Carrie, that if anything would happen to her, she would take care of her children. When the unthinkable happens and Carrie is killed in a car accident, Sophie finds that she is the legal guardian of her godchildren. However, this does not fit into Sophie's vision for her future - she is working hard as a corporate manager on the track to a promotion. What is she going to do with two young traumatized little girls? Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Sophie begins the search to find the girls' long lost father who, after leaving behind his wife and children, is nowhere to be found. After Sophie hires a Private Detective, Louis, the girls' father, is soon located. By this time, Sophie has become closer to the girls and has second thoughts about their father coming into the picture. This is where the story takes a twist and gets very interesting...
While reading, I was reminded a bit of Sophie Kinsella's work. Very enjoyable and very fun. I love to get into the British voice through a delightful story such as this.
The Accidental Mother touches the reader with both humor and heartwarming sincerity. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a relaxing and enjoyable read!
This is a story that proves that life does not always go as planned - but the detour takes you to a much better place, in the end.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly good read- not your average chick lit, January 6, 2008

By	C. Quinn (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Though I found the beginning of this book a little clunky, the author soon hits her stride, and despite the unlikely premise, the book does work. After Sophie's friend Carrie dies in a car crash, Sophie learns she is now the guardian of Carrie's two young daughters. Surprised to learn that Carrie's husband has been gone for years, Sophie agrees to temporary custody, naively believing the children will have little impact on her swinging single lifestyle. Bella and Izzy and their issues are well drawn, and offer some of the most poignant portions of the novel. Watching Sophie's development into a true adult as she works through issues of love and loss make for a very enjoyable read. I also like the way Louis' character is gradually revealed through the novel. Life for these characters is like real life- messy and complicated but ultimately satisfying.