Review: Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery and the Complex Bonds Between Mothers and Daughters #OtherwiseEngaged

Otherwise Engaged follows two families bound by a hidden past and the complicated bonds between mothers and daughters.

Summary:

When Shannon gets engaged, she hesitates to share the news with her mother, Cindy, who is planning her own wedding and dreaming of a double celebration, while Victoria, a rebellious stuntwoman, returns home after an accident to a strained relationship with her proper mother, Ava. Fate brings the four women together at a wedding venue, where a long-buried secret is revealed: as a teenager, Cindy nearly gave her baby up for adoption to Ava before changing her mind, a decision that left Ava heartbroken and unable to bond with the daughter she later adopted. As Shannon and Victoria confront the truth of their intertwined pasts, they must grapple with how their mothers’ choices shaped their lives—and who they might have been had things turned out differently.

My Thoughts:

Otherwise Engaged is a story about two mothers and two daughters whose lives are unexpectedly and irrevocably intertwined. When Shannon secretly gets engaged to avoid sharing the spotlight with her wedding-obsessed mom, Cindy, and stuntwoman Victoria is forced home after an accident to face her strained relationship with her mother, Ava, chance brings all four women together. What follows is the revelation of a devastating secret from twenty-four years earlier—one choice that reshaped all of their lives and continues to echo into the present. At its heart, this is a novel about identity, motherhood, and the question of whether who we are is shaped more by choice or circumstance.

I was genuinely intrigued by the premise and appreciated how well developed each of the characters was; they all had distinct personalities and layered backstories that slowly unfolded over the course of the book. I especially enjoyed seeing the personal growth in each woman as long-buried truths came to light. That said, the pacing didn’t quite work for me. While the emotional payoff was there, the story felt a little too long overall, and I found the middle third particularly slow, to the point where I felt bored at times.

The Narration:

The audiobook narration by Tanya Eby, however, was a highlight—she once again delivered a strong performance that brought warmth and nuance to the characters and helped keep me engaged.

Final Thoughts:

Otherwise Engaged is a thoughtful, character-driven story that will appeal to readers who enjoy family dramas, even if it occasionally takes its time getting where it’s going.