ARC Review & Giveaway: What We Do for Love by Anne Pfeffer

​Book Details:

Book Title: What We Do for Love by Anne Pfeffer
Category: Adult Fiction, 227 pages
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Bold Print Press
Release date: May 21, 2019
Tour dates: May 20 to June 14, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (My book has a few instances of the F-word and Sh— and one somewhat explicit sex scene)

Book Description:

“If Lorelai Gilmore of Gilmore Girls was dropped into a thriller, it might resemble this appealing novel.” –Kirkus Reviews

Thirty-eight-year-old Nicole Adams has given up on finding love. Instead, the single mother focuses on the things she cherishes most—her sixteen-year-old son Justin, her friends, and her art. When she convinces a prominent Los Angeles museum to feature a piece of her work, a large-scale installation, she thinks her life has finally turned a corner. Then Justin brings a girl, Daniela, home to live with them. Daniela’s angry parents have thrown her out of the house because she’s pregnant with Justin’s child.

​Shattered, Nicole takes Daniela in and, in so doing, is drawn into the inner circle of Daniela’s family—a frightening world of deceit and violence. Nicole struggles to keep life going as normal. Forced to deal with people she doesn’t trust or like, fearful for the future of both her son and the grandchild they’re expecting, Nicole wonders if she can do what she tells Justin to do: always have faith in yourself and do the right thing. ​

Book Review:



Being a mother, this book both encouraged and scared me.  Anne Pfeffer tells the story of a single mother, Nicole, of a teenage boy who brings home a pregnant, homeless girl.  Nicole takes the girl, who is carrying her grandchild, in after realizing she has been completely abandoned by her parents for being pregnant.  She is dealing with the situation as best she can, while attempting to make ends meet, complete a major career achievement, and juggle a will they/won’t they, should they/shouldn’t they romance with her longest friend and ex.  Yep, it’s a lot.

As you can read from above, this book has been described as Lorelai Gilmore dropped into a thriller.  The reference of a tough, single mom is apt, but I think the comparison really ends there.  I wouldn’t call Nicole quick witted with an abundance of pop culture references.  In saying that, Nicole seems to me to be her own person, and a super engaging character.

This book is a journey, just like motherhood.  I found myself constantly asking what I would do in Nicole’s situation.  It’s terrifying how little control we have over our lives, but when we have children, that minuscule amount of power vanishes.  One word, one action from them and your perfectly calculated plans disappear, in almost comic fashion.  One minute, Nicole, is making pottery and the next she is desperately trying to keep her family together.

I particularly loved the character and their development.  I never quite understood Daniela.  She seemed remote and distant.  I never quite trusted her, but neither did Nicole, so Anne Pfeffer must have written her perfectly.

The action seemed to move at a good pace while taking time to explore feelings and the consequences of each characters’ actions on other characters’ lives.  I was also a really big fan of the author’s storytelling ability.  The sentences flowed perfectly and never felt awkward or forced.  This was a truly delightful book by an author I’ve never read before, but can’t wait to read more from.

* Special thanks to Anne Pfeffer and iRead Book Tours for providing a copy of What We Do for Love in exchange for an honest review.

What We Do For Love won the Chick Lit category and made finalist for Best Cover Design/Fiction in the 2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards!