When Andi meets Ethan, she believes she has found her perfect man, and, since she can’t have children of her own, eagerly takes on the role of stepmother to his two daughters from a previous marriage. There’s just one problem: Emily, the eldest of Ethan’s girls, resents her father’s new wife.
A typical teenager, she throws tantrums, breaks the rules and makes her father feel guilty. The premise of the book is that one-day Emily comes home with some shocking news, overstating what is a predictable turn of events, especially considering she has been staying out past her curfew and hanging around boys with names like “G-man” who grunt rather than talk.
The story becomes more interesting once the bomb drops, but only ever in a linear way. Indeed, the sole purpose of the supporting characters is to sympathise with Andi as she relays the melodrama. In essence, the novel is about why three people in a marriage is destined never to work. That said, a few family therapy sessions would most likely have sorted the whole mess out before it started.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
ATP RANKINGS (NOVEMBER 4)
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 9,585 pts ( 1)
2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 8,945 (-1)
3. Roger Federer (SUI) 6,190
4. Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 5,705
5. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 5,025
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) 4,000 ( 1)
7. Alexander Zverev (GER) 2,945 (-1)
8. Matteo Berrettini (ITA) 2,670 ( 1)
9. Roberto Bautista (ESP) 2,540 ( 1)
10. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 2,530 ( 3)
11. David Goffin (BEL) 2,335 ( 3)
12. Fabio Fognini (ITA) 2,290
13. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 2,180 (-2)
14. Diego Schwartzman (ARG) 2,125 ( 1)
15. Denis Shapovalov (CAN) 2,050 ( 13)
16. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 2,000
17. Karen Khachanov (RUS) 1,840 (-9)
18. Alex De Minaur (AUS) 1,775
19. John Isner (USA) 1,770 (-2)
20. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 1,747 ( 7)
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
