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Book Summary and Reviews of The Sweetheart Deal by Polly Dugan

The Sweetheart Deal by Polly Dugan

The Sweetheart Deal

by Polly Dugan

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  • May 2015, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The poignant story of what happens when a woman who thinks she's lost everything has the chance to love again.

Leo has long joked that, in the event of his death, he wants his best friend Garrett, a lifelong bachelor, to marry his wife, Audrey. One drunken night, he goes so far as to make Garrett promise to do so. Then, twelve years later, Leo, a veteran firefighter, dies in a skiing accident.

As Audrey navigates her new role as widow and single parent, Garrett quits his job in Boston and buys a one-way ticket out west. Before long, Audrey's feelings for Garrett become more than platonic, and Garrett finds himself falling for Audrey, her boys, and their life together in Portland. When Audrey finds out about the drunken pact from years ago, though, the harmless promise that brought Garrett into her world becomes the obstacle to his remaining in it.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"...the novel, with Audrey, Garrett, and the three boys each taking turn as narrator, is a sensitive portrayal of friendship, family, and loss that appeals to readers who appreciate believable domestic fiction" - Booklist

"Though there are genuinely touching moments and Portland comes alive on the page, the story coasts flatly to a tidy, predictable resolution." - Publishers Weekly

"By alternating among the perspectives of the various characters, Dugan's first novel (after her story collection So Much a Part of You ) intimately explores how grief can affect a family. The author provides a quick, unsurprising read that delves into family relationships in the wake of loss and new love, topics reminiscent of Anne Tyler's novels." - Library Journal

"There is tender romance here, but it's more richly a story of an old family falling away and a new one beginning." - Kirkus

"The Sweetheart Deal hits all of my favorite topics: loss, pain, friendship, betrayal - but ultimately love. It's the most romantic story I've read in years." - Elin Hilderbrand, author of Beautiful Day and The Matchmaker

"Heartfelt and wise, Polly Dugan's The Sweetheart Deal reminds us that every difficult ending can lead to a beautiful new beginning." - Sarah Jio, author of The Violets of March and Goodnight June

This information about The Sweetheart Deal was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Lucy B. (Urbana, OH)

The Sweetheart Deal
Since Leo was a fireman, I can guess on why he made an agreement with his best friend Garrett to take care of his family in case something happened to him. Firemen are put it harms way may times. I don't believe he expected his life to be cut short in a skiing accident. The boys had issues in their lives and Garrett being there was a plus. The story dealt with heartfelt issues and I cried when Brian went to the fire station to claim his drawing of his father. I wonder if mom hadn't found the note if she would have been all right with her relationship with Garrett. I especially like the way the author devoted a chapter for each of the boys, Audrey, and Garrett. It helped me to focus on the thoughts and feelings of each one in the household.

Sharon R. (Deerfield, IL)

Love overcomes all
This book is about death, love, friendship, promises and betrayals. It is also about families and the realities and daily challenges after a great loss. The characters and the dialogue are wonderfully developed. You can believe that this family lives on your street. They have the same everyday problems that any family with teenagers has. I believed the conversations between parent and child and teenagers with their friends, I could actually hear the words being spoken.

After I finished reading this book, I couldn't help wondering what I would do in the same situation. Grief is a very personal emotion and Ms. Dugan explores all the facets in this heart wrenching novel.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good love story. I also believe book clubs would find several good topics to discuss.

Anne C. (Houston, TX)

The Sweetheart Deal
An uplifting story of two lifelong male friends who make a promise to care for Audrey if Leo her firefighter husband is killed. Leo is killed and Garrett quits a job and moves West to fulfill his promise to his friend. Love grows again!

Anne S. (Coralville, IA)

Sweetheart Deal by Polly Dugan
This book is a quick read, and a pleasant one. We learn immediately that Leo wants his friend Garrett to sign a paper. The paper is a promise that Garrett will marry Audrey, Leo's wife, if Leo should die.

I thought this was a strange request, but looked forward to learning more about these people. Garrett is a dear friend who feels the responsibility to help his friend's family when Leo is killed in a skiing accident.

As the story goes on, some predictable things happen. The story reflects the lives of some decent, ordinary people and the turn of events which can change lives so much.While there are not a great many twists and turns in the plot, it is interesting and I would recommend it to anyone who likes family stories and happy endings.

Wendy W. (Ann Arbor, MI)

Almost a 5
I started crying early on with this book. I felt for all the characters and the literary device of bouncing around from one character's point of view to another made each of them come to life. The short chapters made it easy to put down and pick up and helped me savor the story. I was with them up until the "conflict" that was introduced towards the end of the book. It didn't feel realistic to me and that's why it was downgraded from a five star to a four. The book felt like to ended too soon and I'll miss these characters!

Vy A. (Phoenix, AZ)

The Sweetheart Deal
When a family outing on the slopes turns tragic, ending the life quite unexpectedly, of a strong, healthy husband and father, we experience the many faces grief takes through the people left behind. Told in six first-person viewpoints --his wife, Audrey, his three sons and his best friend, I had the feeling I was in the home myself—perhaps like a doll-house with the outer wall removed as I watched these realistic characters simultaneously struggle with this tragedy in their own way. Although I thankfully have not experienced such a loss, I think it was probably a very realistic portrayal of a family's struggle to continue their lives in spite of their despair. When the best friend, Garrett, comes to the aid of the family, eventually he and Audrey become attracted to each other, but complications arise when a secret pact made between two drunken friends many years ago is discovered. What Audrey and Garrett learn about friendship, love,loyalty, and family, makes for an interesting read.

...17 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Polly Dugan Author Biography

Polly Dugan lives in Portland, Oregon, and is a reader at Tin House magazine. A former employee of Powell's Books, she is an alumna of the Tin House Writer's Workshop. Dugan's first published story, "A Matter of Time," was Line Zero's Spring 2012 Literary Contest Winner, "Masquerades" (as "One At a Time"), was Narrative's Story of the Week (December 2012), and "Kitten Season" was an Honorable Mention Recipient in Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers (August 2009).

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