Christine Ardigo

Cheating to Survive (Fix it Or Get Out) is a well-written book about three women struggling with failing marriages and low self-esteem. As a woman I cringed as I recognized what many women go through at work and on the home front when there is no love or respect left. However, the three realize their lives have to change, and their longing for love and to be seen again lead them into affairs that lead to revelations and inevitable changes in their lives. The characters are well-drawn and it was easy to sympathize with their struggles. The writing flowed well and was easy to read. I did question one thing; why they put up with their vile boss for so long without confrontation?… (mere)

I read this author’s series of books using the KINDLE Unlimited option on Amazon-US.

How many times have we, with all that goes on in our lives, reached a crossroad where a decision had to made; and made quickly. Now, in retrospect, we wonder where and why did everything go wrong?

As you read each of the three stories Ms. Ardigo has put together here you step into the lives and shoes of three different women, you might find that you’re not alone in experiencing the same situations and emotions. There is a sort of sisterhood which all women share in understanding their minds and what’s in their hearts which no man could ever comprehend. The characters, especially the female ones, which this author has created, are ones who you can’t help but empathize with.

Not only have I worked in an office where the politics, especially the ones involving romance, had run amok at times; that office had been in hospital which complicated those politics even more. And in order to survive, everyone had to learn not to try and judge what has been transpiring in front of their eyes, else they’d get unwittingly get pulled into the ensuing fracas; everyone also had to understand the madness.

For having given her readers and me something everyone can relate to I happy to give this endeavor by Ms. Ardigo 5 STARS.… (mere)

Heather, Catherine, and Victoria are nursing dieticians at a local hospital that have found themselves facing the stress of an overbearing boss and serious relationship issues with their husbands at home. For Heather, three lovely young daughters cannot hide the emptiness of a self-absorbed lawyer of a husband, who treats his family as decorations to his greatness. Catherine feels that she has become insignificant and distant from her husband in the bedroom and while dealing with her two sons and daughter. With a son in college and a daughter about to graduate high school, Victoria has spent her thirty years of marriage working hard in her career and supporting her family at home, while her currently unemployed handyman of a husband still feels she does not do enough to cater to him. When Heather is approached and finds a sexual relationship with a doctor in the hospital, her actions shock her two friends, but they soon begin to wonder if Heather’s solution is the answer to their own relationship issues. The author has found an interesting exploration into the frustrations that I imagine women have had to deal with in their careers, marriages, and families, and how infidelity may be more of a cure in resolving the unfair imbalances imposed upon them. I can see many a woman reader empathizing with the challenges these main characters face and the journey they take to resolve them. However, I felt, not just from a male view, but from an overall view, that there was a general imbalance in all the characters in the story, as very few demonstrated favorable characteristics. For most of the story, it seems that nearly all men projected narcissistic insensitivity, with only a handful proving worthy, one through redemptive misunderstanding near the end. But this lack of positive characters even extended into other aspects of our main characters’ life. Throughout the book, our characters profess how they love the positive aspect of helping patients through difficult times, but the only patient interactions the reader sees with our characters are those patients who display petty, angry rejections of our characters’ aid. A fellow sensitive doctor in a loving marriage or some patients with grateful responses would help in providing some contrast to the nightmares mainly dealt with in this tale.… (mere)

This is Ms. Ardigo's third, and last, book in The Fix It or Get Out Series,. and like the other two stories, this one is filled with memorable, well-developed characters. Samantha Hart's character was very relatable to me, as I also grew up with low self-esteem. The unwanted child in a family. But Sam also had the burden of still living with a mother who inflicted nothing but guilt on her daughter.
Questioning her pathetic existence, envying her supposedly best friend's life, Sam starts emulating Cara's lifestyle, which leads her into some really bad choices. Like Lou and Bruce, you’re typical one-night stand mentalities. Thinking sex is the only path to love, Sam ultimately realizes her decisions have led to a bad reputation, and she's just as unhappy if not more, than she was before. Deep down inside, she knows she's not being true to herself.
Then Cooper gets hired as the manager for the hospital’s kitchen where Sam works. I really liked his character too, as he also had his own baggage, trying to please everyone but himself. His concept of what bridges mean was quite inspirational.
Every good story must have conflict, and this one has plenty. Between Lou, Bruce, Cara, Cooper, Rosyln, and her mother, Sam is always butting heads, trying to find her place. But her worst enemy is herself. Cara is a strong secondary character. I came to hate her, pity her and then wept for her at the end.
What I didn't like: sometimes there were antics Sam did I just couldn't see someone her age doing. Like stuffing her face full of food and taping her mouth shut. To me, these seemed contrived and unrealistic.
I recommend this book for anyone who loves chick lit and lots of drama. I give it 4 feathers.… (mere)