Books like Big Cherry Holler

For all the enjoyment I got out of the first book in the series, I was looking forward to this second installment. Wow, talk about taking the series in a very different direction. I would describe the first book as "light, quirky, fun, silly, and relate-able in a goofy way." I would describe this book as "sad, depressing, and filled with heartache."My main problem with this book is the base assumption of the author. Namely:1) All unhappy men will cheat if given the chance2) All marital problems are because the wife isn't doing right by her man. It is her duty to keep her husband happy. If he isn't happy, she is failing him and the marriage.3) With 1 & 2 being true, when a man cheats, it is his wifes fault. If she was a better wife, he wouldn't have done it.Several characters in the story are involved in a cheating plot line and all of them have the same moral (see 1, 2 and 3 above). The first half of the book describes the slow process of a marriage decading. It was totally depressing and tedious. The second half picks up a bit, mostly because the two main characters (Jack and Ave) are apart so the reader can't be slowly killed by hearing how things are not working for them. There is a happy ending for them (which is why it got a 2 stars instead of a 1 star), but the ending was only happy because Ave pretty much realized that ALL their problems were completely her fault and she would be better. Some women may feel empowered by the story because of the concept that marital happiness is completely controlled by the wife alone, but I was pretty offended by that. I am pretty sure my husband can make his own choices beyond simply reacting to mine. Overall a total disappointment. Finished the book mostly out of respect for the first. I checked out book 3 in the series at the same time as book 2, but I am not sure if I will give it a chance. The reviews on Goodreads seem to indicate that book 3 is back to how book 1 was, so that gives me hope.