Split-Level by Sande Boritz Berger is the story of Alexandra “Alex” Pearl, a married woman with children in 1974. She lives in a lovely home in an upscale New Jersey suburb and seems to be content with her two daughters and her charming husband. Until one day, she receives a telephone call which will send her world crashing down. In order to save her marriage and avoid the dreaded “7-year itch”, Alex signs her and her husband, Donny for a marriage retreat, to rekindle their marriage. When another participant at the retreat gives Donny a book on wife swapping, it begins a slippery slope that they may not be able to stop. Donny believes it’s the key to their happiness. At first, Alex refuses but she quickly finds a new heightened desire beyond her husband. Will this new life be the answer to their problems? Or will Alex find herself in a mess that she cannot get out?
Split-Level is a book in which the book description doesn’t give an accurate depiction of the story. I expected an edgy, dramatic book about one woman’s discovery of herself and her desires. From the very beginning, Alex was boring, dull and so naïve that I resisted the urge to scream. As she recounts the beginnings of her relationship with Donny and leading up to their wedding, there were so many red flags that she ignored and continued to minimize as she deals with that phone call. The great part about the book was the author’s description of the 1970s atmosphere. However, the characters were either creepy or so bland you just didn’t care for him or her. There were no real emotions, no real conflict and even a real resolution. With a topic like wife swapping, which usually ends badly, the book fell flat. I do not recommend Split-Level.


Split-Level
is available in paperback and eBook

This story is about Donny and Alex Pearl who are married with two young daughters. Alex isn’t satisfied but not completely sure why. Donny is basically a brat that hates his job, is immature, and does questionable/skeezy things from time to time. After some time they meet a couple, Charlie and Paula Bell. They become friends, have their kids hang out together, and then one thing leads to another… But once those lines are crossed, all four of them, but especially Alex, find themselves struggling with right and wrong, as well as, what their true feelings are.

So, there were a few things I wasn’t crazy about in this novel and I will start with that because there was much more that I loved. First, Not many of the characters were very likable and/or relatable. Perhaps just because the story is told only from Alex’s point of view, but I don’t feel like I really knew them. Actually, the only two main characters I felt invested in at all were Alex and Charlie, but again, it could have been a POV issue. Secondly, with the exception of Charlie, I don’t feel as if I knew what any of the characters looked like. Maybe I missed descriptions in the beginning, but other than Paula being sort of mousy and Donny enjoying giving Alex wide-eyed and smirky looks, I couldn’t tell you what anyone looked like.

What I loved about this novel was the realism in Berger’s writing! Her writing and execution of this plot felt personal as if it were her own story. We all know that it’s all fun and games until real feelings get involved and I feel that she captured Alex’s ever-changing and evolving feelings perfectly. One minute, there was this new exciting/taboo part of their lives, then the next minute she was jealous, but then she would be enamored with Charlie all over again. None of it made sense. Moods and feelings seemed to change like the weather, but it seemed honest to me. Messy, emotional, exciting, horrible, etc., but honest.

Moreover, with regards to the realism in the novel, were Alex’s struggles with her marriage and young motherhood, completely separate from the open marriage issue. A child starts wetting the bed again, her husband hates his job, yet wants to succeed, Alex isn’t completely successful at her artistic endeavors but keeps trying, her best friend is somewhat of a mean-girl and judgemental of Alex and Donny, etc. Granted, these are timeless challenges that all of us girls have faced, but that’s what I loved! This author took a woman from a time period when I was born, and delivered her story in a way in which I could empathize with many of her struggles. It was difficult to relate to all of her approaches and handling things, but it still served as a reminder about the internal and external battles and dialogue that go on in our lives.

Split-Level’s ending is very ambiguous and I am not a fan of these endings because I need concrete information about what will happen next in character’s lives. But what I did know, and hope is somewhat on point, is that by the time the novel ends Alex has grown a spine, quit being whiny and unhappy, and has taken back control of her life. Open marriage, swinging, swapping, whatever you want to call it, obviously was not the best thing for Alex and Donny. The ending left me feeling sad because of a somewhat lack of closure and the uncertainty about the futures for the main characters. However, it also left me hopeful that Alex was on her way to finding happiness while learning for sure what would not result in a happy ending.

*Thanks to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing this review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Sorry, but I just couldn’t finish this book. I made it to the 50% mark, and then realized I was dreading having the continue.
I originally picked it up because I thought it would a sort of romance, where a neglectful husband is replaced with a “true love” but found it to be the opposite and “icky”.
I just didn’t like the heroine - Alex. She’s 29, married to a man-child and “trapped” in suburbia with two small children. Her “friends” and parents are self absorbed narcissists. She seems to blow along with whatever anyone else wants with no mind of her own.
Her husband has or is on the verge of having an affair and suggests that they try an “open marriage” , which evidently is what keeps a marriage going after seven years. Instead of telling him to get the F out of the house- she simpers. They meet another couple at a party hosted by her serial cheating friend. The wife appears shell shocked the whole time ( perhaps because she is forced to watch her hubby hit on everyone with a vagina), and the husband is creepily schmarmy, and yet Alex is oddly attracted to him.
Alex is whatever is the opposite of an empowered woman. The book may have gotten better, maybe she grows a spine, but watching a marriage self destruct, is not my idea of entertainment. Moving on.

Set in 70's suburbia, the author captures this time beautifully. The story features Alex as a stay at home wife who for some unknown reason goes along with her idiot husband's idea to explore open marriage. This was where I had some believability problems. Alex just floated along and went with it. I don't know that this would happen so effortlessly. The arrangement changes them, their marriage, their children. A slightly predictable outcome. The writing was good, as were all of the characters, and she has a great sense of humor.

Split-level had an excellent premise. I enjoyed the idea of a couple going through changes and the development the story could take. The problem I had was how long it took to get there, and just not enough clarity with the problems. It just went on and on with tedious details about daily life that did not want to make me continue. I gave up. And I never give up.

I liked the setting and the interesting seventies vibe. I was born too late for that era but I love everything a little bit vintage so that was fun.
But honestly, this book was strange. I finished it feeling like I hated the characters, which isn’t usually an issue for me - I don’t judge books on unlikeable characters. But to not care about anyone or anything left me quite uninvested in the whole book...

I was given the opportunity to review Split-Level by Sande Boritz Berger and found the description to be interesting as I was newly married in the early '70s. I did not live in a split-level house but I know the kind of house it is. It is the kind of house that Alex Pearl and her family live in in the New Jersey suburbs.

Alex feels that she is missing passion in her life and marriage, she is happily married though with two daughters and a charming husband. She receives a call from her babysitter's mom that Donny has taken her daughter on a midnight ride. Alex is upset by this even though Donny says he was teaching the girl how to drive. Not sure whether to believe him or not she insists that they go to Marriage Mountain, a couples healing sanctuary.

Donny at first is reluctant but once they started going but learns the 'manifesto' a spouse-swapping idea that at first Alex does not want to do but eventually capitulates and they meet a couple that they do the 'swap' with. As you can imagine, this is not always what it is cracked up to be. Problems emerge that can put their marriage at risk.

Like I said, I was newly married in the early '70s and among the free love and smoking pot, a lot of things happened that probably would not happen today. I am sure that there are still couples that 'swap' but you just don't hear about it. This book was not only about marriage but of a woman coming into her own, finding out what she wanted out of life and a dull marriage was not one of the things. She finally came to realize what she wanted and went after it.

At first, I thought I would be bored with the story but that was not the case. I totally enjoyed it. Something a bit different from what I typically read and I really liked it. The author's writing was easy to follow, writing about an open marriage I imagine can be challenging!

Split-Level follows the lives of a family that looks like it has everything on the surface, but when it comes down to happiness, there is much that is lacking. Alex and Donny throw themselves into the openness of the times and find a couple that is willing to do the same. What transpires isn't as surprising as one would think, given the nature of the characters involved.

Although this book is well written, you'll leave at the end of the novel feeling like you hate most of the characters, whether you are totally cool with the idea of these couples as swingers or whether you are appalled by that idea. It's not that the situation turns them into severely unlikeable characters, it is that the story make you see that however unlikeable they are at the end of the story, you can clearly see this is how they were even before the story begins. In terms of setting, this story fits right into the 1970s with the openness of the time as well as all of the depressing things (Nixon, gas prices) that come with it, seeming to fuel the already unquenchable fire in these characters.

Set in the 1970's world of pot roasts,tupperware and avocado kitchen appliances.
Can a New Jersey couple make an open marriage work?
Published May 7th 2019 by She Writes Press.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

On the surface, Alex Pearl has a pretty good life, with all the accessories a proper 1970s wife requires. She has two lovely daughters, a beautiful home with shag carpeting, and a husband who works in the family business. She is close with her in-laws, but her parents retired to Florida soon after her marriage to Donny. Alex, an artist, designs and paints children’s’ T-shirts to make some extra money of her own. Insecure in her marriage, Alex signs them up for Marriage Mountain, a retreat designed to strengthen their marriage, though an introduction to friends of friends sends Alex and Donny on a journey neither of them could have imagined.

Being a child of the 1970s, I got the pop culture references, the fashion sense, and the lack of options for women that the author described. Alex seemed to me to be a fairly typical young woman, raised to defer to the man in her life, whether father or husband, and never to voice an unpopular opinion. Her embarrassment at Donny’s behaviors, her worry about her daughters, and her habit of following the crowd makes her a prime candidate for the events described in the book. Though I found this to be a fast read, I never felt fully invested in the characters. I found it to be a bit superficial, skimming over the top of the drama rather than digging deeply into it.

More '70s drama! I guess a lot of authors who grew up in or near this time are writing books because I think I've accidentally read more books based in that decade in the past 6 months than I have in the last decade. This one was very well written. My husband was born in 1972 in nearby Staten Island so I felt like I was getting a peek into the suburban life of his childhood. The book was pretty serious but had some light hearted moments that I appreciated. .

As a child of the 70's, I wanted to read Split-Level. What happens when a married couple decide to have an "open" marriage and become swingers? Will it survive. Back in the 70's things were a bit different.. but still in today's world. About the same.

Alex, tells us her story in the first person. The writing was great, I really enjoyed this book, my first time reading from this Author.

It will bring you back to that ERA, and always the spouse wants to sway away from his marriage or try something, so in order to please her spouse Donny, changes start happening. Is it for the good or the bad?

Great read. Enjoy it!

I received a free copy from NetGalley for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this flash back to the 70's. Remember things like wall phones, and console TVs, and pot-smoking/music listening neighborhood parties, and uhhhh wife-swapping? Okay, so maybe I don't remember the wife-swapping part so much. This was, however, a very engaging read. It's the story of Alex, who is kind of the perfect 70's mom. 2 awesome well-adjusted kids, lovely home, seemingly perfect marriage. Just a little something is missing. A bit of restlessness. Then she finds out her husband may have done something just slightly inappropriate with the baby-sitter (at least slightly inappropriate based on the time - nowadays no one would have even batted an eye). She decides their marriage needs a bit of a refresh, and she and her husband go to a Marriage Encounter type weekend. Unfortunately, her husband befriends someone at the Marriage Retreat that points him in the direction of the joys of swapping couples. Back in their daily life, still unbeknownst to her, Alex's husband to steer them toward a couple swapping situation. That's when things really start to become blurred and take a bad turn for all parties involved. It's a great, eye-opening look at something that was so popular back then, and all the unintended problems and consequences. This is truly Alex's story and how she learns and grows and comes into her own - and I loved it.

I was excited to read Split-Level by Sande Boritz Berger. I was 12 in 1970 and had a friend whose parents were in an "open marriage" . While fascinating to me, I saw the resultant damage it did to their family and children in the long run and how complicated marriage, family and relationships truly are. I thought Berger did a good job describing the temptations and complexity of marriage. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

I've been sitting here wondering how I feel about Split-Level by Dance But its Berger. I'm not sure what to write. I was interested in reading this book when I saw when the story takes place (the 70s) and did not pay attention to the rest of the description. I wish I had. I am not interested in reading about wife swapping. By the time I realized that was a major factor in this book, I was already reading it and I decided to finish the book. Alex is a stay-at-home mother with two young girls and a very childish husband. Donny is a selfish jerk, there is no other way to describe him. He used intimidation, petulance, anything and everything to get his way. Alex spends her time feeling afraid of everyone's opinions, of not doing the "right" thing, of, well, everything. She spends her life trying to confirm to what other people think she should be, on how other people think she should behave. Or maybe just what she thinks other people expect. It could be either. By the time she decides to do what she wants, life is very different than what it may have been had she believed in herself earlier. Many characters in the book seem to hold her responsible for how things end up, they seem to blame her for choices Donny (and others) made. Somehow that jerk gets a pass (as does, bizarrely Paula), unfortunately, that seems very real. Often women are blamed for the behavior of their spouses. In fact, I had the feeling, at times, that the book was not particularly sympathetic to Alex and her plight. Yes , she made some bad decisions (especially acting on her feelings for Charlie) but she also felt trapped. Whether she was actually trapped may be debatable to some but she felt it. Many of us are not brave, do not feel strong; many of us may be fragile, unheard, easily bullied. I wasn't a fan of any adult characters here but I do feel a little for Alex.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC Kindle copy of Split Level. The story is set in the 1970's up north - split level homes, stay-at-home moms, working dads lots of 1970's brand placement and reminders. Alex and Danny are a young married couple, with two small children. Their marriage has seen better days. Danny works for his father's business, while Alex stays home with their girls, with her own small, budding t-shirt business. Danny's unhappiness in the marriage is evident and he seeks ways to liven up the marriage and gets information on Marriage Mountain, a retreat which is basically a cover for the concept of open marriage. Alex initially is not interested and is repelled by the idea, but goes along to the retreat. When they return, the couple starts befriending other couples in the neighborhood and it leads to spouse swapping with a couple - Charlie and Pauline. Jealousies and betrayals ensue. At first, I didn't think I would enjoy the book - at the beginning there was a lot of 1970's brand name mentions just to remind me of the time period, but that eventually tapered off and the story evolved to a study of marriages, lost love, 1970's relationships and divorce. I found it much more interesting as the story progressed. I would rate split-level between 3.5 and 4 stars.

A wonderfully well-written book about marriage in the 70's, Set in suburbia, this story explores open marriage from both sides, the guilt and the consequences of their actions. It was not an erotic story, but rather a thought provoking exploration of marriage in the 70's. Loved the setting of the 70's as I was also a young wife and mother then. Can't imagine myself as part of that exploration, but found the book quite enjoyable. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the advance copy.

Growing up during this time period, I was really looking forward to diving into this book and having a fairytale summer interlude. That was so not the case. It was such a disappointment. I can’t even provide you with one redeeming quality about this book. The characters were ALL unlikable. The story was boring and drawn out. The writing just okay. I had to force myself to finish and it took forever. Half the time I couldn’t bring myself to pick it back up.

Split-Level by Sande Boritz Berger is a depressing look into life in the swinging 70s when pot smoking and open marriages were quite the rage. It is a commentary on American marriage and the effect of the times on relationships. Alex and her husband become friends with another couple and (almost) against her will begins a relationship that leads her to question everything she believes about herself, marriage and life. I found this to be a sad look at what conforming to the social mores of the time can do to a marriage.

It took me a while to get into "Split Level." At first, the dialogue was somewhat choppy and forced, but after a few chapters, I found myself carried along by the story and interested in finding out what became of the characters and their marriages. Overall, I think Boritz-Berger managed to effectively capture the feel of the early '70s and the confusion and ennui felt by a young couple who realize they may not be living the life they really wanted. I don't want to give spoilers, but I also think she conveyed the events and their aftermath realistically. The characters are people that you can recognize and care about. As I was reading, I kept thinking of it as a more serious version of Judy Blume's "Wifey." I would recommend it to those who enjoy more literary women's fiction and also to book groups. A solid 3 1/2 stars.