I requested Beside Herself by Elizabeth LaBan because of the giant red coffee cup on the cover (yes, I do judge a book by its cover). But I found a very rich story about marriage, and overcoming difficult times in marriage. Hannah and Joel are a happily married couple raising their two children. Or so Hannah believes. Until she discovers that Joel has had an affair. Hannah is hurt, upset and angry! Joel, eager to go to counseling in hopes of saving his marriage, finds counselor after counselor, none of whom work for Hannah. Hannah, in a fit of anger, tells Joel she should have an affair then they would be even. Joel agrees; Hannah should have an affair then they can move on together. What follows for Hannah is a series of failed dates, advice and confrontation from those closest to her, and ultimate an understanding of what love is and what it takes to make a marriage work. I loved the honesty in Ms. LaBan’s story. Marriage is hard. It takes commitment and sometimes that is messy. Relationships can be chipped, by hurts, by misunderstandings, by conflict, by not handling each other gently, but the relationship isn’t broken even if it’s chipped. This is a really encouraging and good story. I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced e-copy! #netgalley #besideherself

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC in return of my honest review. Es

I really enjoyed this book which takes us through the lives of Hannah and Joel post Joel’s indiscretion for which is is very remorseful. I think the author did a great job at drawing out the emotional turmoil in their lives and she had me wanting to get back to the book to find out what would happen next.

I felt really connected to the characters, and felt especially drawn to Hannah Who had me laughing, cringing with some of her actions and feeling sadness for her obvious pain and conflict.

I great, easy to read book and I look forward to reading more from this author,

In the beginning of this book I had high expectations for Hannah to get beside herself. In stead it was an endless succession of monologues for the first half of the novel of disbelief at the infidelity of her husband. It was tiresome and monotonous. I read on hoping this would have a little humor as she decided whether to date her way out of the anger only to agree to even more tedious therapy sessions hoping to resolve their marital situation. Honestly this was such a sludge through dialog I struggled to finish. The most colorful character was her father in law ,a once famous TV reporter of national acclaim. I had no sympathy for the husband who will not let Hannah or their marriage go. A resolve that wins out in the end with a little help from the Eagles football team . If you are an true believer in the course of love triumphing through the thick and paper thin then this will be the story for you . Happy reading

Having experienced some of the subject matter this book felt a little close to home to use the word' enjoy' but I do think it was well observed and brilliantly written.

I though the adults were very characterful and well rounded - by contrast I though the children were poorly written, 2 dimensional and Ridley may not have even been there, barely a line or 2.

I think this is a book i'll want to read again - I particularly liked the therapy sections, again it felt like a very real scenario, and its defiantly a book I would recommend.
Thank you NetGalley

A story full of relationships & surprises & how those are dealt with. Struggled to 'get into' storyline initially, but enjoyed eventually

I loved how this book started with the action already in place, and then we get to know the characters. This is a very thought provoking novel and I was hooked immediately.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beside Herself was a slow start. Hannah discovers her husband had an affair and can't accept it. She decides to antidote is to have her own affair. The premise is not a good one and I didn't like any of the characters. I stuck with it and the story did improve to have a decent ending. I wasn't overly impressed with the narrative, but at least the characters showed growth.

The author explores the complexities of a marriage, and though the plot has potential, it didn't worked for me.

Maybe the action starts too soon and we don't have time to get to know the characters before, and maybe Hannah isn't a strong character as we could have expected on a story like this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth LeBan explores the complexity of marriage, which really made me question my own thoughts and feelings. After discovering that her husband has cheated, Hannah struggles to come to terms with how she feels about her husband. She loves him, she loves her children and is happy in her life, but can she get beyond this crisis?

I enjoyed the complexities of Hannah's character and reactions. I particularly liked the characters of Reuben and Robert, but I found it didn't know enough about her husband Joel and would have liked more understanding of him and his character. An interesting read.

When I read the blurb I didn't expect to love this book at all , But I ended up loving it .
The writing style was more than enjoyable and entertaining , I'm definitely going to check out the other books by Elizabeth LaBan.

This book was predictable to me. There was n o spark, but I always finish a book! The story was a bit choppy and jumped around although not in a way that showed any real pattern. It really fell flat. With that said, I would read another book by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Elizabeth LaBan, and Lake Union Publishing for the advance copy of Beside Herself.

Beside Herself is a great read. What I truly enjoyed is that it is not a typical story of a wife falling apart after finding out that her husband had an affair. In fact, main character Hannah comes up with a new, yet not ideal, way to deal with his indiscretion.

First off, Elizabeth LaBan did something that most authors do not do, which is skip the introduction of each character within the first few chapters of this story and jumped right into Hannah finding out about the affair. In many stories, introducing each character takes at least the first few chapters, which can cause the story to drag on and a reader can lose interest. Elizabeth found a way to introduce each character’s background throughout the story.

Now to the main plot. I am not spoiling anything by stating that this story surrounds the affects the affair that Hannah’s husband had. The main story line is how Hannah deals with this discovery, how she grows from it, how she discovers herself all over again, and how she comes to terms with what she truly wants in life and for her family. Hannah chose a very unconventional way to come to her decision, which is what makes this story unlike any other. Of course, at times Hannah falls apart, but we also get to see her snap out of it and realize that she will not let what her husband did define her, and she pulls herself together to figure everything out.

The side plot to this story, is to see how Hannah’s husband deals with his affair, but also to how he deals with Hannah and how she chooses to deal with his affair. I don’t believe that many husbands would have been okay with her method, but he accepted responsibility for his affair and was willing to do whatever was necessary to win her back and keep their family together.

There are also important side characters that help Hannah in their own way to come to her final decision.

I give this story 5 stars, but it was not a typical woman finds out about her husband’s affair and falls apart and cannot function in life. This was the first book that I read from Elizabeth LaBan and I am now a fan and cannot wait to read her other books.

A book that really makes you think about betrayal and actions. A solid read, but for me lacked unputdownability.

This was a different read where I got to know the main character and her reactions post infidelity. Hannah had it all happiness and family. A moment of weakness by the husband brought her world crashing down. This was her story of picking up the pieces of her life post that betrayal.

My first book by author Elizabeth LaBan was a good read in parts. I could understand where the main character was coming from and the indecisiveness which surrounded her. Her betrayal and disbelief were well shown.

It was quite a slow read, and I did take time to warm up to Hannah. I didn't agree with her decisions, but I too have taken wrong decisions in my hurt, so I couldn't judge her.

Overall this was a good read. I felt it could have been better if the main character was a bit stronger.

Joel and Hannah happily married until she learns that he had a short affair. He is totally broken because of his huge mistake. Hannah is totally broken because of his breaking their vows and destroying what she thought was a happy, satisfying marriage.
This, at times, is a hard book to read because of Hannah’s dilemma: she still deeply loves Joel but does not trust him. She decides to have an affair to even the playing field with Joel’s knowledge. But, will this possible move draw them back together or drive the wedge even deeper?
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Beside Herself by Elizabeth LaBan is her best work yet! LaBan creates characters that you love and see yourself in. I have felt and said some of the same things that Hannah has said and done. LaBan continues to create families and friends that are like family that you want to be around. Hannah's story of marriage and family and wanting to be happy is a story for all to read.

Elizabeth LaBan does not disappoint with her new novel. Beside Herself is a beautifully written and heart wrenching story about a marriage and infidelity. The struggle Hannah endures as she questions her life, her marriage, and "what next" is expertly written with deep insight. Readers will easily enter Hannah's life and become absorbed. Will she stay? Will she leave her husband?

A thoughtful book that makes you consider what is truly important in a relationship and whether it can survive life’s ups and downs. Hannah discovers her husband of 15 years has had an affair, the story deals with the aftermath, how she deals with it and the struggles she has coming to terms with having the relationship she thought she knew shattered. This was not always easy reading, and surprisingly I felt myself rooting for Joel, despite him being the offending party. There are plenty of lovely characters along the way and I felt the author did a great job of exploring realistically the emotional turmoil an affair can bring to a relationship. I felt the ending was perfect too. Thank you

I enjoy Elizabeth LaBan's writing style and this book stays true to that. It was an engaging tale of what happens when a marriage goes off course. The characters were well-developed and made me care about them and how everything would turn out.

I really enjoyed this book. The book started straight into the action which was great.
I really enjoyed the way the book was written and also I liked the characters