This book just didn’t grab me. The premise did; it intrigued me because a revenge-affair seems like something many think about but do not successfully execute.
I never really began to care about the main characters though. I found them a bit wishy washy.
I cannot give a complete review because I stopped reading about halfway through.
I do appreciate the chance to review this book. It is not a bad read - just not one I could get lost in.

Insightful look at the affect an affair has on a marriage, from the perspective of the husband, Joel, who strayed, the wife, Hannah, who is blindsided, and the father who struggles with the knowledge that the manner in which he and his late wife handled affairs in their own marriage may cause that of Joel and Hannah to implode. As Joel struggles to prove his regret and Hannah wonders whether to allow her anger to guide her decisions, they land upon a unique way to possibly save their marriage. Agreeing that Hannah should embark on an affair herself, the two begin to dance around how they view themselves and one another. The struggles of dealing with the problems of friends and other family members during a tumultuous time in their marriage actually help Joel and Hannah reach a decision about their future that will work for both of them.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book.
I had a hard time with this one. While many books incorporate the subject matter of infidelity, this one seemed to start out with it from the first pages and because of it I struggled with character development. I tried to like Hannah, but found her weak and indecisive.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed reading this story. The trials Hannah and Joel go through in their marriage took me through all of the emotions. I smiled, wiped tears, and felt the love throughout this book. I found myself wondering what Hannah would end up deciding to do in the end and hope that she would choose to remain with Joel. I think Hannah’s relationship with her father in law was really sweet and adorable
and enjoyed their dynamic.

4 stars!

This book surprised me in a good way.. The author developed the characters and the plot in a very uncommon way. Somehow, I got very interested about Hannah's reaction to her husband's mistake. And couldn't help but feel some empathy toward her. But then, the author surprised me with a different angle offered by a character I wasn't considering as I should have.. And suddenly, my prior thoughts were not valid anymore.
I loved the story. It got al! my attention. I would love to read more from this author, definitely.

A great book! Something fascinating to curl up with on a rainy evening, holding a cup of tea... The characters are believable and realistic. Kudos to the writer!

Not really for me I'm afraid. It went straight into the story too quickly, there was no build up and no chance to get to know the characters first. Still quite a romantic story, but a little confusing to the readers, as it's hard to understand what the main character is thinking.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

This book started strange for me, you are thrown straight in with no real backstory of the characters or lead up to the event but at the same time it was a bit of a slow starter!

Once I'd got into it I was completely absorbed, I found myself questioning the characters motives and actions but also found I was questioning myself on "how would I react", "what would I do", those questions are what kept me ploughing on through the slower paced chapters but I'm glad I stuck with it.

I loved the family dynamic and the fact it reflected true life, things that do happen within day to day relationships and friendships alike.

In my opinion a good read that once you've got stuck into you'll speed through!

Amazing, Amazing— such a wonderful read!!!
Absolutely loved!! Stays with you and keeps you thinking. Can’t recommend enough!!

I was given this advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review.
This was a well written book.

Hannah is a woman while looking for evidence of a surprise birthday party on her husband phone uncovers an affair. Hannah is “Beside Herself” to think her husband has gone outside their marriage. The picture of your life and family changes in an instant. As she struggles to figure out what to do, her best friend and recently divorced, Kim encourages her to try to work it out.

Hannah’s husband, Joel is pulling out all the stops and is willing to do anything to keep their marriage together. Joel has taken her to a number of counselors to try to help navigate through the pain. Hannah decides that maybe if she has an affair they would be even and they could start again. Will Hannah have an affair? Will Joel be able to save his marriage?


This is a quote from the book that really seemed to stay with me after I finished reading the book. I think it is real wisdom for every marriage. “If one is truly lucky, one will find the love of his or her life. Many people think that is the hard part, the finding. It isn’t. The hard part is navigating all the circumstances, changes, shocks, tragedies, and hardships that come to everyone over the course of forty or fifty or sixty years. Of course, there are many good moments, too, and it’s a matter of getting through the bad, or at least finding a way to accept the bad so you can share the good.”
Highly recommend.

Started out ok but I lost interest about 30% in and I didn't like the characters. and by the time I got near the end I wasn't bothered what happened.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Not my favorite. Very hard to get into and didn’t keep my interest at all. I felt like it was a good solid base of a story just not well told.

I was glad that there was significantly more emotional depth at the end as Hannah's reaction seemed staid and she was seeking revenge rather than exploring ways to make it work. I felt that Richard was the catalyst and I wish they delved deeper in his life. I also wanted to know more about Lincoln. A fast read that I thought the ending was the best part especially the bowl.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for letting me read this title ahead of publication. I only write truthful reviews and I didn’t care for this book. Hannah finds out her husband has had an affair. Then she can’t decide what to do about it. She makes him sleep on the couch, then she lets him back into her bed, but the readers don’t know why. She can’t decide whether to split or not. Then she can’t decide whether to have her own affair in retaliation. This book needs a strong, decisive main character, but what we got was a wishy, washy one.
I’m not able to recommend this book.

The storyline of the book intrigued me but to be honest I was disappointed as the book went on. Hannah, the wife, irritated me and how she was so mean to her husband, I just didn’t like the way the book took.
Thanks #netgalley for the ARC.
#besideherself

Easy read. You could feel the emotion of the main character through out the book. I received a copy of this book as an ARC through NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'm not sure Lake Union could steer me wrong, and this, for me, was another winner. This generation is sandwiched between work, kids, husbands and aging parents. When this woman finds out her husband had an affair and she had NO idea, she just cannot get past it. Her thought was that if she did it also, they could get back to normal. This book took what could have turned into a mess and handled it with grace, and with understanding of marriage being a verb. It's always changing, and the trick is to learn how to change with it. This book also had some sub plots that I adored, including a child with anxiety, a father in law in a senior home and a friend going through a divorce. Highly recommend this one.

This book did not work for me. The book started too quickly, we did not get to know much about our two main characters before - bam! First three pages we discover Joel cheated on Hannah. After finishing the book I still cannot describe much about Hannah other than the scene of her getting her haircut into 'long layers' and that she had lost some weight from the stress of everything. Other than Lincoln, what do I remember about her daughter Ridley? Not much. The development of character and decent plot was lacking. Sorry to say I do not recommend this book, but thank you for the opportunity to read a new author.