This book was absolutely not for me. The premise was promising enough, one couple figures out a way to keep their marriage alive as their friends are divorcing all around them. What is turned out to be was the movie Hall Pass in novel format. As I was reading, I kept thinking “this has to have been written by a man!” And it was. The characters are one-dimensional, and their decisions do not seem to make any sense. There is one scene at the end of the book that was humorous and tied the plot together, but that was the high point for me. This should have been a DNF (did not finish) for me, but I wanted to be able to give a fair review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica and Mitch wanted to make a change as they see all of their friends starting to get divorces. They saw that the core of their friends' issues were no sex, not enough sex or even the boredom of sex had lead to the demise of their marriages. Jessica and Mitch came up with a plan to have an "evolved" marriage.

The story was easy to get lost in as it is an easy read and easily enough to relate in a relationship or marriage. However, I find the characters were bland and their emotions no where near life like. Everything seems to be skimming on top from the story to the characters never got any deeper as the story went on. Even the ending left me without feelings, it was just there. That's it, the end. The characters and story never really developed. There were actually no conflicts; which I find extremely odd.

This was a different sort of book but one that was good. I know it was fiction but it made you really think about marriage and how much you know about the person beside you.

LAST COUPLE STANDING doesn't tread any new ground. I feel like I've read this story before. However, Norman is a top notch writer and I enjoyed the story very much. I guess if you like this sort of plot, then by all means check this one out. LAST COUPLE STANDING combines smart writing with wit and even a bit of humor. The characters are relatable and the ending felt satisfying.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.
This book features the classic tale of a married couple testing the waters of a more open relationship to try to fix something that isn't broken. It doesn't really break any new ground or offer any novel perspectives but the characters are realistic, likable, and easy to root for. The author does a great job of finding little ways to tie in seemingly random, mundane things that really improve what would otherwise be a pretty basic, predictable plot.
The ending is a little rushed. All hell breaks loose in about two chapters and then the last chapter takes place several months later and doesn't provide much detail about what happened during that time.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters capture and hold your attention and the plot is mostly lighthearted (unless you start to wonder about your own relationship...).

Huge thanks to NetGalley & Ballantine for allowing me to read this book!

Found it very hard to get into this book. The concept was great, but the character development was not. I didn't care a thing about any of the people.

This novel follows a path set by several authors in the past few years that the way to save a marriage is to allow the couple to have outside relationships.

Jessica and Mitch make this decision because 3 of the couples they are close to are getting divorced. Can sanctioned cheating save a marriage?

This one is well written and and main characters are likable but it’s been done too many times and seems predictable. Personally, I thought Elyssa Friedlander did it much better in Intermission.

A perfect “lite” read, but nothing new or earth shattering.