I received this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Great quarantine read - light and fun with a cast of likable characters. Also a good reminder not to divorce my husband as we have been stuck in the house together for 9 weeks. I could see this being made into some sort of movie or miniseries. It was funny and enjoyable and sweet, but nothing too life changing. I hope they took out a few Orioles references before publication.

First I would like to thank Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this book and give an honest review. The title intrigued me. The Last Couple Standing? Has to be a good read. This one was. The book talks about friends who met, married, and all moved to the suburbs together. The Core Four. BUT one by one three of the marriages ended until the Last Couple Standing (Jessica and Mitch) were all that were left. After the last friends divorced (Alan and Amber), they decide to loosen the strings of their marriage and allow each other to have sexual dalliances outside of their marriage. The main rule was no repeats. I can't tell you more without giving a major plot line away but the book was rooted in friendship and love. I would recommend this quick read to anyone with time on their hands and looking for an afternoon read,

I was a little leery at first... I generally only read female authors (nothing against men but I read fluff and smut - not many men there) and I'm in the midst of a separation as well. But this book was fair - it showed all sides, it showed all flaws, it didn't gloss over anything or pain one sex in a bad light over the other. Last Couple Standing was one of the most honest books about a long term relationship that I have read in years.

It covered it all - the good, the bad, the mundane and it managed to eject humor into places where it shouldn't be (Long live Scarlett - can she please get a spin-off???)

***Rating: 3.5/5 stars***
The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples. The Core Four have always completed every milestone at the same time, including getting divorced at the same time 15 years later. With three of the Core Four unions crumbling to dust around them, Jessica and Mitch Butler take a long, hard look at their own marriage.

Their friends’ marriages ended because of sex for various reasons. Jessica and Mitch try try to stave off the same problems by beginning an open marriage. After ground rules are laid, their otherwise happy marriage undergoes its biggest test yet. Jessica and Mitch are convinced that nothing will go wrong with the rules established. While pursuing other people, they each start to wonder if they’ve made a huge mistake.

What I Didn’t Like:
-Jessica’s lack of genuine communication with Mitch before even suggesting the open marriage.
-Jessica’s personality
-“The Core Four” label and pressure

What I Liked:
-Acknowledgment that marriage and by extension, long-term relationships, are not easy.
-Mitch’s wit
-The alternate Luke/Scarlett storyline
-The ending (lol at Emily!)
-THE WRITING!! Oh my goodness, Norman’s writing led me to finish this so quickly.

As a fan of Matthew Norman's previous novels, I'm sorry to say this one missed the mark. The writing style was very much classic Norman, but the story felt too contrived, with characters that were underdeveloped and unrealistic. The story concept had potential, but I finished the book feeling little for the characters and their journey.

This was a light, but thought-provoking, read about the difficulties of married life and the consequences that can result from attempting creative solutions. The characters are likeable and relatable. Quick wit and a natural dialog between the characters create an understated, but thoroughly enjoyable, element of humor. Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read that will leave you smiling.

I received an arc of Last Couple Standing from Netgalley and Ballantine Books. Thank you. This book brings a different, yet honest view of a couple’s relationship. I enjoyed reading it and want to read the other books Matthew Norman wrote.

This was very similar to Sarah Dunn's The Arrangement, in that it's about a couple who is trying to keep their marriage alive when all of their close friends are divorcing, but I think I enjoyed this book more. The story takes place locally, in Baltimore, Maryland, and I always love reading about people and places that are close. I connected with so many of these characters, but the husband and wife at the center of the story, Mitch and Jessica Butler, were my favorites. I loved their relationship, even when things weren't all sunshine and roses. This story just felt believable and I appreciated the way it ended. I'll also toss a little shout out to the author, Matthew Norman. You don't see a lot of male authors writing in this genre, but he did so fabulously. He perfectly balanced the perspective from both his female and male characters without letting one overshadow the other. This story was interesting, funny, empathetic, and thoughtful without being the slightest bit sappy. Bravo. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Ready to laugh out loud? Whether you are married or not, whether you have kids or not, this book will crack you up. Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman is a very relatable book...well, maybe not the "swinging" part. Do you have friends that have become divorced? Has it affected your friendship?

Meet the couple, who are in the 40s, and whose best friends for over 20 years have all become divorced. They devise a plan to keep their marriage together. Would you try an open-marriage to keep your love alive? The idea is crazy to me, but their characters are written in a very believable way, which made the book interesting.

I would recommend this book as an easy, light read.

I was given this book for my honest review.

There comes a time in every marriage where your contemporaries start to split up. Some splits involve physical infidelity, others are emotional betrayals, and others are just a slow drift apart. Matthew Norman describes the impact of divorce on a four couple group. The Last Couple Standing strive to stay together amidst their closest friends starting new lives as singles. Norman's tale involves people of various ages and stages of life in a well written romance.

I received a reviewer copy of Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman from the publisher Random House Ballantine from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: Eight friends from college paired off and got married, but now all but one couple got divorced for a variety of reasons. The lone couple standing is Jessica and Mitch Butler. Jessica is a therapist and Mitch is an English teacher and they are raising two kids. Their lives are fairly boring and now that all their friends are getting divorced, they're nervous about their marriage and so they take the drastic decision to save their marriage by opening their marriage.

What I Loved: This book is honestly probably the funniest book I've read in awhile, I was cracking up most of the time with the kids being scared of ET and the couple's banter and the wacky situations they find themselves in. I also really loved Mitch, I thought he was quite the catch. I also loved that the author didn't just magically make all the challenges disappear but also didn't make me feel super sad. This was a happy book and fun but also the characters grew too, which bonus for sure!

What I didn’t like so much: Sometimes there were miscommunications and mistakes that were made or decisions that made me cringe or want to just have cleared up rather than ignore but I would say this is a minor deterrent.

Who Should Read It: People who love funny books. People who are looking for books about middle-aged and married romance. People who are okay with open marriage books.

General Summary: A hilarious yet heartwarming story of a married couple getting their groove back :-)

After watching the marriages of all of the other couples belonging to their friend group “The Core Four” disintegrate, Mtch and Jessica come to the conclusion that perhaps desperate times truly do call for desperate measures and decide the solution to a happy marriage might come in the form of a hall pass.

What could possibly go wrong????

So I owe both NetGalley and Matthew Norman a giant apology since I’m the one who requested an early copy of this, held on to it for an age and then actively avoided it because when I finally got around to reading the blurb (you know your girl is all about a cover, and this was a good one), I assumed it would not be my cup of tea. I have no idea why I decided to take the plunge yesterday, but holy crap am I glad I did. I read this author once before (Domestic Violets) when the library didn’t have the book of his I actually wanted (We’re All Damaged) and was a bit underwhelmed. This time? Oh yes indeedy are the comparisons to Jonathan Tropper spot on and I effing LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED this. After wrongreadng a book on Saturday (due to a plethora of reasons, I’m sure, but bad dialogue was definitely one of them), this little diddy was a breath of fresh air come Sunday and I sat on the deck for the afternoon and sucked it right up. I loooooooooooove dialogue driven stories – especially witty dialogue that just flows without attempting to try too hard – and this one was near perfection. I also love realistic marriages and children and ensemble casts so this had soooooo many things going for it. And yes, the subject matter of cheating is absolutely one I generally avoid, but this book covered this hot-button issue with feeling and humor that made my end-of-book reaction simply feeling like I read something a bit naughty as it reminds any happily-enough married person reading it that . . . .

"On your side of the fence, the grass is green as fuck. On this side, there is no grass. There’s just booze and sadness and fucking designer jeans."

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

Couples , In this case four couples, who met in college as you do. Who entered adulthood sharing their lives on a regular basis, with all its rants and raves. Who time and time again transitioned into divorce,that is all but one couple who saw their friends marriages dissolve and wrote a plan to circumvent their divorce with an updated hall pass type manuscript. It was detailed and through and in the end full of holes,once reality came to play. If you enjoy the what if’s on a particularly awful day read this peak into the lives of the Core Four. Happy reading

At the start of this novel, all of 40ish couple Mitch and Jessica’s friends have gotten a divorce, so in a bid to save their marriage they consider whether to try an open marriage. Funny, poignant, and insightful about its very real-feeling characters and the topics of marriage and parenthood. A Jonathan Tropper/Tom Perrotta/Nick Hornby kind of vibe with a bit of Sarah Dunn’s “The Arrangement” which tackles a similar theme. I’ve never read Matthew Norman before but look forward to checking out his prior novels. 4.5 stars.

I started off really enjoying this story. I thought the characters were very witty and laughed quite a bit. It lost me though about halfway through. I honestly don't know why.

Four couples who are very active in each others' lives, when suddenly so many of them begin splitting up. The remaining couple then decides that instead of breaking up, maybe they'll try their hands at some things....well, adultery being one. The main reason I kept reading was because I was so damn invested. It's funny how that happens. With some books, you can read over 200 pages and not care at all. But Norma had me caring about these people right from the start. I wanted to know if affairs were really going to happen, and, if so, what craziness would occur.

I was not disappointed.

4.5/5 Stars

This book is about 4 couples who have been friends since college who are starting to fall apart. 3 of the 4 couples have gotten divorced. The remaining couple, Mitch & Jessica are fine but are starting to worry they will be next. They decide to relax the rules about having sex with other people and all kinds of crazy happens

At first I wasn't crazy about this premise, but like how things were wrapped up. I ended up enjoying the book more than I thought I would.

Last Couple Standing is a comedy of errors. Four couples made up the "Core Four" as friends met and paired up during college at Johns Hopkins. They did everything together, parties, babies, jobs, vacations. That is until the couples started divorcing. Soon Jessica and Mitch Butler were the last of the Core Four to remain married. Why were they different? Jessica and Mitch are worried - even though they still love each other very much. So they decide to spice up the marriage by experimenting with an "open relationship." Does that ever work? This was a fun, adult read. Characters were well developed if not always likable. The plot was complex but moved along at a great pace. I appreciate the chance to read the ARC and look forward to other books by Matthew Norman..

This story is a trainwreck. But...that's not a bad thing! This is the story of one couple's last effort into saving their marriage and it's full of engaging ideas and humor. Matthew Norman is an excellent writer and I'm sure that I will reach more of his work very soon.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved this book. It was a quick fun read. Couldn’t recommend it more. Go read this book right now you won’t be disappointed.