Let me start out by saying I am 42 years old and still cannot watch ET. My kids have never seen it for all the reasons hilariously scattered throughout this book!
Ok, on with the review. I like Matthew Norman's writing style. He adds humor, wit, and personality to real life stories and issues about family and family dynamics. Many of the little bits and pieces in this book are absolutely relatable, especially at this point in life.
The story is a good one, though perhaps a bit far fetched, but it may be possible that I live in a bubble and real people do this sort of thing. There are a lot of characters at the beginning, but you don't have to pay too close attention to who is with/without whom because it doesn't really matter. Jessica and Mitch are the main characters here. Jessica is looking to spice things up a bit and affable Mitch is along for the ride to make his wife happy.
Plenty of humor with grown-up situations and some serious relationship notes. I enjoyed reading this ARC from Netgalley and look forward to future books.
Go find We're All Damaged and Domestic Violets for more good reads.

Slightly lightweight premise. I think I enjoyed this book more than I normally would because I live in the same place that it takes place and the author really used a lot of details about actual Baltimore locations in it. He should know that the City Paper folded quite awhile back and he should just sub in the Sun or Twitter.

Also, I don't understand the point of telling us that the custody judge near the beginning of the book was African American and like Oprah. What was the point of singling out her race? Saying she was Oprah-like (why? how?) was basically a weird stereotype/microaggression. I get that the characters were probably supposed to be sort of racist because they left the city they all lived in when they had kids to move to largely white suburbs but this description was in the prose, not a character's dialogue.

Last Couple Standing was a quick and quirky read! It was a fabulous blend of humor, heartache, romance, and lessons learned. It does follow a trope, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. It’s not trying to be revolutionary- it is what it is and it’s a fantastic read through and through.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book! A more comprehensive review will be posted on social media closer to the date of release.

The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples, four marriages, three sets of children, and now three divorces. "Last Couple Standing" is about one couple's exploration into an open marriage to see if they can avoid the same fate that befell their friends. Here, Mitch and Jessica relax a few rules to see if that will help them guarantee a chance at success.

Part of the reason why I gave the book three stars is because of all the subplots in the novel. I thought that the writer tried to juggle too much and ultimately, it became overreaching without a central focus. This included tackling divorce, an older man in crisis dating a much-younger woman, an older woman hooking up with a younger man, even a significant chunk of time devoted to the movie, E.T. There's more than I haven't listed, including trying to tackle friendships for both the female and male lead. We never quite spend a lot of time with Jessica's friends. I felt that the reasoning and motivations behind Jessica's character were never fully explained and as a result, she was certainly portrayed as less sympathetic in comparison to Mitch, her husband. As a result, she never felt fleshed out.

While I breezed through the book and certainly found parts of it quite funny, I think it left a lot to be desired on my part, especially since I've read other novels tackling similar subjects that hit the mark.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reading copy of the novel, scheduled for release March 2020.

As a woman whom had multiple friends married and/or divorced, this is a realistic depiction I how hard a relationship can be and what drives us apart despite the best intentions. I enjoyed the evolution of the Core Four and would read more from this author.

I enjoyed this book a lot, just felt like it was a little underdeveloped in a few areas. While the book alternates between the perspectives of Jessica and Mitch, it's much easier to get a read on Mitch and have empathy for his character. I wasn't always clear what Jessica's motivations were. Kind of seemed a bit like she invented the challenge merely to justify cheating, which felt a little shitty to me.

There were some humorous bits in this book (I too make the gravely stupid choice to watch E.T. with my kid, scarring her for life) and some thought provoking things to say about the state of marriage when you're middle aged. Indeed, when all of your friends are getting divorces, it very much seems like the grass is greener for the newly single. However, this book (and first hand accounts I've gotten in real life) have given me a more well rounded perspective on the situation.

In some ways, this book has a tough job to tackle-balancing the tough topic of divorce and a marriage in crisis with some misadventures in dating that are sometimes played more broadly for laughs (the finale of the book resembles a traditional farce.) While I appreciate the author's deftness in striking that balance, at times the touch felt a little too light. At its core, this is a pretty sad story, so it didn't always feel good when it made you laugh.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by Matthew Norman. It was funny, perplexing & imaginative! (Note to self-don't fix what isn't broke......)
Being married 15 years has it's challenges. Imagine going to college with 3 other couples, watching them marry & then divorce. This scares Jessica & Mitch. Neither of them want to wind up like the other 3 couples, whose main problems were sex-they were mostly not having it or at least not with each other. So Jessica & Mitch try an experiment. to save their marriage.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Ballentine for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly love Matthew Norman's writing style. Modern, quirky, funny, sarcastic and genuine. I fell in love with We're All Damaged and the affair continued with Domestic Violets. In his latest novel, Last Couple Standing, he is not quite on his game in some parts of the book but it does not take away from the story. The subject matter keeps it somewhat solemn and serious but there are brilliant hints and scenes of wit and sarcasm. It was not what I was expecting from Mr. Norman but nevertheless it still was a 5 star read for me. He does the regular guy so well. He always does "the Dad" characters spot on. I just could not put it down. The story is about the Core Four, four friends and their significant others, but centers around Mitch and Jessica. They are far from perfect and weirdly trying to survive the chaos in the midst of their best friend's relationship woes. Their decisions perplexed me in a way I could never relate to but the story was strong and entertaining. I wanted to reach in and knock some sense into some of these characters. But in the end, it all came together and it was a great read for me. Enjoy.

Lately I have been reading mostly historical fiction, so when #Netgalley had this #drc as one I could request, I gave it a shot. Romcom is not my normal go to genre, but you need to branch out every once in awhile. And I am so glad I did!

This is a book about 4 couples, friends since college. The couples do everything together. From vacations, to having babies, and even divorce as a group... Well almost. The storyline was good as far as this genre goes. It was laugh out loud funny in places. (driveway scene in last chapter) It was a little cringe worthy in places, and sometimes a little predictable...But that is what you need sometimes in a book. A book that lets you relax, enjoy and say to yourself "Damn, I'm glad that's not me!" I can honestly say that I am so glad I chose this book and that I am glad the publisher gave me a chance to read and review this! Such a fun, fast read!!

I give this book 3 1/2⭐. It made me laugh, and it was exactly what I needed!

Thank you @netgalley and #ballantinebooks for giving this ebook to me in exchange for my honest review.

Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman will reach the heart of every middle aged married couple in today's world, answering the age old question of "Is the grass always greener?" This book is impossible to put down, and left me with a renewed and energized approached to my own marriage. Kudos Mr. Norman, in creating a true picture of what it is like to be married in this day and age.

This book was compelling, and also incredibly depressing. It's a book about the human condition, what it means to have and live through an adult relationship and it had many morose and dark moments. But that's life, and for that I actually really enjoyed it. The dynamics in the book are very real and relatable and the ending makes sense in the context, but I think that's the only part that felt forced. It was as if the author forgot the entirety of the book he had been writing up until then, or perhaps editor intervention and so the ending didn't quite fit to me. The characters were well developed, except I felt there was a clear villain and that kind of drove me crazy. A roaring this is all your fault, and you're terrible because it seemed it all stemmed not quite from passion but almost nonchalance and it seemed like this created this whole conflict and it could've been avoided. Overall, I enjoyed the book a lot, and having recently married gave me many moments to reflect upon life and the lives of those around me.

While the concept is a bit intriguing, I guess I don't buy into the core concept of the book ('all our friends are getting a divorce, so now we're going to try an open marriage to save ours?'). Additionally, this read a little too much 'white hetero-normative problems' to be much more than a surface level book. I would've loved just a bit of diversity. As other reviewers have mentioned, the characters are all somewhat one-dimensional and I don't particularly understand their motivations for behaving the way they do. I will say I did want to eat Golden Oreos after finishing this book.

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

The novel is an easy read. There is a core group of four couples who have been friends for twenty years, fast forward to present day and three of the couples have split. The Last Couple Standing, Jessica and Mitch, decide to have an "open marriage" in the hopes of keeping their marriage intact. The novel does not break any new ground on the subject of marriage and infidelity.. I would have liked the author to develop the characters more. The ending, to me, was rushed.

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of an ARC of this novel in return for an unbiased review.

This was my first book by Matthew Norman and it has been a pleasure to read. He has an amazing ability to create a world where you feel at home, that the characters are your own friends and you are just on the sidelines watching it all play out. I felt connected to the story, as many married individuals may, because at one time or another you may have had the same feelings and thoughts as those characters. I thought I had the story line pegged from the beginning, but I was completely wrong (and I love that).

*I received the ARC for this book from netgalley. All thoughts and comments are my own. *

An interesting read, not sure I loved it but it was definitely an interesting take on the romance genre.

Loved this book. Every character was relatable and believable. I'll be honest after reading the first two pages I was sure it wasn't for me but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. Already ordered two more books by this author.

3.5 ⭐️ Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an ARC. This was a fun read. Pretty hilarious, and definitely a bit of a farce toward the end. I didn’t necessarily love the topic. The wife in the lone surviving married couple among a group of friends suggest an open marriage might help keep them married. But the book as well as the main characters were entertaining. Of course, as I’m sure the author (a male) intended, I was team Mitch (husband) more than Jessica (wife.)

Gorgeous writing draws you right into this story of couples who have been friends together, got married together, moved to the suburbs together, and are now struggling to survive in these marriages. I loved the writing and absolutely all of the characters. A fantastic story that I didn't want to end.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley however all opinions are my own. It just wasn’t my taste. It was fairly well-written but I just hate people who play at open marriages and polyamory. It’s just mocking a true and real relationship type. I didn’t feel attached to any of the characters and felt frustrated by the storyline. It just didn’t stick for me. I don’t think it was bad per se but just not a dream.

I had high hopes for the Last Couple Standing but it ended up just being an okay read for me. It is definitely a rom-com but the premise just fell flat for me. There was some laugh out loud moments but I felt that it just was a little too "out there" for me when main characters felt so flat.

I did enjoy the commentary on marriage and kids but some it is was just too cringe-worthy and a little juvenile. The characters were very one dimensional which made it hard to really connect with the storyline. Some readers may really love this, it just wasn't for me.