Member Reviews
*Just the Two of Us* by Jo Wilde is a frustrating and unsatisfying romance. The story, centered around two people navigating their relationship, feels forced and lacks emotional depth. The characters are underdeveloped and come across as flat, making it difficult to invest in their connection. The dialogue is clichéd and the pacing slow, with very little to keep the reader engaged. The romance feels predictable and lacks chemistry, making it hard to root for the couple. Overall, the book fails to deliver on the promise of a heartfelt love story, leaving me bored and disappointed by the end.
I like reading stories with older couples and we need more of them. This wasn’t my favorite older couple, but I will keep reading anything I can with silver haired characters.
3 stars
This was a really great second chance romance with older characters that aren't just in the angsty 20-something age.
Sending my apologies for not being able to provide a review. I am unable to offer a review for this book - I had sent it to my kindle to read and the file did not download properly. Unfortunately the book has been archived and I'm unable to re-send it.
This was a cute story and almost made me long for the days of Spring 2020! I loved this story and thought it was well written and an honest look at marriages.
What a refreshing change, to read about an older couple struggling to recapture their love, as opposed to the falling in love stories that I usually gravitate to. Julie and Michael are empty nesters, on the verge of divorce, when the pandemic lockdown pushes them into forced proximity, providing great tension.. There were many flashbacks to earlier times that left the characters (and me as a reader) wondering what went wrong. I liked watching their awkwardness around each other ease as they navigated who they were past the era of raising a family and how they came together again for their next stage.
This was the very first book that I read that existed in the "covid world". Let me tell you - I was nervous because who wants to read about lockdown?!
However, I loved that this book was centered around a couple who had been married for 35 years, but had lost their spark. Lockdown definitely either made or broke several relationships, and I loved reading about Julie and Michael navigating their way back to each other.
Reading a romance that follows a mature couple who have been together for a long time was extremely refreshing and enjoyable!
Note: this book takes place during the pandemic / lock down. Not the biggest fan of stories about older couples (sorry!) but it was still well written and enjoyable.
I just couldn't connect with this story. I appreciate the older mature married couple. I think for me, the whole setting of the pandemic was just off putting?
DNF.
thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
I love a romance written within a marriage and seeing love bloom where it had withered. The covid plot point was good as well:
DNF - Ultimately not something for which I am the target audience but I'm sure it will find its way into the hands of those that will appreciate every facet of this story!
From the first paragraph, I knew this book would be a good one. I immersed myself into the book from the first chapter and I cannot say enough good things about this book! Honestly amazing! The writing is incredible and the plot is just one to die for. I am absolutely obsessed with this book. My favorite part would have to be the character development throughout the book. Character development is something I look forward to and this book did not disappoint.
This one was cute, simple and overall an easy read. I enjoyed their journey and while nothing stood out, it was still a solid 4 stars.
I seem to be a lot into second chance romances and related recipe nowadays, so this book was an impulsive request on NetGalley. I quite enjoyed the read, but didn't find it so special, probably due to other similar books that I've read. If you're someone looking for an easy venture into the above tropes, this is a great place to start.
I have to say, I love reading books staged during Covid.
I feel like these kinds of books are the realest kind to me!
These two characters were already on a rough road and then Covid happens. To be stuck with someone 24/7 is hard enough but when there in tension there… man!
I was cursing these characters during this book and I was also rooting for them all in the same breath!
Bravo on the storyline and let’s be real, this could be one of us!
A pandemic romance...very true to life in many aspects. Julie & Michael are on the brink of divorce until the lockdown begins and it is just the two of them. Cute concept, not my favorite of hers but I did enjoy it.
Just The Two Of Us
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 4/12/22
Author: Jo Wilde
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 320
Goodreads Rating: 3.68
TW ⚠️: Pandemic/COVID, death of a family member, with hints of infidelity and divorce
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.
Synopsis: Julie and Michael Marshall have stayed together through thick and thin, through better and worse -- and, for the last few years, it has mostly been worse. As their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary approaches, Julie realizes something: she doesn't want to pretend anymore. Divorce papers at the ready. Lockdown begins and Julie and Michael face the greatest terror they can imagine: uninterrupted time with each other. But, when stripped of all distraction and forced to meet eyes across the dinner table, could it be that Julie and Michael might find a way back to where they first began?
My Thoughts: I can kind of relate to the storyline. I have been married for almost 30 years (officially 27) and we’ve have been through thick and thin, however, our love for each other is stronger than when we said “I do” in 1995. Enough about me. I love how the author worked the pandemic (COVID) into the storyline of the book but did not dwell on it, and it was just the reason that made them reevaluate their lives. I loved the alternating timelines in the POV between Julie and Michael, it really provided a good backstory of what they have been through. The characters were well developed, had depth, endurance, and love. The author’s writing was complex, creative, intriguing, and kept me engaged throughout the entire book. I loved this book and would highly recommend. What I took from the story is that love is enduring.
This was a funny and heartwarming tale that was well-written and the characters were very well developed. You really found yourself rooting for them as individuals and for their happy ending.
I enjoyed this story of an empty nest couple married 35 years on the brink of divorce. Julie is preparing to serve Michael divorce papers when the lockdown is announced. After contacting their children, they discover it will only be the two of them in the house. The story is told in alternating timelines giving us a look at their life together from the time they met, their marriage, the raising of their family and the slow breakdown of their marriage. I thought it was well written with relatable characters. I had no problem with it being set during the pandemic since it wasn't the focus of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me a free ebook to review.
Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my review.