Happy Pub Day to Just the Two of Us by Jo Wilde! Thank you to @booksforwardpr and @readforeverpub for the advance copy. I read Just the Two of Us over the weekend, and really enjoyed it. It's quick little book, that packs a punch. I think I read it in a day!

This book alternates between the beginning of the pandemic lockdown and then moments throughout Julie and Michael's relationship together. If you are hesitant to read a book with a pandemic setting, don't let that be a deterrent. That element is mostly in the background, and the focus is on a marriage in trouble, as Julie and Michael navigate finding themselves and each other. Beautifully written! I recommend this one!

A couple on the brink of divorce after 35 years of marriage gets a second chance to rediscover their love now that a pandemic lockdown has forced them to spend more time together.

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, she's just about to have The Talk with Michael when everything changes. 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?

I love a good marriage in crisis book so I grabbed this digital review copy in spite of the fact that the main characters are on lockdown during a pandemic. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me. In a sense the pace was slow, but at the same time it felt rushed. It also is full of flashbacks that interrupted the story.

I did appreciate the reconciliation in the marriage. But overall this was a miss for me.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

After 35 years, a couple with three grown kids are on the brink of divorce when they're forced into lockdown together during the COVID-19 pandemic.

This book was told in two points of view--both Julie and Michael. One timeline was in the present and the other went back in time showing scenes throughout their life. I enjoyed reading a story focused on a long married couple and their relationship ups and downs. It was good seeing them try to reconnect and work through their communication issues and open up about their feelings.

Thank you to the publisher for an ecopy of this book.

The Covid lockdowns caused people to reflect on their lives, and this book tells of Michael, Julie and their families. Secrets unearthed, decisions made and lives changed after they lived through lockdown, like so many of us.

While I liked this book, I can’t say that I loved it. It felt a bot slow paced at times, even though it only spanned about 3 weeks. I’m sure it will resonate with a lot of readers but it just didn’t for me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

I couldn't get into this so I dnf'd it. I couldn't really connect with the characters; I didn't like their personalities.

Okay, at first I was nervous to read a book set in the pandemic - I was just nervous is was going to be too soon, too close to home. However, I adored this second-chance romance for a couple who has been married 30+ years.

This dual POV romance was just so well done. You could feel the tension in the start of the novel, which started with lockdown and the couple truly didn't want to be near each other; the natural progression for the couple back towards each other felt real and authentic. It wasn't forced or rushed.

Honestly, it was just so cute to relive their romance, while we were getting the perspective of their current relationship.

Such a timely and utterly relatable story! Julie and Michael are coming up on 35 years of marriage and Julie is ready for a divorce. Then the pandemic happens and the couple are forced into lockdown together. What follows is a second chance at love in middle age story. I really enjoyed that this romance featured more mature characters and felt oh so real with our current situations. A fun, entertaining read I'd happily recommend! Much thanks to NetGalley and Forever for my advance review copy!

If you love books about second chances, this one is for you. It will make you laugh and cry. I love it so much I’m getting a hard copy of this one. It’s really well written and I was hooked from the very beginning. You won’t be able to put it down.

4⭐️ // Most people know marriage isn’t always easy, and this short story starts with a marriage on the brink of failure. While reading, you will see just how important communication between spouses is, especially for this empty nest couple.

I liked the pace of the book, and seeing the perspectives of both main characters kept me intrigued. Also, I enjoyed how the story would take the reader back in time to see how the relationship first blossomed and where things went wrong. However, I did find the timeline a little confusing at some points. Otherwise, I’m very happy with the direction the author took.

Read this book if …
🏃‍♀️You’re looking for a quick read
💐 You want to open a floral business
🏍 You enjoy riding on a motorcycle
💗 You believe in second chances
🦠 You think some positive aspects came from self-quarantining during the peak of COVID

TW: divorce, infidelity, parental death

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), for providing me an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A Goodreads review will be posted shortly, and an Instagram post with an inspired music playlist will be posted within a week.

Read this book if you like: Second chances, dual POV

After almost 35 years of marriage, Julie and Michael's grand romance has fizzled. They are more like housemates than husband and wife, even sleeping in separate rooms. Julie thinks it's time to give up on their love story. She's going to give her husband divorce papers. Suddenly a lockdown is put in place for COVID-19. They are more fragile than ever and now they are stuck in the same house, stripped of all distraction. They are forced to meet eyes across the dinner table every night then unexpected sparks begin to fly.

Their three grown children are all away. The story jumps to past and present day. I thought this was great as you really get to see how they grew apart over time. This book felt realistic. I have only been married for 12 years but you definitely have to constantly be working at your marriage. This was a great fast feel good read with some serious topics added in. Definitely recommend. It comes out in the US on April 12th. Pre-order it now!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author Jo Wilde, and Forever Publishing for the ARC!

This book starts with Julie getting divorce papers that are finally ready for her to hand to her husband for signing. Papers he’s not aware exist yet. She is celebrating that she’s made the right decision and will soon be free. Her Husband Micheal knows the marriage has been failing lately. They have been married 35 years, but the last 10 years things have become rocky between them. Right when’s she about to present him the papers, the lockdown begins for the pandemic and she decides maybe it’s not the best time to spring this on him. She hesitates and holds on to the papers.

We get submersed immediately into their lives and how being forced together during lockdown Micheal realizes he needs to make a move to fix his marriage. On the other hand, Julie doesn’t think it can be fixed…at least not in the beginning she doesn’t…

Things I loved:
▪️ There wasn’t a big focus on the pandemic over all. The story focuses on their marriage history.
▪️The details of their marriage and how it was clearly a mess.
▪️ Michael: I wasn’t a fan at first, but once you get to know him and how caring he is he grew on me.
▪️The slow burn and experiencing them falling in love with each other again was so sweet.
▪️I loved this cover. I was drawn to it when I saw this available for review. I’m a sucker for a cute illustrated 🛵cover!

My only compliant is the time jumps were confusing for me and didn’t really have a pattern. I got lost a few times and it took away from the momentum of the story, but it’s still a great story about rekindling the flames of their marriage and finding their way back to each other. ❤️

This book releases on April 12th, 2002 Thank to @netgalley and @grandcentralpub for this #ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Julie and Michael ar at an impasse in their marriage. They aren't happy together, but they don't know exactly why. Julie knows she doesn't want to live like this anymore and visits a divorce lawyer the same day that lockdown starts. Since she and Michael will be stuck together, she decides to wait on giving him the papers.
In the beginning you can see the breakdown of the marriage, the lack of communication between the couple. They are trying to find their footing with each other again after their kids left home. The book bounces back and forth between the past and the present, giving us the good and the bad of their marriage.
I love reading marriage reconciliation books because I love how a couple learns to communicate and comes back together. Communication with the ones you love should be the easiest thing to do, but is often the hardest. I enjoyed Julie and Michael's book tremendously. I have read a few "lockdown" books and this one was done in such a way that it didn't fell overwhelming.
Thank you to Jo Wilde, Grand Central and Netgalley for an early copy.

This was a nice story about two people finding their way back to each other.

I liked the way this story was told, alternating between the present and moments in the couples’ lives in the past. I liked that this story focused on a couple that is older and have grown children.

It was a bit strange to read a book that is mostly set during that first pandemic lock down. That time feels so far away and also like it was yesterday. I liked that the story didn’t focus too much on the pandemic though because it would have taken away from the overall story.

I liked seeing the couple reconnect during their time isolating with each other. And I liked seeing them finally address issues that had been building.

This is a nice story and I would recommend.

“Just the two of us, we can make it if we try…” that song was stuck in my head the entire time I read.

I thought the concept was interesting. A couple headed for divorce when bam! A pandemic happens.

I definitely thought this was sweet. It was a bit choppy with timelines, and I thought the end was wrapped up rather quickly.

But it was nice to read a romance that wasn’t in the 20’s- 30’s age bracket. Quite refreshing.

*special thanks to Forever Publishing for gifting me an eARC through netgalley to review

Julie and Michael are approaching 35 years of marriage. But Julie is ready for a divorce and to start a new life. And then COVID hits. Everybody is on lockdown. Their adult kids aren’t coming home. Does she want to wait until after the lockdown for a divorce? Can she stay in the house with a man she doesn’t want to be married to?

This was a fun quick story. I really enjoyed the reality of what it must feel like to be empty-nesters in the lockdown. And I enjoyed the glimpses of their relationship timeline and compare how things started to how things are currently. I will say, I’m still not quite ready for a Covid book. I thought I was going into it, but I wasn’t. I like books to escape, and this book wasn’t that. It’s well written and interesting though, so if you don’t mind reading about Covid, give it a shot!

Just the Two of Us tells the story of Julie and Michael Marshall, who, after 35 years of marriage, are on the brink of a divorce. Just when Julie wonders if she should give up on their love story once and for all, they go into lock down together at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. There was definitely a piece of me that wondered if I really wanted to read about Covid-19 in my books. I read for entertainment, and to escape reality, and this book using Covid-19 as a driving factor in their relationship made me second guess reading it. However, I am so glad I stuck with it. .When stripped of all distraction and forced to meet eyes across the dinner table every night, unexpected sparks begin to fly between these two characters. This is a story of second chances. Wilde takes her readers on a lovely ride through one couples journey of new romance all the way to empty nesters. It's the first book I read by this author and I highly recommend it.

Julie and Michael Marshall have been married for almost 35 years. The story begins as she picks up divorce papers and goes home to tell her husband their marriage is over. But the original lock down begins for the Covid pandemic. Their three grown children are all away so it is the two of them left to spend time together. The story jumps to previous time periods and then returns to the present day to explore how they grew apart. I think what stood out to me was the ordinariness of it all. It felt realistic that they each had their own work to do and relationships with the kids but they forgot about them as a couple. I found this easy to read and relatable. I think the cover makes it look like it will be a lighter read than it is actually. I enjoyed the story. Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just the Two of Us follows Julie and Michael Marshall, who, after 35 years of marriage, are on the brink of a divorce at the beginning of the (Covid-19) pandemic lockdown.

After their children left the house and Mike's back was acting up on him, they began sleeping in separate rooms and have done so for the past several years, which has caused them to even eat their meals at separate times. It's a no wonder Julie has decided enough is enough, but picked the worst possible time for the potential divorce because they are going to be stuck in the house alone with each other for who knows how long! Will they be able to rediscover why they fell in love in the first place or will the distance between them continue to grow?

My biggest pet peeve of this book was that it was constantly jumping back and forth between the present and past events in their relationship. Even though the chapter heading told you when and where this was happening (for the most part), it was the times when these flashback were happening as like "in the moment memory" or whatever that I didn't enjoy.

I also didn't like the fact that it felt like the "plot twist" of the story was at like the 85% mark and then solved so easily. I mean, I can guarantee if that were me and my husband going through that exact scenario.. things would not be resolved so easily. That being said, besides that one event I just mentioned, nothing really happened in this book. It felt to me like it was more the contemporary genre than the romance genre and maybe because of this reason I wasn't really thrilled by it. 2.5/5 stars, rounded up to 3.

This novel was originally released in July 2020 by Piatkus and this version will be released in April 2022 by Forever.

Julie is on the verge of serving her husband divorce papers when she finds out they will need to lockdown together. After years of living more like roommates than husband and wife, Julie doesn't know what to expect when they are forced to spend all their time together.

Jo Wilde wrote the love story that likely occurred to many couples around the world at the start of the pandemic, and she managed to make it feel so real. Julie and Michael could easily be my husband and me, our neighbors, our grandparents, or our coworkers. They felt so real that it was hard not to get overly emotionally invested.

I really appreciated the opportunity to read about the COVID-19 pandemic in a way that showcased the impact the lockdown had on individuals everyone - both negative and in some cases, positive.

My only concerns with this book were that it was, at times, a bit slower and the time jumps didn't always help with that. However, I really enjoyed this book overall.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this read and tore through it quickly. A second chance romance that follows a pair of empty nesters on the brink of divorce.

Dual POV and flashbacks gave great development to the story, and good perspective for the marital situation.

I was nervous to read about anything Covid related… but it honestly felt a bit cathartic to read about lockdown. After what we have all lived through the last couple years, the setting of the story was extremely relatable.

Thanks to Netgalley and Forever/ Grand Central Publishing for this eARC!