This debut novel by Taylor Hahn was a unique take on the romance category and took me a bit out of my comfort zone because I for one was not very familiar with the lifestyle of swinging. What knocked down the overall rating the most for me sadly was my distaste for the main character, Georgina. Something about her just felt off and I really had to persevere through the majority of the story because of it. The final few chapters were redeeming though and if Hollywood could find a way to adapt this into a show I would be all for it! I appreciated the friendships in the story and I'm overall happy with the path this story took in the end. I can't wait to see what Taylor writes next!

Rating: 3.5 stars

3.5 pineapples for The Lifestyle. For a book about swingers, I was looking forward to a vicarious experience with lots of raunchy escapades to leave me laughing and blushing. Unfortunately, the raunch level was much less than the bodice rippers I typically pick up. If you like sweeter romances with not much onscreen action, you might like this toe-dip into an alternative relationship experience. If you are looking for heat, you will find this a bit lukewarm. Georgina is painted as a perfectionist career woman, and I did like her as a character. But one thing she was definitely NOT perfect at was baking/cooking.... umm, you would never stir butter into your muffin batter before popping them in the oven, store a bag of onions in the fridge, or add milk to your funfetti cake mix. Though not really a part of the story, I found myself looking for her next culinary faux pax as I found that the most humorous part.

Overall, really cool premise... I just needed more raunch!

Thank you Knopf Doubleday and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Selling Pitch:
Do you want to read yet another story about a lady realizing she’s settled in her relationship and life instead of going after what she wants because wanting things is scary? Does the mention of kink excite you even if it isn’t portrayed correctly or in-depth?

Pre-reading:
This book’s cover is so fun.

Thick of it:
Her office sounds pretty. She sounds like a Virgo lol. Oh god, she’s me on dates, haha. Belle the Disney princess as a character description in a book about swinging, got it. Nah, fuck him. Never an excuse for cheating. Either ask for permission or break up. So she and Felix end up together or what, lol? I know it’s shit for her lawyer case, but genetics boy is right. Don’t gaslight your friends ma’am. Suzanne sounds unhealthy and like she’s overcompensating. Makeup wipes are so bad for you. Sheesh, this book took a while to get going. I’m around 30%. She wants to swing but doesn’t even own a vibrator? Okay. Covered head to toe in black knit is neither dominatrix nor spy. All the characters’ names blur together. This. Is. So. Unhealthy. I didn’t know chocolate babka existed until a recent Trader Joe’s trip, and now it’s one of my favorite breakfasts. Completely agree with that marriage sentiment: I want to actively choose my partner every day. I don’t want somebody to get complacent because there’s a legal document saying that we have to be together. I don’t want to be taken for granted. Oh spicy, but terrible, terrible name. What crows? Oh sweet Jesus, do not have a baby. Fuck off, Nathan. That’s a terrible beer name. Manic pixie dream boy. Gag. Bestie, that’s not swinging; that’s just an affair. I hope you do get trapped. Good trope. Also, do all book characters just not check the weather before trips? Vegan is not likable, are you joking? Sorry, but everyone knows who Nicky Cage is. Half this book is just descriptions of clothes. I genuinely think about that paved paradise parking lot song a lot. I really don’t like this book. Everyone feels so immature. Did they really get rid of the chili peppers on rate my professor? G spot isn’t real. This book is unreal. Holy internalized misogyny. I don’t think I could fuck someone after they ate squid. Teeth brushing or not. Satisfied they didn’t work out. If it’s Felix, I called that shit like two pages in. Even in NYC, I don’t believe that they had a snowstorm dump 2 feet of snow, and it’s just Thanksgiving now. Math ain’t mathing. You tell her before he’s her husband? Oh bummer, I don’t want them together. I don’t think participation ribbons are blue. Hold on, does she not look at the accounts? How would she not notice money being transferred to his parents every month? Her marriage is definitely not the pedestal. Any man who blames pregnancy on the woman is a hard pass. What a blah ending.

Post-reading:
Look, a book about swingers should be exactly my cup of tea. Raunchy, and funny, and lovely and awkward. That is not this book. The characters don’t feel like real people. They’re too immature and don’t have the understanding of the world that people in their late thirties should have. They read like second-year college students. No one in this book has a healthy relationship, yet you have a protagonist acting like she’s had some big revelation about love and relationships. It doesn’t have any groundbreaking observations, and those few observations aren’t even properly explored and developed. It all feels very half-formed. I actively dislike the author’s portrayal of sex-positivity. It’s not. This book is not sex-positive. It‘s rife with internalized misogyny, and it’s tiring to read. Hard pass on this one.

Who should read this:
The bored housewives who settled in their relationships and lives and were titillated by Fifty Shades of Grey.

Do I want to reread this:
No

Similar books:
* Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney-assholes with problematic sex lives
* Booked on a Feeling by Jayci Lee-lawyer realizes she doesn’t want to lawyer and falls in love with an old friend
* Book Lovers by Emily Henry-type a career lady realizes there’s more to life than work

Overall I enjoyed this book. It’s a really interesting concept that draws you in, and I liked that Georgina had a cast of friends that were really unique. The ending was cute and good. Some of the middle I got a tiny bit bored by, but overall it was a cute and quick read.

I really enjoyed this book! And I'll start by saying, after reading a few reviews ... I did not expect to like it all that much. I got this as an ARC on Netgalley (thank you to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group). I originally requested it because I like Jane Austen retellings (Emma is my favorite) and I was intrigued by the idea of a swinging-based romance, but I was also skeptical that it could work well given the expectations of the genre.

The Lifestyle story follows Georgina Wagmans's journey of self-discovery, aided along by "the lifestyle" and her friends.

Things I loved about this book:
1. fun, escapist vibe - I have no idea what its like to be a high-powered attorney-in-New-York-City-type person, and I enjoyed that view point

2. Witty and a little silly- honestly, describing this as a good fit for those who liked Sex and the City is fairly spot on. It was probably unrealistic in the same way SATC was unrealistic but it was also similarly fun!

3. Georgina's character arc - I LOVE watching a main character fuck up big time but learn from it and learn how to really fulfill their potential and become what & who they want to be. And I especially love it when that process involves their friends and community.

I really think many of the less-than-stellar reviews here are due to a mismatch between expectations and the reality of the book. That's reasonable, it happens! I think some people see a book about swinging and they think it will be chock-full of sex (not the case, though there are some good scenes). Others see this described as an Emma retelling and expect a perfect mirror of the pl0t (not the case, though I'd argue it still a pretty good Emma parallel from a character standpoint).

Finally, and here's where I think the biggest disconnect comes in, this book is marketed as a romance and I don't really think that is an accurate label. It is romantIC, but I would posit that the main plot of this book is more about the main character discovering who she is and what she wants out of life, with some romance included as a sub plot. And if you approach this book with that in mind, I think it is super enjoyable.

From an "Emma" standpoint, though this book doesn't fully follow the plot, I do think Georgina is truly a modern-day Emma Woodhouse in character. She's sure she has everything figured out and that she knows what's best for everyone around her, when in reality she is beyond misguided and her "well-intentioned" meddling causes far more harm than good.

As mentioned above, the main storyline of this book really focuses on Georgina's internal journey. With regard to the "romance" label, here's why I'd not fully consider it a romance (mild spoilers below, hidden to be safe):

(view spoiler)

TO BE CLEAR, I don't really care that much about "the rules of romance." I don't think they always need to be followed, nor do I think a book that strays from the "rules" is a bad book. However, I DO recognize that all genres have basic guidelines (e.g. all mystery books get solved!) and the further you stray from those guidelines the less your book fits into the genre. So I'm highlighting here the ways in which I think this book strays from some of the basic romance guidelines. I think its for these reasons that when people pick up the book expecting romance, they may end up a little disappointed.

Additional disclaimer - this book is pretty white and very straight. Even within the swinging, its all fairly hetero (if I'm remembering correctly). That doesn't make this a bad book, but I wouldn't pick it up expecting a lot of diversity in that regard.

All in all, I thought this was a fun book to read. In my opinion, many books of this sort of "fun, flirty" type are overly saccharine, steeped in cliche, or honestly just poorly written. This was none of those things, and instead offered a refreshing and witty option for those searching out such books.

Georgina Wagman has a great marriage, great career and great friends…so it seems. When she catches her husband with a junior associate she must come up with a plan to save her marriage. Did I mention that plan includes spicing up their marriage as swingers? 😁 When she reconnects with an old flame things get a little dicey.

One of the reasons I enjoy about reading is because I love learning new things. In this case it is about swinging aka The Lifestyle and I feel very enlightened. My heart just hurt for Georgina when it felt like her life was falling apart. I’m also proud of myself for stepping a little out of my comfort zone.

I went in to this book blind, I didn't read the blurp totally judged it by its cover, which is super cute by the way

Anywho, it's about swingers! What I learned!

Georgina has everything she wants, husband, great job, living in the city.

Then she walks in on something she never expected to see.

After a moment of crisis and a lot of soul searching, she decides that she and Nathan will become swingers, eek....

She enlists her friends to tag along as well, but things go wrong there and cause friction all over the place.

Everything is going great until she runs into someone from her past at a party and everything really changes.

I liked it enough, all thoughts are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this title.

I just reviewed The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn. #TheLifestyle #NetGalley

Georgina's seemingly perfect life comes crashing down around her when she discovers her husband is having an affair. Desperate to save her marriage, Georgina decides "the lifestyle" (aka "swinging" is the only way to save her marriage. Overall, this book fell flat for me. I found Georgina to be a bit of a pill, and it made it difficult for me to become invested in her story and care about the outcome of the story. I do appreciate the author bringing attention to alternative lifestyles, although since I have little knowledge of ethical non-monogamy in practice, I'm not sure how reality-based this depiction actually is. Despite not being overly invested in the story, I did complete it, and it is a good read if you are looking for something a little out of the norm and not too heavy.

What a fun read! I'm a huge Jane Austen fan and this is a loose retelling based on Emma. I was curious to read this as the plot is set in the world of swinging couples (Jane Austen and I probably know about the same amount of this world). I found the characters engaging and there are laugh-out-loud moments. There is a love triangle and I ended up reading until 1 AM to see how that played out.
#TheLifestyle #NetGalley

Georgina Wagman is perfect, everyone thinks she’s perfect - perfect husband, perfect job, perfect life. But when Georgina walks in on her husband Nathan going down on her new summer associate, she quickly sees that maybe she doesn’t have life as figured out as she thought she did. Desperate to save her marriage, Georgina proposes to her husband that they try swinging or “the lifestyle” to spice up their marriage and get it back on course. Alongside their friend group (gag) - Georgina and the two couples in the friend group embark on a short lived swinging escapade to save their marriages/relationships and figure out who they are.

Let's be clear - this isn’t a book about swinging. This isn't a romance book either. There's minimal talk about swinging or the actual act of the “lifestyle” and most of the couples in the story wind up backing out / not participating. Calling this a retelling of Emma is a tough stretch; maybe, maybe if, in the end, it turned out to be Felix all along. If anything is more a story about Georgina discovering herself and what she wants in life versus fixing everything to make everybody else happy.

Thank you NetGalleyy and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC

I was initially interested in reading this one before book of the month released it as one of their monthly selections because it seemed light and funny but it no longer seems like the type of romance that I like to read. All the reviews say that it is quite boring and nothing like what they were expecting from the synopsis. Thank you for the chance to review this early copy, but I am no longer interested in reading this title.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Georgina Wagman is perfect. No literally, everyone thinks she’s perfect - perfect husband, perfect job, perfect outfits. But when Georgina walks in on her husband Nathan going down on her new summer associate, she quickly sees that maybe she doesn’t have life as figured out as she thought she did.

Desperate to save her marriage, Georgina proposes to her husband that they try swinging or “the lifestyle” to spice up their marriage and get it back on course. Alongside their friend group (yes, it’s as ick as it sounds) - Georgina and the two couples in the friend group embark on a short lived swinging escapade to save their marriages/relationships and figure out who they are.

To be clear - this isn’t a book about swinging, in fact, there’s minimal talk about swinging and most of the couples in the story wind up backing out / not participating in “the lifestyle”. The story is contrived, the plot line is formulaic and the ending feels like it was phoned in or for some characters doesn’t even make sense (re: Nathan).

If you have other books on your TBR list, you should probably skip on over this one. Not memorable, but a fluff piece on “finding yourself”.

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Taylor Hahn, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was fun! I didn’t really know what to expect but I really liked it. It was basically a rom com, just with a dirtier than usual subplot!

Thank you to @vintageanchorbooks and @prhaudio for the netgalley widget and audiobook. I was hesitant to read this book because it has a pretty low GR rating, but I haven’t let that stop me before! I was also more persuaded after @bookofthemonth picked this as one of their monthly choices.

I have to say… I should have gone with my gut. I think the book is well written, but the book was just sad to me. Georgina has a great life and a great marriage… until she walks in on her husband and his assistant in a very compromising position. She doesn’t want to get divorced just a few years into her marriage so they decide to try swinging? It was such a strange twist and reaction to infidelity? I just think if your relationship is already on the rocks, this is not the way to go.

Georgina and two of her friends also decide to get involved. She also meets an ex bf at the first swingers party they go to. She always harbored feelings for him and they haven’t gone away. But isn’t she supposed to be reconnecting with her husband?

I’m not a Jane Austen fan at all and supposedly this is a modern retelling of Emma, but I wouldn’t know. This was definitely a swing and a miss for me.

This was my first 5 star book in months!! I loved this story, even though it was not my typical style. When you catch your man cheating, what do you do? Decide to become swingers! Oh and your hot ex happens to be a swinger also… I laughed out loud so many times during this read. I was afraid it would be cringy and uncomfortable to read the “swinging scenes” but they were entertaining and light. I cried during this book y’all!! That’s how amazing it is! I loved it so much I ordered a copy for my bookshelf. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC.

This was a delight! I think the swinging angle was a fresh element and I love that it Didn’t talk town to those who engage in that lifestyle IRL. The MC was charming and I thought this was perfect for summer.

The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn features Georgina as the woman who has it all; happy marriage, successful career, etc. However, her world is soon turned upside down thanks to her husband's actions. She comes up with a unique solution to their problem by deciding to enter the world of swinging. The crazy cast of characters makes this story a joy to devour. Read and enjoy!

this was a funny and interesting emma retelling! i really laughed so hard and really lighthearted. i liked georgina and felt pity for her when she found her husband with the redhead girl. I'm really impressed by this book and how quick I read it. It's a kind of rom-com I've never read before and totally liked it!

If you want to read a romcom that’s different from the others, this book is for you! It definitely veered in a direction I wasn’t expecting, but it was fascinating reading about the parties and clubs for those participating in the “lifestyle” (a sly way to say swinging).
Georgina, the MC, found her husband having sex with someone from his office. She decides their marriage could be saved if they become swingers. That’s not the first thing that would cross my mind, but to each his own!
Georgina knows a woman who has been lived the lifestyle for a while, and she said it saved her marriage. I’m guessing that the ability to swing with your partner would depend on each person’s self-esteem level and the strength of the partnership. Even though Georgina’s friend was happy, for different people emotions like jealousy and possessiveness could arise and destroy the experiment.
The book is well written, and the characters are interesting, especially how they act in relation to the lifestyle. It’s definitely not like any romcom I’ve read before! 4 stars.

Synopsis
Georgina Wagman has it all—a great marriage, a great job at a prestigious law firm, and great friends. She’s living the life she always wanted, and everything is perfect. Until, that is, she walks in on her husband Nathan in a compromising position with a junior associate. Georgina has a moment of crisis. But divorce is not a part of the five-year plan, so she comes up with asan idea to save her marriage and recapture the spark. She and Nathan are going to become swingers.

Georgina isn’t going to embark on this adventure alone, though. Her friends Felix and Norah and their respective partners decide to tag along for the ride. They’ve got relationship woes of their own that swinging just might fix. Georgina, convinced Felix and Norah belong together, is thrilled. What better place to reignite romance between two people destined to be together than a swingers’ party? Her plan is foolproof, until she runs into a college ex at the first party. When they reconnect, Georgina will find herself torn between her head and her heart, with her very happiness hanging in the balance. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella, The Lifestyle is a playful homage to Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse and an outrageously fun summer read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I wanted to love The Lifestyle and there were definitely parts I enjoyed, but overall found I could not connect with any of the characters. I loved the idea behind the book and the unique retelling of a classic. The writing was good, I just wish the characters were more likable.