There is nothing about this book that I can recommend. It is very poorly written and the characters make you wish that they would just go away

Thank you to Netgalley, Knopf Doubleday Publishing and Taylor Hahn for the ARC!

This book was such a surprise. The concept is different than anything I've read, and I loved how free the writing was from societal stigma. I thought the characters were well rounded, not just as individuals, but as an overall friend group. One criticism I would have is I thought, mentally, there was a lot more to unpack with the main characters (Nathan and Georgina) than what was shown in the book. Their relationship was more superficial and it was hard to believe people who had been married for so long would be able to break apart so easily. I felt there was more emotion in the other two relationships than there was in theirs. Maybe that was the authors intention.

Additionally, there wasn't a ton of "heat" so to speak considering the book was all about the swinging lifestyle. I thought there would be more passion than there was, however, I like that the author focused on other aspects of the Lifestyle than just intimacy, almost focusing on the "why." They also did a good job of showing the range of types of relationships that participate in the L:ifestyle- older and newer, divorces and just dating. It made it more than just a punchline and it really added the shading and highlighting beyond the color of the text.

Last thing I didn't really love...this cover lol. Kind of creepy and doesn't live up to the quality of the story.

Out tomorrow, 6/7, pick up a copy or make it one of your BOTM selections!

The Lifestyle” is truly a unique book that covers a couple trying to better their relationship by becoming swingers. While there were certainly some interesting parts, there was just too much going on in this book. It includes unrealistic inter office romances and affairs, relationship sabotage, swinging with friends, long lost loves, etc. I just felt a bit overwhelmed by the side plots, such that I lost appreciation for the main storyline. 3 stars ⭐️ . It was a decent read, but not one that left me very satisfied. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.

Okay this was an unexpected delight.

The Lifestyle really hadn’t been on my radar but the synopsis intrigued me when I saw it on Book of the Month so I grabbed it. A woman trying to save her marriage by becoming swingers? Such a unique plot.

I. Loved. This. One. I flew through it in a day. The swinger parties definitely added a good amount of steam, but the real winner here was the growth all of the characters went through. It was fascinating to see how each of the couples reacted to the lifestyle, and how in each case they really discovered more about their relationship and themselves as individuals, allowing them to make the changes they needed to be happy. In some cases the relationships got stronger and in some they realized they needed an even bigger change.

This book was so fun and one you should definitely add to your summer reading list! Thank you to Anchor Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

The Lifestyle :

When I read the synopsis and decided to request the book I was really excited but unfortunately it was a complete disappointment.
Pretty predictable with a plot that has nothing different but people believing that Swinging might a solution to their martial problems.
Honestly, I didn’t enjoy it all and kept skipping to know what will happen next.

Quick summer read to pass the time.
It was funny and playful read. It started off grabbing me with the storyline but then It felt short for me at the end.
I liked the theme but felt it was missing a lot while reading.

The Lifestyle follows Georgiana Wagman, a high-priced New York City corporate litigator who, at the very beginning of the book, walks in on her husband and law partner, Nathan, in his office performing oral on a “junior associate.” That fact, and the fact that Nathan is not punished in any way for his actions was enough to put me off. (This is not a spoiler.). The junior associate ends up in the hospital from an accident in this supposed to be amusing melee? (It was not.) On top of that, I was also put off by the storyline that Georgiana, who is self-involved and focused on her perfect image, fancies herself a ‘mentor” and goes about mentoring this particular beautiful junior associate. There was no other mentoring and this relationship did not work for me.

The parts about the Lifestyle were interesting — Georgiana, Nathan, and a couple of their friends become swingers in part to save their own relationships.

Thank you @netgalley and @anchor for a free e-arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for this e arc of The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn.
This is a rom-com novel that explores the complexities of relationships of love/marriage. 4+*.
Themes: "swinging, marriage, and complexities of the heart/love ,relationships, and sex.... save a marriage by swing...head vs heart...trying to fix people...fixing yourself vs others...
Things I liked:
1. Rom coms feel lighter despite the topic actually being deep, i.e. infidelity
2. Humor woven in as well as tidbits of the hard parts of love, timing
3. The roles of men vs women and the importance of women not taking blame or quitting in a man's world ... no blaming ...helping other women, not stereotyping men about sex, etc.
4. Quick read, read in one day
5. Only thing is the topics are a bit heavy at times despite being a rom-com
I was glad to read this one. I would recommend this adult rom-com and enjoyed reading about something I know little about, swinging.

Read this if you:
•like to try new things
•like to read books with a unique plot
•have an open mind
•like pineapples 🍍🍍🍍(which, if you don’t know, is code for being a swinger, so lol to the target doormats with pinneapples alllll over them, I hope they know the meaning)

First of all, thank you Anchor Books for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Second, this one was on my list because of the unique premise. There was less spice (little to none, actually) in this book than I anticipated considering the plot was about swingers. It was an interesting premise and not one I’ve read before. I think the most surprising part was when the MCs and coincidentally all her friends all became swingers at the same time!

Overall, this book was good, not great. I’d still recommend if this is a topic you’d be interested in reading about - I really don’t think I’ve ever read a book like this!

Sadly this book was just not for me. I really tried, but I did not enjoy it enough to finish it. The pace is way too slow.

The Lifestyle was a cute and spicy rom-com. Exactly what I needed to kick off my summer! Georgina is a type-A workaholic lawyer. She walks in on her husband going down on one of her own mentees, and her first instinct is to “fix” her marriage. After some brief hesitation, she decides to try swinging to put some heat back into her marriage.

And here comes to me, the most unbelievable part: she talks her two closest friends and their partners to come to swinging parties with them! What? Look, I love my best friend and think she is drop dead gorgeous, but I don’t want to watch her get her freak on with anyone!

Anyway, there are secrets and jealousies and communication gets better. And there is a happy no ending (pun intended) for each of the 3 friends.

In general, I thought it was a pretty good book. I disliked that the book blurb described it as “Emma with swingers”. I feel that the main point of comparison with Emma is that they both acted as matchmakers for everyone. I liked the characters and thought the sex scenes were hot without being too graphic. It wasn’t a great novel but it was enjoyable!

Georgina Wagman is a 30-something partner at a law firm who catches her seemingly perfect husband, Nathan screwing a first year associate/mentee. In a desperate attempt to save her marriage with not-so-perfect-anymore husband (and by extension her sham of a perfect life), she suggests they invigorate their mundane lives by becoming swingers and embracing “the lifestyle.”
At her first such party, she randomly runs into an ex boyfriend, Whitaker Nolan, her first love in college and whom she left to go to law school. As this is a book based on Jane Austen’s Emma, Georgina rather unhelpfully tries to matchmake, fix and meddle in all of her friends’ lives. She finally realizes that she should really mind her own business.
Overall, this was an interesting read because it offered a unique retelling of a beloved classic romcom. Fun beach read!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Anchor Books for an e-arc of this novel.*

I really wanted to love this book but found the MC to be so unlikable. The pace of the book was slow and a bit boring and overall hard to get through.

2/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

With all the recent tik tok drama the timing of this book was perfect! The world of swingers was eye opening and I liked that this story featured different couples in different phases of their relationships. It was so interesting and juicy and messy and I was very here for it! The steam was fun but the characters were really what made this for me. A new twist on a classic story!

This book was just not for me. I picked it up and put it down numerous times. I struggled to to through if ultimately DNFing it at 42%. I

I did not connect with the characters and could not get into the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was indeed, funny and sexy, especially when the Lifestyle was introduced in the book. I liked all of that, I was here for it, the humor is something that always wins me over especially with a romance novel. The main character Georgina is the funniest, and is the perfect EVERYTHING, job, marriage, friends, life, EVERYTHING. Then her whole life shattered when her husband messed up, she decided on a remedy that worked for a colleague of hers and it was to join the “Lifestyle” AKA become a Swinger. Even her friends join in on the fun and it gets pretty messy, and we cant forget about the man that got away, Georgina’s ex-boyfriend.

I loved how everything flowed, the characters backstories, and how they all evolved, within their own marriages, relationships and even within themselves. I was not a huge fan of Georgina constantly getting into her friends’ business, and always looking out for others and not herself, which is an amazing trait but she was DOING THE MOST and it was becoming annoying. I do love the ending, I think those last few chapters made me love this book even more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I try to be open-minded about many things, including how others live their lives. However, I must have forgotten the synopsis of the book when I finally got down to reading The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn, I was a little shocked to read it was about swingers (that is what they used to be called. Now, apparently, it’s called “the lifestyle.”)

The Lifestyle is being pushed as a beach or summer read. Well, for one thing, if I were browsing books in the store, I’d pass over the crude cartoonish cover. I certainly hope that the book gets a new cover sooner than later because it offers no appeal whatsoever. What a fail in the marketing department. The book is also being sold as a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma. Apparently, that’s because there’s some attempted matchmaking.

Georgiana is a career-driven woman who is married to Nathan, who also has similar ambitions, or so she thinks. That is, until Georgiana walks in on Nathan and a junior associate at the law firm they all work at. Instead of leaving her husband, suggesting therapy, or something you know, more sane, she decides to suggest they try the lifestyle as a way to bring them closer. She heard from a client what a life-changing experience it was so Georgiana thinks it will work with her and Nathan.

She also thinks that it’s time to get her two college buddies back together, despite the fact that one is married with three kids and the other is in a committed relationship. Quite frankly, there’s nothing charming about Georgina’s meddling with her friends’ relationships the way Austen’s Emma was. She should have spent more time focusing on her own relationship with her husband.

The swinging part of the book wasn’t as salacious as it seems from the outset. There are a couple of sex scenes, much like many other summer beach reads, but nothing really wild. While “the lifestyle” is not for everyone, it’s explored in a way to shed a light on some of the myths and mysteries of swinging.

I got fed up with Georgina’s matchmaking early on and never really warmed to her as a character. The reader does see growth in her character arc, but I found the other characters more interesting than her.

This book had a very unique plot that I enjoyed reading. Georgina and her husband, Nathan, decide to try out a swinger lifestyle after she catches him cheating on her with another woman. As she talks to their friends about her decision, they all decide to try out the swinger lifestyle as well.

I really liked all of the characters and enjoyed seeing them evolve throughout the story. The plot is very straightforward and easy to follow. It’s a quick read that I would recommend if you’re looking for something a little bit different!

Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC.

This is a clever and funny book! Georgina is an attorney at a top law firm in New York, with the seemingly perfect marriage to a fellow partner and a career on the rise. Georgina feels her life plan is right on track -- until she catches her husband cheating. Out of sorts, Georgina decides to take bold action to save her marriage. She is not quite sure what she is getting herself into -- and is all the more surprised when she runs into her ex from college. As Georgina balances her new lifestyle, her old love, and her existing marriage, her life feels entirely up in the air -- but maybe that is a good thing?

This is a great book for summer -- interesting and fast-paced, it will have you laughing out loud at several points. Highly recommended!

I really try to find the positive in most books, but I really struggled with this one. For one thing, it feels like it's trying to do to0 much - it's a modern take on Jane Austen's Emma, but just for fun, let's throw in a plot involving swinging!

My biggest objection, however, is with how the swinging is handled by the author. I'm not sure what research the author did, but this is a problematic take on non-monogamy. Instead of taking it seriously, the main character enters into it for all the wrong reasons, egged on by a cartoonish figure singing the praises of the lifestyle as a cure-all for her marriage issues. While exploring alternatives to traditional monogamy absolutely can help some relationships, presenting it in this way feels careless. The more experienced characters in the lifestyle also feel like caricatures rather than thoughtfully written additions to the novel, which is truly disappointing.

I'm giving this two stars only because I did find some of the other characters more compelling - watching Felix gain confidence to pursue what he wants instead of going along with his girlfriend's desires was a pleasure, and watching Ari and Norah' work through their issues was also a compelling side plot, but ultimately I can't get past how poorly the swinging storyline was handled.

The Lifestyle is for non-monogamy what Fifty Shades is to BDSM - and that is not a compliment.