Thought-provoking exploration of the breakdown of a marriage, told from two contradictory perspectives.

J's wife is seeking a divorce, citing mental and physical abuse. J's gender is never revealed, prompting questions of if and how this re-shapes our perception of blame and acceptable behaviour.

This book was such an uncomfortable read. The author deals with many difficult topics really well. This is so well written. An amazing debut

A debut like nothing I’ve read before. It’s told from two different people who are breaking up. I really enjoyed loving and hating both of them! You’ll be torn by who is the most pitiable and who is the most awful. Absolutely compelling.

Not my usual but really enjoyed it, fast paced and kept my interest, characters were well made and I’d read more from the author

Fancied something different to my normal read so decided to give this one a go as it was less than 300 pages.
I was a bit sceptical after reading the reviews. I wish I’d listened to the ones that weren’t keen.
It has been a chore for me to read this book and I’ve only finished as quick as I have because I’ve wanted to get it finished.
I decided to continue reading and not give up as I wanted to find out who J was.
The story is told from J and his wife’s side. Both tell a different story to their relationship.
I did like the idea of the story however it dragged on a bit for me with no real answers at the end.
Thank you to netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this one, just a shame it wasn’t for me.

I loved the blurb for this book and was excited to read it. Unfortunately it really didn’t grip me and I found I didn’t want to pick it up to read. I did finish it as I hate not finishing a book, but I really struggled.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
This book is written in alternating viewpoints of the breakdown of a marriage. It defines how feelings and emotions affect events because each individual's interpretation can differ so that outcomes are affected. It is cleverly-written, defining the differences but I didn't like it, it seemed to be pages of ranting of 'me, I,' rather than 'us' working together and I wonder why they ever got married. In addition there is use of language I do not like and I gave up at 15%.

Brilliant, fast paced and well written and some laugh out loud moments. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review

This book was like a ‘metal fork in a new tooth filling, whilst having morning sickness’ kind of experience for me. YET, I couldn’t stop reading.

Very recent personal experiences made me gasp at some of the conversations J and J’s wife had with one another and their barristers along with their, at times insane, behaviour. A hard-hitting, hardcore delve into domestic abuse, coercive control, gaslighting and a messy, and at times almost psychotic, breakup.

I am so glad I read this (despite initial reluctance because of the subject matter) but I would suggest you need to be in a strong mental place to do so, as it’s mind-bending and heartbreaking and makes you doubt everything you have ever experienced in your relationships!

Incredibly smart writing.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Is This Love? by C E Riley

J's wife shocks them by asking for a divorce. There follows the story of the relationship breakdown from the two different perspectives.

What a clever book and so addictive! At first I felt deeply uncomfortable reading the ins and outs of the relationship, almost like a voyeur, but then I was riveted and couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know how it would end! Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Is This Love

C E Riley

Started off ok but sorry to say this one didn’t grip me at all and I struggled to finish it. I do think the idea was a good one and there’s no doubt the writer has talent but I need to care about at least one character in a novel and unfortunately, in this case, I didn’t.

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

This is an unusual book, told from an unnamed narrator’s point of view. The narrator is married to J - again, unnamed. Out of the blue, J leaves the narrator and so begins a horrendous break-up.

Essentially, J accuses the narrator of being a heinous person - evidently, all claims are unfounded and blatant lies. What makes this powerful is the lack of control the narrator has over the accusations.

Even though the themes are thought-provoking, I found this a bit tedious. I don’t really get why both characters are unnamed - to me, this adds to the confusion of the story, rather than creating a clear narrative. I suspect it’s a method employed to show that names/genders aren’t important, and such a horrible thing could happen to anyone. It is also implausible why the narrator is desperate to get back with J - someone who treats him in the worst possible way. I guess love runs deep and one shouldn’t judge.

‘Is This Love?’ is thoughtful but overall not for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks to Serpent's Tail and NetGalley for ARC.

This is a terrific premise - the story of a relationship breakdown, told from both sides with very different perspectives, and is largely very skilfully done. There's a lot happening and some really uncomfortable revelations of bad behaviours on both sides that will chime with many readers. However the narrative style paled for me over time and I found myself losing interest in the outcome, wishing neither of them well particularly. Credit to the writer for suggesting no redemptive arc for either protagonist, who are just as self-deluding at the end as at the beginning.

Over clever stylistic approach creates tedium

This story of a relationship breakdown really got broken by authorial decision to be a bit too clever.

Told from both sides of the divide. The reader is potentially presented with two unreliable narrators, whose gender is also disguised by an initial. J and J. I felt, from the start, that the author intended to unsettle by not revealing gender, and possibly play with the reader’s sense of who to believe and who not.

The problem was, that the author’s mind games felt far more present than the sort of mindgames relationship breakdowns can lead to, played by both partners in the fallout.

I never really cared about either character and I’m afraid I read this with increasingly mounting irritation, muttering ‘get on with it’

This was a fairly short book, feeling like it was limping along like a much longer one

there’s only so much ambiguity you can shove into a storyline without making it seem like a big ol’ mess. not my type of book for sure

I loved the premise of this book and couldn't wait to start reading it but once I got into it I felt it was lacking something that I can't quite put my finger on. I did like the way the story was told, and the way we didn't know the gender of one of the characters - this was fascinating and I did like this element. I think I felt a lack of connection to the two main characters though, it was as if I were held at a distance from them. I would still recommend this though as it is a thought-provoking novel.

This is a sad and rather long drawn out account of the end of a marriage. We are given two perspectives - that of J, whose gender is not revealed and is left ambiguous - and extracts from J’s wife’s diary, which is being used in the divorce proceedings and which J doesn’t recognise. The “two sides to every story” becomes a little tedious at times and the protagonists are difficult to engage and empathise with, but this is without doubt a story that many divorcing couples and their lawyers will recognise. Interesting, rather than compelling.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy to read and review.

Is This Love? by C E Riley is a story of a marriage which ends in divorce, not unusual in these days but you never know the name of the other partner or whether J. is male or female. The relationship ends abruptly according to the wife. The marriage break up is mainly detailed by J. who is totally lost and confused by what has happened. Especially when there is a court order talking of their physical and mental abuse towards the wife, which J says never happened.
The storyline isn’t an easy read and the two main characters are not easy characters to emphasise with. As a reader I found the story very sad and moving at times but then it it isn’t that unusual for one side in a divorce case to embellish circumstances to enable themselves to receive the most sympathy and the bigger slice of the financial pot of money and goods.
Recommended

Didn't quite hit the mark. Could have been more firmly ambiguous if that was what the author was going for.

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

I devoured this book, I genuinely didn’t want to put it down. Personally the writing style suited me and flowed easily, making the story a quick read. This story is about the breakdown of a marriage between a couple and the ensuing divorce proceedings. The story jumps between both of their perspectives however both feel like unreliable narrators.