When I saw that Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka had another novel coming out I jumped on the chance to read and review it. The Roughest Draft was one of my top reads of 2021 when I got the ARC of it last December and I expected big things from their Sophomore debut. And I wasn't disappointed. I think they both do a great job of getting into the psyche of a couple that has been together for so long they cannot just speak what's on their minds. There were many times when I wanted to yell at them both to just "say how you feel" but I know that sometimes the easiest things to do in theory are the hardest to execute. I think any frustrations I had with the book were intentional as they were the same frustrations shared by both protagonists.

When Eliza and Graham get gifted a stay at a resort in California to celebrate their 5 year wedding anniversary they are going into more as two people cohabitating together than husband and wife so when a mistake at check-in leaves them with two rooms Eliza proposes to Graham to take their relationship to the next level, a full 180 to strangers and live out their week in paradise as two people who have just met. Graham thinks this might be the only way to save their marriage. Can these two lovers from being strangers then fall in love again?

Wow! This was not the light romance I was expecting; it's so much more. It's a 2nd chance romance between an already married couple who have drifted away from each other inside their marriage. When Graham's parents send him and Eliza on an elaborate anniversary trip, they end up in separate rooms, deeply aware of the emotional gap between them. Eliza and Graham work through real-world anxieties and problems, which makes it a deeply satisfying read. I even "ugly cried" at a few points, in sympathy with their pain. Over the course of the book, the two have chances to play together, talk, adventure, and re-bond with the help of a new friend who is at the resort to attend a seminar for singles. Will it be enough to save their marriage?

Wow, I absolutely loved Do I Know You?! Eliza and Graham are about to celebrate their 5 year anniversary, only their spark has diminished and while they love each other, they feel like they don’t know each other anymore. But when a hotel guest mistakes they two for being single and introduces them, they decide for this vacation to play as perfect strangers as a way to reconnect again. Right from the start, you can feel the heartbreaking strain of this relationship between two people that’s re desperate to get back to one another. There’s so much uncertainty, tension, and pain in these two and then there is so much hope as these two reconnect. The banter as they adopt these new personas is so witty and fresh. The growth is so lovely and honestly it was so beautifully written. Graham struggles so much with feeling enough for Eliza, and Eliza is so afraid of being hurt—they are two very human and genuine characters and their journey as individuals and a couple is stunning. This book was more than a typical romance—it’s what’s after the sweeping gestures and romantic proposals. It’s real-life problems in a relationship and it just honestly felt important and real. I couldn’t put this book down and couldn’t recommend it more. It is just so good and heartwarming!!

Such a cute book! It's nice to see that it's not a typical romance but a romance of rediscovery. It can be difficult to have long lasting relationships and the fact that this novel explores that is refreshing. I thought parts of it were a little cheesy but overall it was very enjoyable.

Love these authors. Relationships in trouble are such an interesting area for a romance to explore, and they pull it off well. This book does have a bit of drag, as it is so incredibly internal for both characters, but the pay off is lovely. Can't wait for the next book (no pressure).

"Do I Know You?" by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka is Married Romance Fiction at its best!

Eliza and Graham are heading to the Northern California coast to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary at a resort that caters to those looking for love or those already in love.

Sadly, this couple is experiencing a lull in their relationship. It's a mutual awkwardness and feelings of not being enough for their spouse. They feel like strangers and wonder when the romance left their marriage. Neither is sure how a vacation at a resort that focuses on love is going to work for them and traveling by car for seven hours to get there with nothing to say to each other is painful!

At the resort, when an opportunity crops up for Eliza and Graham to spend their week getting reacquainted in a most interesting, fun, and romantic way, it begins to spark the fire and steam back into their relationship. Will the heat wave they've created with one another continue once the vacation fun ends or will there be a cooling trend expected in the forecast?

What a fun premise! I was rooting for these two married main characters from beginning to end and I love the creative measures used in the attempt to get their relationship back on track. As someone who has been married for many years, I happen to believe that "Married Romance" is highly under rated! This story proves it!

I stayed up into the wee hours finishing this book because I couldn't put it down and, mostly, so I could 'ugly cry' without my husband watching. Disclosure: A fair amount of tissues were devoted to the reading of this book!

Kudos to the husband and wife writing team for this well-written story that's creative and original, tender and romantic, with a touch of heartbreak (for the tissues), and a fair amount of "open-door" sizzle. If you enjoy a great romance, but a Rom-Com isn't your thing (like me!) this could definitely be one for you. I highly recommend! 4.5 stars!

Thank you to Elisha and Berkley for a widget of this ARC through NetGalley. It has been my pleasure to give my honest and voluntary review.

A fun premise and a great second chance romance. I loved the conflict of thinking that your partner wants you to be someone other than who you truly are. But I do wish these two had gotten a couples therapist right away... More angsty than funny, but it was a compelling and well paced read. Good for fans of Sarah Hogle's You Deserve Each Other and Emily/Austin's first adult romance.

This one is tough for me to rate because I *really* don't like the miscommunication trope and this bad boy is rife with misunderstandings and assumptions.

I caught myself thinking "these yahoos could benefit from some therapy instead of a fancy vacation" more than once. And I don't feel bad for saying that given the angsty and dramatic tone the authors chose to take this story. From the premise I thought we'd be getting a slightly more comedic take knowing that role playing was a huge plot point.

I also struggled with the main character's internal dialogue not matching up with their actions. Both seemed deeply attracted to one another in their thoughts, but acted indifferent to one another throughout the book. It was frustrating, and I had a hard time believing their relationship and chemistry seeing as how much telling and so little showing was done.

Overall it was an okay read. I appreciate the author's trying a different angle with the second chance relationship trope to rekindle a marriage. It just wasn't for me.

I loved the The Roughest Draft, so of course, I had some higher expectations for this one and I’m happy to report that not only it measured up to them but was also been able to exceed them. I loved this story so much!!

This was amazing! It gave me similar vibes to You Deserve Each Other, which is a huge compliment! It bounced between earnest and emotional moments and lighthearted banter so well.

Funny, cute, and honestly, so perfect for fans of You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle. This is a delicious second chance romance about a married couple who are two wrongly timed fights away from a divorce. They pretend to be strangers when on vacation to try and reignite their spark and it's just written so well. I will say, the writing style of these authors isn't my favorite but their combined humor and chemistry really shows in this one and it's just a great vacation read for anyone looking to escape this winter.

HE SAID. SHE SAID.

This is a second chance romance-but not the kind you are thinking. It isn’t about once again finding “the one who got away”. It’s about getting a second chance with your own husband-one who you almost let get away-because you have grown so far apart in your marriage that you feel more like strangers than lovers.

Eliza and Graham have been gifted a romantic getaway from his well meaning parents, to celebrate their 5th year wedding anniversary. The resort, on the California coastline is designed for those in love, and those looking to find it.

But, do they fit in either category?

How much fun will it be to travel 7 hours by car to the resort in silence? Or to share a candlelight dinner or stargazing with a person you have nothing to say to?

His parents had no idea just how bad things had become between their son, and his wife.

Upon checking in at the resort, they encounter a mix-up. Two rooms have been booked instead on one, and Eliza suggests that they keep both. They head to their separate suites and agree to meet for dinner. But, when she arrives, she finds Graham sitting beside a new friend, David, at the bar. Not realizing that the two know each other, David makes the introductions and….Eliza doesn’t correct him.

Graham is confused, but he plays along, and soon their role playing reignites the excitement and the nerves they remembered from when they were dating the FIRST time.

Their story alternates between the first person POVs of both Eliza and Graham as they try to find their way back to one another, before their week long respite comes to an end, and to say I was rooting for them all the way-would be an understatement!!

This is the second collaboration between real life husband and wife, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, and it may be even BETTER than their 5 ⭐️ debut, “The Roughest Draft”!

They write REAL romance, not the idealized version, so if you have ever wondered how a relationship you were once so excited about, has fallen apart so spectacularly, this WILL resonate with you. There is playful banter and sizzling spice, but there is also the pain of miscommunication and hurt.

The writing is thoughtful, RAW and real.

But, it’s also light, entertaining and fun!

I read mostly SUSPENSE, so I have only a few auto-request romance authors, on my list:
Beth O’Leary, Emily Henry, Abby Jimenez, Katherine Center, Josie Silver and now Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. That is some pretty fine company.

I can’t wait to read what they come up with next!
Available January 24, 2023

Thank You to Elisha and Berkley for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my absolute pleasure to offer a candid review!

I really really enjoyed The Roughest Draft and was really looking forward to Do I Know You? A second chance/marriage in trouble romance sounded perfect and I couldn't wait to start it.

Sadly this book fell flat for me. I really wanted to love Eliza and Graham more than I really did. I feel like there was a lot of internal conflict for each character and not enough time with them together.I realize that was probably the point - for them to grow apart and then grow together, but I wanted more angst and longing between them.

Austin and Emily have done it again! I love their romances because there's a maturity to them. This one is no exception. They continue to establish themselves as a premium voice in contemporary romance.

Is it a second chance romance when the couple is question is already married and still together? After five years, Graham is withdrawing and vibrant Eliza, an audiobook narrator, isn’t sure why. When his parents gift them a second honeymoon getaway at a romantic resort that is also hosting a dating seminar the same weekend, Eliza books her own room to get a little space. Assumed single and introduced to one another at the bar by another well-meaning stranger, the two decide to take on a little role-playing in the hopes of rekindling their romance.

My initial thought was that there might be some sexy pretend-to-go-home with a stranger games, but authors Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka do not take the easy way out in this angsty tale of longing. Told in alternating points of view, we learn of Eliza and Graham’s insecurities, hurts and baggage as they fake date, reconcile and try to heal their marriage. The writing is deep and introspective and the resolution satisfying, but I didn’t like it as much as The Roughest Draft, which knocked the narrative, plot, pacing, sexual tension and characterizations out of the park.

I received a free advance reader’s review copy of #DoIKnowYou from #NetGalley./1mf6dU0Ff0-o87kFm-B-OEOSva2H5YEsfReprr7tza6o/edit?pli=1#gid=834836831

Well, this book was not for me. It spends a LOT of time inside the main characters' heads, and unfortunately I didn't relate to either of them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a pretty tame slow-burn romance with a lot of inner conflict. This book is sweet, well-written, and will absolutely find its readers-- I'm just not one of them.

i don’t think ill ever get over the fact that these two authors are married to each other and somehow are able to write books together! like how!!

if you loved the roughest draft i think you would really love this one.

the whole premise of this book is that Graham and Eliza have been married to each other for a few years and have lost some of their intimacy. they’ve becalmed somewhat estranged. they’re both dealing with things and have lost the ability to communicate with each other. and while on a trips spontaneously decide to act like strangers and to try and rekindle the romance they have lost along the way.

i appreciate how these characters relationships felt realistic and loved how we were shown the flawed parts of these characters and were still rooting for them to get a “happily ever after”

Second chance romance is one of my favorite genres so I was very excited about this one.

Soooo the first half of this book had me hooked.

But..... by the second half I got pretty bored. It was just date after date. A lot of outfit and location descriptions. And I think it dragged a bit by the middle because it was two perspectives of the same scene. So it was kind of like just reading these scenes twice. I also found myself really wishing they’d drop the characters already. It was getting uncomfortable at times.

I will say that it did end very well though. I liked the ending a lot.

I really loved the premise of this, a married couple struggling in their 5th year, pretending to be strangers on an anniversary trip to try to save their relationship. I found it very realistic, as Graham and Eliza tried to navigate how to get back to how they were. I really liked that the chapters switched back and forth from Graham’s POV to Eliza’s. It drew me in quickly, and I felt like I got to see what each side was struggling with. This was a sweet read, sometimes the marriage in trouble trope is hard. This is a great reminder to always date your spouse. I liked this better than The Roughest Draft that I read last month by the same duo.

Bottom Line: Read it.

**I received a copy of Do I Know You? from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

I ADORE WIBBROKA. I have loved all their YA titles, but their adult titles are just so, so special. This book is unique to the rom com world since it surrounds an already married couple - and yet we get to watch them fall in love all over again. This book is everything.