Having an affair might not always mean being unfaithful . . .

This was a cute, quick rom-com that I devoured. The characters were great, the dual POV was interesting, and the premise hooked me right away.

Tara and Colin have been together for about 6 years, but are starting to feel things getting stale or boring in their relationship. They are taking each other for granted and starting to resent each other. This book also brought up the topic of IVF. I think they handled this very tactfully. When Tara and Colin first met they were madly in love. But then they tried to have kids and were having issues and everything went a bit sideways.

Tara works for an advertising firm and she wants to be taken more seriously. She doesn't want to land the "female" only jobs so she decides to pitch a hook-up app that is for married couples. Some of her male coworkers aren't quite sure if she can think like a bad girl. So she decides to download the app for research.

Colin has been working for his friend at his law firm. His friend is a bit of a player and is aware of the Fling app right away. When his friend sees Colin struggling he suggests that Colin go on the app because you can't send pics of your face and he needs the ego boost. So he does it, but reluctantly. Then he matches VERY highly with someone.

This book reminded me of You've Got Mail. I was a little nervous about the cheating aspect, but I really did enjoy this cute rom-com! I had guessed the ending pretty early on, but so see how it all played out was the interesting and funny part. I laughed a lot during this book.

Such a fun story. Loved the back and forth between Jack and Claire. A married couple who can't have children with failed IVF is having a rough marriage. So they join an app to have an affair. The app matches them to someone and spins it around. It was great fun and quirky. So enjoyable.

This was so interesting. First of all I just want to say I do not consider this a romance. This is like an episode of White Lotus where yeah the characters may end up okay in the end but it doesn’t feel like a HEA but also doesn’t feel depressing either. It’s just a lot of unlikeable but fascinating characters. Truly everyone is flawed and at times ridiculous (but like in a fun way?). I consider this more humorous fiction. I wasn’t all that emotionally invested in the relationship BUT I still had a great time reading this.

This is a marriage in trouble but is not a marriage in trouble *trope*. By the end they’ve barely learned anything, they still aren’t great people, but in their defense I still was compelled to read it all so it’s more of that feeling of “y’all deserve each other!” The anonymous identities were utilized in very fun ways and although the beginning scenes were a tad slow once their interactions (in both worlds) picked up I loved the roller coaster emotions and somewhat secondhand embarrassment for their shenanigans. This did inject some kind of deeper feeling near the end but this book truly shins in its humor.

Thank you to Union Square & Co. and NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

After 3 failed IVF attempts, Tara decides she can't go through with it again. Her husband Colin wants to keep going. The toll of the IVF and failing to conceive has put major strain on their marriage and they are drifting further and further apart.
Enter a new app - Fling. For married people to have discreet affairs, completely anonymous no photos or real names.
Tara and Colin both sign up on the App for different reasons. When they both sign up they get a 100% match with someone.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with an ARC of Fling.

The concept behind the story immediately captured my attention: a failing marriage and the introduction of a dating app that tempts both partners to stray. The potential for an intriguing narrative was there.

However, I found that this potential was overshadowed by the trivial arguments and unresolved issues between Tara and Colin. Despite having been together for 18 years, their connection and chemistry were lacking.

As I delved deeper into the book, it didn't quite align with my expectations of a romance, leaving me uncertain about its intended direction.

Nevertheless, the author did a commendable job of portraying a marriage in crisis, capturing the essence of a relationship on the edge of collapse.

Overall, if you enjoy reading about second chances and the complexities of relationships in turmoil, this is the book for you.

This highly original and entertaining novel is a book about infidelity featuring zero infidelity.

After multiple failed attempts at IVF, Tara and Colin’s marriage slowly and then all at once falls apart. Devastated by their inability to have children, arguing constantly (and hilariously) about everything little thing, they remain married but begin living separate lives.

Stifled and lonely, they each hesitantly download the new big dating app, Fling, designed for unhappily married people to have discreet affairs.

Unbeknownst to each other, they match and begin chatting and planning to meet in real life. As their plans keep getting thwarted, they barrel towards a meeting that can make or break their relationship.

Debut author Joseph Murray has a knack for writing about heavy topics with empathy, humor and deep insight.

The banter between the characters and the unconventional storylines are laugh out loud from beginning to end.

Set in Dublin, this comedy of errors will delight fans of offbeat contemporary romances.

It was not my favorite story but only for a couple reasons that might be subjective to the time I read it, AKA not every book is the right book for you to read right now, which doesn't mean it's not a good book it's just not what you are in the mood for therefore won't get as invested.

So with that said this is what I loved about the book.
-Explains IVF really well
-Very relatable
-Realistic

A thoroughly enjoyable read, I loved this and really thought it deals with the IVF issues a couple deals with and the pressures on their relationship well and with sensitivity. The characters were fantastic, well fleshed out flaws and all, they were so well written I could feel the love between them even though they were drifting apart.

I can not recommend this book enough. This is amazing. I loved the dual POV, the well thought out process of trying to explain IVF and how it’s impactful on everyone and how hard it is. The characters were not without flaws but it was so relatable and I thoroughly enjoyed this.

I didn’t love it— personally. The writing was fine it just felt to aware that it was a romance novel to be something I could get lost in and enjoy. Some of the quotes from the characters felt super unlike the way real people spoke to each other and while the general idea of the story was cute it just felt far removed from something that would actually happen.

I was excited to read this book because a colleague highly recommended it, but I found it pretty disappointing. The writing itself was not very good, to the point that it was distracting. I found the two main characters to be interesting, and the two side friends to be hilarious, but it did not come together for me as a story. I think the premise was interesting, and I always enjoy reading books set in Ireland, but this just did not work for me.

I loved this real life Rom-Com. It was so good! I loved the Ending!
I just reviewed Fling by Joseph Murray. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

There’s nothing like a second chance romance. I appreciated the ability to bring to light such a hot topic, IVF, but I didn’t love what it took to bring them back together.

Great banter and some LOL moments.

**CW: pregnancy issues.**

I was on the fence about this book in the beginning - the first quarter or so is mostly background but it actually led to amazingly fleshed out characters - Tara and Colin are great main characters. The opening starts with IVF issues and was surprisingly well done and tackled by Murray, really well done with hints of humor.. The dual POV was a genius idea for both sides and honestly, just a funny little book.

3.5/5 stars; will read a follow up or further Murray novels.

I was pleasantly surprised at enjoying this book as much as I did. With witty banter and humorous side characters, Fling by Joseph Murray still discusses heavier topics (like IVF and marital issues) and evokes emotions from all across the board. At one moment, I was overwhelmingly disappointed in the main characters, and at the next, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing out loud.

Tara and Colin look like they live the perfect married life from the outside looking in. They have the picture-perfect family house in a great neighborhood, they are both fairly successful in their professions, and they both found their soulmates in each other (or so they thought). But behind closed doors, Tara and Colin are struggling to keep their spark as a couple after several failed IVF attempts and six years of marriage. Enter: A popular and tempting new dating app, specifically targeted to married people who want to have secret affairs. After downloading the app, they both receive a 100% match, but will it draw them apart for good or make them stronger in the long run?

After getting through the first 1/4 of the book, I couldn’t put it down. Like I NEEDED to know what happened. The first 1/4 of it felt a little slow for my liking, but it did give background on both Tara and Colin, which made for a good foundation. Of course I’m a “Mary” and don’t feel like I would appreciate an app like this either, but I do think it made for an entertaining and somewhat controversial love story that many people will have mixed feelings about.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 from me. 🤗

I absolutely loved the premise of this book, and I feel like it deals with some sensitive issues (IVF) pretty well, especially for a male writer. The Banter between Colin and Tara is hilarious and had me literally giggling like an idiot at points. However, if your relationship is to the point of making ‘no strings attached’ dating profiles, it might be time for therapy… or a break. I know that the whole point was for them to fall in love again without realising and remember what it was that they loved about each other in the first place.. but Tara and Colin didn’t know that!!! I also feel like this could have been shorter; at some points it felt like the plot was circling round on itself just to stretch it out a bit more! But not a bad read!