Of all the species on the planet, humans have been given the amazing ability to think and feel, not just behave on instinct. We have the ability to feel empathy and compassion, make decisions based on logic, facts and evidence. Humans also have the ability to resolve conflict. Unlike the animals we share this planet with, humans can also demonstrate selfishness, greed, corruption and hate, just to name a few.

Nick and Maya Wakefield are that couple that appear to have it all. Amazing careers, beautiful twins, secure, cushy lifestyle. Somewhere along the way, she and Nick have lost the spark that brought them together in the first place. Maya gave up her career in law to be a stay at home mother and is consumed with over-protectiveness, bordering on obsession. I got the impression that Nick is a bystander in his home, not quite participating, just observing. Nick decides he wants out and after he talks to his best friend, Gray who is a divorce attorney, Nick is given the news that divorce will cost him more than he is willing to give up. Gray suggests to him that he should improve his marriage, become a better husband and father before splitting up so that the settlement will weigh more in his favor.

This whole premise knocked me back a little bit. Become a better husband and father, improve your marriage BEFORE YOU END IT? Wait, what? Isn’t the point of improving your marriage is so you don’t end it? This philosophy, though seriously messed up, was quite intriguing to me and what drew me into this story. Nick takes Gray’s advice to heart and actively sets out to be a better husband and father. Devoting more time to the family, spending time at home, picking up the slack and taking a more active role in the relationship. Nick is thoroughly shocked and amazed that he actually begins to FEEL like a better man. Maya notices it too and though she is confused and suspicious in the beginning at the practically overnight change she is seeing in her husband, she quickly embraces and accepts it and begins to relax more and be less obsessed about maintaining control over the household and everyone in it.

Though I thought it was shady of Nick to speak to Gray behind Maya’s back and thought it exceedingly underhanded of him to change on the surface so it would benefit him, I sensed that he really did change. I hoped he would come clean to Maya about not only why he changed his behavior on the outside, but how it also changed him on the inside. Just when I thought these two had struck the mother lode with the fix to all relationship problems, the proverbial cat is let out of the bag. Saying Maya doesn’t react well to the news is an understatement of epic proportion. She quickly moves out of their home with the children and starts divorce proceedings. She is completely unwilling to speak to Nick at all, which I totally understood, but it still frustrated me.

I liked both of these characters and wanted to see them succeed in their marriage. I didn’t agree with Nick’s tactics and I didn’t agree with Maya’s “take no prisoners” reaction but I could relate to both of them and where they were coming from. I couldn’t help but think if they had applied this kind of drive into making their marriage a priority in the first place, they wouldn’t be in this mess. As the most advanced and evolved species on the planet, humans sure know how to muck it up and do it well. I enjoyed this author’s voice and writing style. The story moves at a nice pace with enough detail to keep the reader engaged.

My Final Verdict: An all too realistic story-line for the times we live in but underneath the few top layers of two people all too ready to throw in the towel are two people who learn that sometimes pride needs to be chucked out the window and fighting for love is worth it. I recommend this story to anyone who has been in a relationship, which is most, if not all of us. We’ve all been there, at that cross-roads, when we have had to decide whether to throw in the towel or give it another shot.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I thought the characters were rather flat and the overall premise is just super depressing. Yes, kids change things, but you don't have to let them change them for the worse.

I picked up this book wanting to read it but right from the beginning I knew it wasn’t for me. I read 30 pages and had to give up. It wasn’t poorly written or anything like that it just didn’t hold my attn.