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taylorolivia's review against another edition
3.0
So I picked this book up at Barnes & Noble amidst this pandemic because my local library was closed and I wanted to pick up a couple of fluffy romances. My dad suggested I check out the 5-6$ table and I did. This one immediately caught my eye - maybe it was the cover, I'm not sure.
Anyways, I reserved it for a trip I'm on and read it in roughly a day. It started off interesting - once I got past the obvious plot points and the intros and got used to the character as well as the often switching of character perspectives, I was interested! But after getting to pages 200-250 and so on, I found myself having fewer moments where I was like: "I'm actually genuinely interested in finding out what he/she does next". I just didn't really care. The only parts I found cliffhanger-ish were to do with Izzy (Owen's recurring hookup) and Ben (Lucy's recurring hookup) because it actually threatened to change something and disrupt the happy ending that Lucy and Owen were supposed to have. Everything else did interrupt it but it felt a little different. Maybe it was the author trying to focus on the main conflicts or something of the sort, but I just fell completely uninterested with the other challenges that Owen and Lucy were facing. Their son is an exception - I liked how things didn't just get easier out of the blue and they were actually struggling rather than living in a magical bubble.
Aside from the plot, I have a few things to say about the characters:
By the end of the book, I completely swapped perspectives on Lucy. I never really liked her but I merely blandly read about her. I get that Owen was hooking up with someone and things became pretty invested with Izzy (also Lucy had to deal with the fiasco that was Izzy's insanity) but she chose to become angry at Owen for um wanting to spend time with her? Now...I do see that maybe it wasn't fair for Owen to want to cancel the agreement once he'd had his fun and Lucy was only getting started - but he tried to communicate with her about it and being the seemingly immature person she is, she acted irrationally and became angry at Owen for being oblivious to the fact that she was falling in love with Ben? It doesn't make much sense. This theme continues on throughout the rest of the story with Lucy. When Ben cancels on her because he needs to do things with his children and meet with his ex-wife (to do with his children), she expresses how angry she is at his ex-wife for merely living her life. I hate how Lucy failed to realize that she was the intruder in their lives. Lucy obviously had issues (take the lipstick debacle for one thing and the coal argument at the very beginning of the book). Lucy definitely needs to resolve issues on her own before she can resolve them with Owen.
Not to say that Owen is perfect as well but at least he didn't flip out and blame every walking person that got in his way. He tried to communicate and that's what stood out to me. Still rubbed me the wrong way when realizing that it was his selfish needs that forced him to communicate but then again, at least he did.
This book was an odd read for me and I probably won't read anything like this again.
Anyways, I reserved it for a trip I'm on and read it in roughly a day. It started off interesting - once I got past the obvious plot points and the intros and got used to the character as well as the often switching of character perspectives, I was interested! But after getting to pages 200-250 and so on, I found myself having fewer moments where I was like: "I'm actually genuinely interested in finding out what he/she does next". I just didn't really care. The only parts I found cliffhanger-ish were to do with Izzy (Owen's recurring hookup) and Ben (Lucy's recurring hookup) because it actually threatened to change something and disrupt the happy ending that Lucy and Owen were supposed to have. Everything else did interrupt it but it felt a little different. Maybe it was the author trying to focus on the main conflicts or something of the sort, but I just fell completely uninterested with the other challenges that Owen and Lucy were facing. Their son is an exception - I liked how things didn't just get easier out of the blue and they were actually struggling rather than living in a magical bubble.
Aside from the plot, I have a few things to say about the characters:
By the end of the book, I completely swapped perspectives on Lucy. I never really liked her but I merely blandly read about her. I get that Owen was hooking up with someone and things became pretty invested with Izzy (also Lucy had to deal with the fiasco that was Izzy's insanity) but she chose to become angry at Owen for um wanting to spend time with her? Now...I do see that maybe it wasn't fair for Owen to want to cancel the agreement once he'd had his fun and Lucy was only getting started - but he tried to communicate with her about it and being the seemingly immature person she is, she acted irrationally and became angry at Owen for being oblivious to the fact that she was falling in love with Ben? It doesn't make much sense. This theme continues on throughout the rest of the story with Lucy. When Ben cancels on her because he needs to do things with his children and meet with his ex-wife (to do with his children), she expresses how angry she is at his ex-wife for merely living her life. I hate how Lucy failed to realize that she was the intruder in their lives. Lucy obviously had issues (take the lipstick debacle for one thing and the coal argument at the very beginning of the book). Lucy definitely needs to resolve issues on her own before she can resolve them with Owen.
Not to say that Owen is perfect as well but at least he didn't flip out and blame every walking person that got in his way. He tried to communicate and that's what stood out to me. Still rubbed me the wrong way when realizing that it was his selfish needs that forced him to communicate but then again, at least he did.
This book was an odd read for me and I probably won't read anything like this again.
ashleybhaley's review against another edition
3.0
What happens when a marriage goes stale?
Owen and Lucy's story was completely relatable and I absolutely loved it. They are trying to save their marriage... they love each other, they want to raise their son together, and they want to remain partners in life forever, but their intimate life is undesirable. So together they agree on "The Arrangement" where they get 6 months to have meaningless sex with anyone they want, no questions asked.
I know I'm a minority with this one... I really enjoyed Lucy and Owens story and it was indeed funny (can I just say chickens in church, anyone?!?! đ) However, there were a couple of things that got me down. First, I really struggled with all of the other stories that are interwoven in the book from other people that were connected to Owen and Lucy. I found it boring and I didn't like any of the other characters so I had no connection to their successes or failures. Second, I felt like the ending was really rushed. Had this book been just about Owen and Lucy, I would have liked it a lot more.
Owen and Lucy's story was completely relatable and I absolutely loved it. They are trying to save their marriage... they love each other, they want to raise their son together, and they want to remain partners in life forever, but their intimate life is undesirable. So together they agree on "The Arrangement" where they get 6 months to have meaningless sex with anyone they want, no questions asked.
I know I'm a minority with this one... I really enjoyed Lucy and Owens story and it was indeed funny (can I just say chickens in church, anyone?!?! đ) However, there were a couple of things that got me down. First, I really struggled with all of the other stories that are interwoven in the book from other people that were connected to Owen and Lucy. I found it boring and I didn't like any of the other characters so I had no connection to their successes or failures. Second, I felt like the ending was really rushed. Had this book been just about Owen and Lucy, I would have liked it a lot more.
walmartyr's review against another edition
3.0
This book was wholly forgettable in my opinion, specifically the characters. I found myself having to keep referring to previous pages/paragraphs in the book to remember what the hell was going on or who was who (and I read this book in a relatively short amount of time). It was a little all over the place with the characters and some of the plot and it seemed a bit of a stretch to pull everything together overall....not very cohesive of a storyline.
The one thing I did love about this book, whether this was intentional or not is that it brought a lot of thought to me as far as relationships go and how relationships can get stale and that the âshiny newnessâ of things....or wanting that back again can make or break a relationship.. Overall, very thought provoking but at the same time, it didnât seem like it intended upon doing so. Which was disappointing and left me wanting more.
There were some parts that made me actually laugh out loud and some dialogue that I loved. There were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is why it gets 3 stars for me. Itâs so directly in the middle for me.
The one thing I did love about this book, whether this was intentional or not is that it brought a lot of thought to me as far as relationships go and how relationships can get stale and that the âshiny newnessâ of things....or wanting that back again can make or break a relationship.. Overall, very thought provoking but at the same time, it didnât seem like it intended upon doing so. Which was disappointing and left me wanting more.
There were some parts that made me actually laugh out loud and some dialogue that I loved. There were parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed. This is why it gets 3 stars for me. Itâs so directly in the middle for me.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
2.0
Once you know the premise of this novel, it pretty much goes exactly as youâd expect. Two well intentioned adults in a fairly good marriage going through a rough couple years and they adapt to having an autistic child that is more than either of them can handle is a plausible premise for experimenting with an open marriage I guess, but even then it seems to be accepted without much thought. I personally didnât like the use of the child as the fulcrum for their current difficulties, while they donât blame the child outright, itâs clear that itâs the biggest factor in this concept. I donât have to even say what happens in the end as this novel is incredibly predictable. Sure there are slight twists here and there, but for the most part you see it all coming. I think my biggest difficulty with it was the side character they it seems the author kept feeling a need to tie into her story line, itâs not that they were poorly written or anything, it just detracted from the main plot a bit and I think was simply used as a comparison tool to show that other marriages can have crazy issues as well. Overall, this book was average at best and really lacked believability. Itâs an easy read, but I found itâs issues too distracting to even try to enjoy it and I would skip it altogether.
stephheartsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. It had it's moments of seriousness as well as humor. I love that the author also writes for American Housewife. It's a really great show!
I don't think I could have an open marriage. There are too many risks. The biggest one being either myself or my spouse falling in love with someone else. I do, however, like that that both Owen and Lucy did awaken feelings within themselves that had been dormant. I also love the supporting storylines about the others in this town. This is the first book that I've read by Sarah Dunn but it won't be my last.
I don't think I could have an open marriage. There are too many risks. The biggest one being either myself or my spouse falling in love with someone else. I do, however, like that that both Owen and Lucy did awaken feelings within themselves that had been dormant. I also love the supporting storylines about the others in this town. This is the first book that I've read by Sarah Dunn but it won't be my last.
kathleenww's review against another edition
4.0
A fun and entertaining novel about a couple who enter into an "arrangement," in an attempt to liven up their marriage. I liked the couple, and enjoyed reading this train wreck of a novel. Not serious literature, but their is some food for thought here as far as what's important to people: in a marriage, in a community, and in life.
aktunmore's review against another edition
3.0
Decided to read this when it was recommended for bookclub but not chosen. it was ok, but a bit predictable and I think it ended rather abruptly. but I like the authors writing style and it was a quick, easy read
gonzorama's review against another edition
2.0
Fairly fluffy and not at all "hilarious" (despite the pull-quotes), but there were enough insightful observations (and one snort-aloud-inducing moment) to warrant two solid stars. I like the way Dunn wrapped this one up. A decent summer/airplane read.
hsrudolph's review against another edition
3.0
Happily surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Fluffy stories about people behaving stupidly usually donât appeal to me. But this was a well constructed, witty and well written novel that comments subtly yet meaningfully on relationships in our culture.