Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The characters sleep fairly well according to this book.
I want to first start by stating that I was interested in this book by the synopsis given on the inside cover. It first explains how Gabe's husband Ethan wants to run as a Republican and in the second paragraph about how Ethan's sister (Kate) is a lesbian who reconnects with a past fling (Nicole). Now from this, I took it to mean that the main point of this story would focus on Gabe and Ethan or at least an a decent part of the story would; boy was I wrong!
The writing is flat and repetitive (take a shot every time she mentions Nicole's "thick upper lip" and you'll get alcohol poisoning 25% in). For a book that is supposed to take place in present day (considering Jan. 6 is mentioned) this feels so completely dated in the way it refuses to touch on anything. Having a book in which politics and identities are a huge part you'd think that Harris would choose to dive into these topics, however, she decides to consistently brush past them. Any time any of the characters were gearing up to have actual conversations about the way that Ethan's Republican views were impacting their lives or really any politics, they would immediately follow with "I don't want to get into it." OKAY WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET INTO IT THOUGH?! You can't have a book about these things and then refuse to talk about issues involving race, LGBTQIA+, immigration, ect. This book so shallow, so performative and yet by doing that it does create a great message about the way some people deal with politics in their life; by ignoring anything remotely complicated.
I felt this book wanted to actually be about Kate and Nicole's relationship and then tacked on Gabe and Ethan's troubled marriage as extra fluff. If anything this book would go up in rating had it chosen to solely focus the story on the Nicole and Kate. That being said, I kept dreading their chapters because I truly only cared about Gabe and Ethan's story, as it was a far more interesting. And yet all the characters were horrible and unbearable lmao. Not a single one had a redeeming quality and when the book ended I felt like "wait really? no growth? no accountability?"
Might I even say ... a big nothing burger at the end of the day?
I want to first start by stating that I was interested in this book by the synopsis given on the inside cover. It first explains how Gabe's husband Ethan wants to run as a Republican and in the second paragraph about how Ethan's sister (Kate) is a lesbian who reconnects with a past fling (Nicole). Now from this, I took it to mean that the main point of this story would focus on Gabe and Ethan or at least an a decent part of the story would; boy was I wrong!
The writing is flat and repetitive (take a shot every time she mentions Nicole's "thick upper lip" and you'll get alcohol poisoning 25% in). For a book that is supposed to take place in present day (considering Jan. 6 is mentioned) this feels so completely dated in the way it refuses to touch on anything. Having a book in which politics and identities are a huge part you'd think that Harris would choose to dive into these topics, however, she decides to consistently brush past them. Any time any of the characters were gearing up to have actual conversations about the way that Ethan's Republican views were impacting their lives or really any politics, they would immediately follow with "I don't want to get into it." OKAY WHEN ARE WE GONNA GET INTO IT THOUGH?! You can't have a book about these things and then refuse to talk about issues involving race, LGBTQIA+, immigration, ect. This book so shallow, so performative and yet by doing that it does create a great message about the way some people deal with politics in their life; by ignoring anything remotely complicated.
I felt this book wanted to actually be about Kate and Nicole's relationship and then tacked on Gabe and Ethan's troubled marriage as extra fluff. If anything this book would go up in rating had it chosen to solely focus the story on the Nicole and Kate. That being said, I kept dreading their chapters because I truly only cared about Gabe and Ethan's story, as it was a far more interesting. And yet all the characters were horrible and unbearable lmao. Not a single one had a redeeming quality and when the book ended I felt like "wait really? no growth? no accountability?"
Might I even say ... a big nothing burger at the end of the day?
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ethan and Gabe are a married couple with a child. Gabe is a progressive, but over time Ethan's views have gradually shifted rightward until he decides to run for office as a Republican. Gabe wants to be supportive of his partner, but doesn't want to be publicly associated with his views and especially not the views of the Republican party. The campaign itself also puts a toll on the couple. Kate is Ethan's sister, a political journalist who is not allowed to cover Ethan's campaign. Her life is also upended by the reappearance of her former flame Nicole, a bisexual woman married to a man.
Both storylines had a lot of potential, and I was really interested in reading about how a couple navigates political differences in a marriage. I never got any sense of Ethan as a person at all, why his views shifted, how he reconciles being a gay Republican when much of the party's platform is hostile to LGBTQ+ people. As a result, I also didn't have much connection to Gabe and Ethan as a couple. Nicole's experience as a bisexual woman married to a man and how that impacts her identity had potential as well, but she was a pretty awful and selfish character. I think the novel (or this reader anyway!) would have been better served to focus on one storyline and greater development of the characters and relationship involved.
Both storylines had a lot of potential, and I was really interested in reading about how a couple navigates political differences in a marriage. I never got any sense of Ethan as a person at all, why his views shifted, how he reconciles being a gay Republican when much of the party's platform is hostile to LGBTQ+ people. As a result, I also didn't have much connection to Gabe and Ethan as a couple. Nicole's experience as a bisexual woman married to a man and how that impacts her identity had potential as well, but she was a pretty awful and selfish character. I think the novel (or this reader anyway!) would have been better served to focus on one storyline and greater development of the characters and relationship involved.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Ethan and Gabe’s Marriage takes a turn when Ethan decides to run for congress as an openly gay republican, throwing Gabe’s life and identity into a tailspin. SAHM Nicole decides to stir up her life by reaching out to her old flame Kate, a successful journalist and sister to congressional hopeful Ethan.
The novel revolves around identity- Nicole is a bisexual woman married to a cishet man, trapped in heteronormativity. Gabe is a liberal losing his identity to his husband’s conservative politics. How do we sleep at night, when our identities are being questioned or flat out ignored?