A review by bookishmillennial
The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews, I feel like a peasant and don’t like leaving them and most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial

premise:
  • contemporary romance set in D.C.
  • third-person POV of love interests
  • Rachel Abbott discovers her husband of 13 years is cheating on the night of his 40th birthday party with a white woman (she is Black)
  • Matt, her husband, is in the midst of an election cycle (I think congressional? I forget hahaha but he's the typical cishet white man who wants power and prioritizes his legacy, what's new?!) and he bribes Rachel with $1 million and their home if she keeps up the charade that they are still together until the election is over
  • Rachel meets a much younger man, 26-year-old Nathan, who is an artist who has seemingly lost his way and his family has their own legacy 
  • Nathan navigates hard news that his father shares with the family and is forced to reconcile his relationship or lack thereof with his father, and the rest of his family too
  • Rachel has an ice queen persona but begins to examine what went wrong in her marriage, and begins to rediscover her joy and hope again
  • Rachel had a daughter at 18 years old (which makes her Matt's step daughter), and thinks about her future wrt how the divorce will affect her too
  • cw: panic attack, infidelity, microaggressions, death of a parent/cancer, drug use, grief
  • steam: 2/5 

thoughts:
ADORED THIS BOOK !!!! Rachel was such a fantastic character to get to know, and I was rooting for her from the very beginning. She was upfront, tactful and searing when she wanted to be. She was an admirable FMC because though she could have truly blown up Matt's image once the affair was revealed, she made sure that her and her daughter would be taken care of. I'm not a mother but I can only imagine that this is how most moms operate -- putting their babies first. 

However, that was also part of her arc, which I think so many middle-aged parents or partners can relate to. I don't think it's uncommon for partners to become room mates at some point in their marriage, and when Matt and Rachel finally have the conversation with their therapist about where things went wrong, it felt so real! Not that it was cliche, but that it felt authentic to those who have been together for so long, that they forget to "romance" the other, and forget to challenge each other to be their best selves. 

I appreciated Nathan's arc too and found that deeeeply relatable as well! Nathan's vulnerability and exhaustion when it came to his father was sad but also so realistic. I appreciated that this was an age gap romance with both people navigating where they are at in life. No matter what age we are at, at any moment, we can be assessing our purpose, direction, and what our futures will look like. 

I loved the longing and tension, and I was so glad for them in the end <3
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