Member Reviews
I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the fact that it went straight into the action. Like you had come in mid sentence. When the action was already taking place. I really enjoyed the way that this book was written the characters and they way that this book unfolded. |
An eye for an eye? A jilted lover is torn up after learning her husband had an affair and decides to get revenge. Hannah decides he must sleep on the couch, then she allows him back in her bed, then she decides to make him jealous by cheating on him with men from dating apps, and then.... OMG! This is crazy talk in deciding whether to stay married or get divorced. What winds up happening in the end will shock the heck out of you in these hectic storms of doubt. |
A great book! Something fascinating to curl up with on a rainy evening, holding a cup of tea... The characters are believable and realistic. Kudos to the writer! |
Dominique H, Reviewer
Not really for me I'm afraid. It went straight into the story too quickly, there was no build up and no chance to get to know the characters first. Still quite a romantic story, but a little confusing to the readers, as it's hard to understand what the main character is thinking. |
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. This book started strange for me, you are thrown straight in with no real backstory of the characters or lead up to the event but at the same time it was a bit of a slow starter! Once I'd got into it I was completely absorbed, I found myself questioning the characters motives and actions but also found I was questioning myself on "how would I react", "what would I do", those questions are what kept me ploughing on through the slower paced chapters but I'm glad I stuck with it. I loved the family dynamic and the fact it reflected true life, things that do happen within day to day relationships and friendships alike. In my opinion a good read that once you've got stuck into you'll speed through! |
Amazing, Amazing— such a wonderful read!!! Absolutely loved!! Stays with you and keeps you thinking. Can’t recommend enough!! |
I was given this advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest review. This was a well written book. Hannah is a woman while looking for evidence of a surprise birthday party on her husband phone uncovers an affair. Hannah is “Beside Herself” to think her husband has gone outside their marriage. The picture of your life and family changes in an instant. As she struggles to figure out what to do, her best friend and recently divorced, Kim encourages her to try to work it out. Hannah’s husband, Joel is pulling out all the stops and is willing to do anything to keep their marriage together. Joel has taken her to a number of counselors to try to help navigate through the pain. Hannah decides that maybe if she has an affair they would be even and they could start again. Will Hannah have an affair? Will Joel be able to save his marriage? This is a quote from the book that really seemed to stay with me after I finished reading the book. I think it is real wisdom for every marriage. “If one is truly lucky, one will find the love of his or her life. Many people think that is the hard part, the finding. It isn’t. The hard part is navigating all the circumstances, changes, shocks, tragedies, and hardships that come to everyone over the course of forty or fifty or sixty years. Of course, there are many good moments, too, and it’s a matter of getting through the bad, or at least finding a way to accept the bad so you can share the good.” Highly recommend. |
Started out ok but I lost interest about 30% in and I didn't like the characters. and by the time I got near the end I wasn't bothered what happened. Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book. |
Not my favorite. Very hard to get into and didn’t keep my interest at all. I felt like it was a good solid base of a story just not well told. |
Whitney M, Reviewer
I was glad that there was significantly more emotional depth at the end as Hannah's reaction seemed staid and she was seeking revenge rather than exploring ways to make it work. I felt that Richard was the catalyst and I wish they delved deeper in his life. I also wanted to know more about Lincoln. A fast read that I thought the ending was the best part especially the bowl. |
Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for letting me read this title ahead of publication. I only write truthful reviews and I didn’t care for this book. Hannah finds out her husband has had an affair. Then she can’t decide what to do about it. She makes him sleep on the couch, then she lets him back into her bed, but the readers don’t know why. She can’t decide whether to split or not. Then she can’t decide whether to have her own affair in retaliation. This book needs a strong, decisive main character, but what we got was a wishy, washy one. I’m not able to recommend this book. |
Jenn C, Reviewer
The storyline of the book intrigued me but to be honest I was disappointed as the book went on. Hannah, the wife, irritated me and how she was so mean to her husband, I just didn’t like the way the book took. Thanks #netgalley for the ARC. #besideherself |
Easy read. You could feel the emotion of the main character through out the book. I received a copy of this book as an ARC through NetGalley and the publisher. |
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'm not sure Lake Union could steer me wrong, and this, for me, was another winner. This generation is sandwiched between work, kids, husbands and aging parents. When this woman finds out her husband had an affair and she had NO idea, she just cannot get past it. Her thought was that if she did it also, they could get back to normal. This book took what could have turned into a mess and handled it with grace, and with understanding of marriage being a verb. It's always changing, and the trick is to learn how to change with it. This book also had some sub plots that I adored, including a child with anxiety, a father in law in a senior home and a friend going through a divorce. Highly recommend this one. |
This book did not work for me. The book started too quickly, we did not get to know much about our two main characters before - bam! First three pages we discover Joel cheated on Hannah. After finishing the book I still cannot describe much about Hannah other than the scene of her getting her haircut into 'long layers' and that she had lost some weight from the stress of everything. Other than Lincoln, what do I remember about her daughter Ridley? Not much. The development of character and decent plot was lacking. Sorry to say I do not recommend this book, but thank you for the opportunity to read a new author. |
Emma C, Reviewer
Brilliant From the second I picked up the book I fell for the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen. There’s nothing better than putting yourself in the characters shoes and thinking ‘what would I do’ and humming and Haring outloud as you get involved. You can’t go wrong with an underlining story running along with the main one too, even if you notice it straught away or when it’s revealed and you say ‘yeah’ Brilliant story, brilliantly written. Can’t wait for more from this author |




