This is a beautiful book which revolves around the brutal reality of how a lot of couple falls apart in the later part of their lives because of so many reasons that in isolation might not have affected them but when combined with everything makes them feel that they cannot live together.

Joe & Freya are in their mid 40's but their marriage isn't the same. Joe is struggling to land on a good writing gig for a sitcom/show whereas Freya is working as a paralegal in a law firm. They both land to the conclusion that they have to separate because there marriage hasn't felt like marriage in last 1.5 years but since money is tight they decide to not move out of the house and only take that action once their daughter has moved out for further education.

I felt this book was a real good attempt to show the real problems but for me the connection felt flat. I feel if it is a marriage in distress where parting ways seems like the next best thing there has to have conversations as well as actions from both the ends to fix that bond if they wish to fix it. but here it felt like applying a Band-Aid on a scar that needed stitches, medicines and a lot of care.

I wish I could have been happy for when they got back together, but I felt it wasnt needed. It felt rushed without solving the issues. or maybe they didnt even need to part ways to begin with and it was all an impulsive decision.

Not Moving Out felt incredibly personal—like Jon Rance was writing directly to me. His style is so natural and down to earth that I found myself instantly connecting with the characters. Their struggles, awkward moments, and little wins felt real, and I could see parts of myself (and people I know) in them. It made reading the book feel less like fiction and more like sitting in on someone’s life.

That said, the miscommunication trope popped up quite a bit—and honestly, it's just not my favorite. I get that it drives the plot, but at times it felt a little frustrating. I found myself wanting the characters to just talk to each other! Still, the warmth and humor carried me through, and I appreciated how even the more difficult moments were written with heart.

Overall, this is a feel-good story that doesn’t shy away from life’s messiness. If you enjoy character-driven reads that are funny, touching, and easy to relate to (even if you occasionally want to shake some sense into the characters), give this one a try.

If you like second chance romance and forced proximity tropes, you may like this book. I usually love forced proximities and was so excited for this book based on the premise. However, personally for me, the execution fell a bit flat. I had a tough time connecting to the characters, and I was just waiting for the book to end. It felt like Joe was the real main character of the book because he had great character growth, but Freya seemed one-dimensional. It felt like everything was being blamed on Joe, which may or may not have been intentional, but it felt unfair for Joe.

3 stars ✨

From the get go I really enjoyed the writing, it was digestible without being simple or juvenile. Rance also managed to write from a female perspective without it being weird or creepy, which is unfortunately rare. In saying that, I did feel that we knew our male main character, Joe, on a much deeper level than our female main character, Freya.

I appreciated the mental health representation and it was written tastefully. Additionally, it was nice to see LGBTQ+ rep.

The middle of the book was too slow, and it took me a little longer than normal to read it. The reunification at the end felt instantaneous. It was like they had sex and then everything was perfect, and that is not a realistic or true. Though I imagine that’s the way a man’s brain works; it was just a weak and honestly odd ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo for providing me with this ARC.

Freya and Joe’s marriage is over, or so they think. But with their daughter’s final school year ahead and money tight, they agree to live together for six more months.
For Joe, a struggling sitcom writer, their awkward setup becomes the perfect story. The network loves it, there’s just one problem: Freya doesn’t know she’s the star.

First off, huge thanks to NetGalley and Jon Rance for giving me the chance to read this! I was pulled in right from the start. The story moves fast, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading. It had so many beautiful lines that made me stop and think about love, life, and all the messy in-betweens.

I loved the writing style and the plot. Even when I wasn’t reading, I kept thinking about the characters, they felt so real. I laughed out loud more than once and even got a little teary at times.

Okay yes, there were moments where I just wanted to yell please communicate!! but that just made it all the more relatable.
All in all, I’m really grateful I got to read this one. I’ll definitely be recommending it to my friends!

★ ★ ★ ½

Not Moving Out follows Joe and Freya, a couple that has been married for 20 years with marital issues for the past 18 months. They are forced to live in the same house during their separation due to financial issues and to keep it as “normal” for their daughter, Dolly, who is heading off to Uni.

There is visible love between them, however their biggest battle that led to their separation was the lack of communication on both parts, mainly Freya’s. I felt like this was the most frustrating part for myself while reading. I also didn’t enjoy the frequent mentions of their marriage disintegrating in the past year and a half but not having true examples, the same phrase was constantly reworded to remind us of it, when it could’ve been shown.

The characters were decently written but I felt like Joe was more developed than Freya and that her character fell a bit flat. Because of this, I didn’t feel very connected to the characters, making my interest waver. I did enjoy the dynamic between Freya and her mother and friends, it was refreshing to see her personality outside of Joe.

Overall, the book was well written but I just felt the romance was a bit lackluster. I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys the miscommunication trope.

A big thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Not Moving Out will be available to read on May 15, 2025.

I had a tough time with this story. I went in excited about the concept of a recently separated couple having to stay living in the same house due to financial reasons and to support their daughter through her last year of school. I love a second chance romance but this just unfortunately missed the mark for me. There was no pining for each other, and I felt no chemistry between the two characters.
This book was also filled with a lot of telling instead of showing. They kept mentioning (over and over and over again mind you) that the last 18 months of their marriage were a struggle. Instead of telling the reader, I think the story would have benefited by a flashback scene to help us feel something for these two or to empathize more with their situation. Why did they even fall in love in the first place? What exactly caused this rift between them?
By at the end of the book I honestly didn’t care whether or not they got back together. The characters were one dimensional and I had a hard time connecting to them and rooting for their relationship. I felt bored most of the time, and towards the ends I was skimming to finish,

As the author said himself “<Not moving out> is a romantic comedy about love when you are older, about marriage, parenting, parents, friends and lovers”
As I usually read romance with “book boyfriend” characters and people in their 20s or 30s, this book was something totally different for me as a reader.
It’s follows a couple in their 40s, after being married for nearly 20 years that decided to separate without any big drama like cheating. They had more of long-time struggles in their marriage, that piled over time, but not one particular cause of their separation.
I think the story can be very relatable and quite realistic. It’s still fiction, but the whole premise and execution of the story allows the reader to find themselves or at least someone they know in the main couple or side characters.
It’s well written, funny, but can also make you reflect on some things. It’s entertaining and can easily be a quick read.
I loved the idea and execution! Also the way all the side-plots and side characters were crafted is worth mentioning.
I liked the pacing. For the majority of the story it wasn’t clear how Freya and Joe will end up - will they find their way back to each other or will it end with divorce? I don’t know which way to root for them up to 80% of the story! Over the last 20% once I had an opinion if they should be together or not, I changed it probably 3 times! Only during the last 20%! I wasn’t expecting the author will wrap the story in a way I will agree with, but I was proven wrong.
I very much enjoyed the story as a woman in her early 30s with almost 10 years of being married, so you definitely don’t have to be older or in marriage crisis to read and enjoy this story ;)

Books have always been my “happy place.” The genre that I can never get enough of is romance. Although my preferred genre is romantic suspense books, I am actually a huge fan of Rom-Coms as well. Because of this, I was extremely excited to read this book.

One of the things that hooked me about this book is that it was refreshing to read about characters that are in their forties. Also, as someone who has been married for almost 17 years, this book made me think about what I would do if my own marriage ended up “imploding.” I could definitely see us in this type of situation!

While I really liked most of the characters, I have to say that Joe is my absolute favorite. He was the character that I was rooting for most of all. Not to be a spoiler, but I am glad that it all works out for him.

All in all, I adored this book. I can’t wait to read other works by Jon Rance.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

3.5 stars for me. Need to be able to rate half stars on this platform.
This is a cute second chance romance following the relationship of Joe & Freya who have been married for many years. Their daughter, Dolly is getting ready to head to college, so they have decided since the past 18 months they have been just going through the motions of a relationship that had been steadily declining for years, they will go ahead and separate. Due to financial insecurity, they are forced to stay under the same roof but in separate bedrooms.
I think the biggest part of the plot is the miscommunication and lack of communication trope - and I just have the worst time with that particular trope. I kept wanting Joe to speak his feelings and not drag this out. I also wanted Freya to stop giving mixed signals.
Characters were developed but I struggled connecting a bit. It was also hard for me to feel the chemistry.
However if the miscommunication trope is what lights your candle, this is the book for you!
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This is a second chance romance, but not the kind you are usually used to, where the two lovers-to-be have been separated by time. In this case, they are separated by a floor of their house. Freya upstairs, and Joe downstairs.
The pair have been married for a long time. Their daughter, Dolly is going off to university, and For Freya, things had been bad for the last year and a half, so she proposes that they get separated, but live in the same house, because they can’t afford to live apart, and it would be better for Dolly, to have a stable home before she goes off.
Joe still loves her. But he doesn’t know how to express it. He, a writer, hasn’t sold anything in years, but goes to meet his agent, whom he tells about living together but apart, and he is told to pitch it as a tv show, and of course it is picked up.


Lack of communication is often the crux of problems in the world, and in this case, Joe not telling Freya that he is writing a show based on their life is something he doesn’t want to do because he thinks she won’t understand.


Although I enjoyed this book, I had a little issue with Freya’s voice. Joe’s chapters made perfect sense, and were heart shredding. But on the other hand, Freya got upset for Joe not fighting for the marriage more, or not calling her more, when she both told him to not call her, and that it was over, so don’t bother fighting. No wonder Joe was having problems.


This book will be available on the 15th of May 2025. Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for this ARC.

Joe, 45, is a comedy writer who lives with wife Freya, a paralegal, and daughter Dolly, 16, in Brighton. Their marriage has soured in the past 18 months, partly due to his failure to earn money with his writing. His last sitcom for the BBC was ten years ago, and the communication between him and his wife has broken down, mainly due to Joe never mentioning important things like his panic attacks or his secret visits to a therapist even though he refuses marriage counselling.

Unfortunately, neither of them can afford to leave the marital home and selling it is also not a financial option right now so they try to muddle along in the same house but separate bedrooms, at least until Dolly is going to uni in six months' time. Then Joe's agent Carl suggests making his next writing project about his unusual living situation and all hell breaks loose.

So, Jon Rance is a writer (hopefully without marriage troubles) who writes about a writer with marriage troubles who writes about a writer with marriage troubles. Got it.
To be honest, I didn't see this as a funny book so I have no idea how anybody would be able to turn this into a laughter-filled sitcom. What's funny about a crumbling marriage, about people who still love each other but have allowed life's disappointments to get in the way?

There are some quirky side characters like Stepdad Martin who is called Marmalade for reasons I have forgotten already, or the members of the Cold Water Club that Freya joins, and they round out the story nicely.

Joe and Freya however are complex characters, and I didn't always connect with them or think they were compatible. Joe is a man child who defines himself through his work and is emotionally illiterate. He constantly doesn't tell Freya really important things like that he is putting their family life in a sitcom, and that is not normal to me. His personal growth journey just takes too long. Simultaneously, Freya is competent but sometimes too rigid in her opinions and doesn't see how Joe struggles.

While I'm not entirely certain whether those two people should be together because when the chips were down, they turned to other people for advice instead of talking to each other, the dual POV storytelling works well, and the book is a well-written, very realistic exploration of love, marriage and family dynamics. Read if you like stories about middle-aged marital introspection and self-discovery.

3.5 stars

Are you ready for your next romantic comedy? Pick up Not Moving Out by Jon Rance. You will love it!!!!

What a great book! I always love books by Mr Rance. It was a fun unique concept. I know I had a situation like this where my parents stayed together more for my benefit than for theirs and this one has an even greater twist as they make just happen to discover their for love for one another again.