I was so excited when Heather wanted to buddy-read this book because I have such a thing for domestic dramas. I was a little leery, though, when I found out that this book revolved around an open marriage and parenthood, neither of which are subjects that I'm particularly into, although they can work. The first red flag was when I found out that the open marriage is something they are introducing into their marriage to "fix" it because they don't have time for date nights or therapy. I'm sorry, but if you're having sex with people who finish faster than it takes to eat a meal at a cheap diner, then the open marriage shit is an excuse, not a reason. You're just bad at sex and, apparently, bad at planning.
Anyway, the couple is named Peter and Ainsley but I'm going to refer to them as Douche and Moron, because that is what they are. Peter is like the portrait Nice Guy who isn't actually all that nice, and Ainsley is an idiot who is more concerned with "winning" at their fake open marriage scheme than she is about anything else, be it her children's safety or her own well-being. (Douche asks her, quite reasonably, to leave behind contact info in case something happens to her and she agrees-- but he finds out she wrote in the envelope the equivalent of "haha JK SIKE").
The pacing is good and I guess the story-telling is fine. I can see why it hooked people because these two are so awful that there's no telling what they do next. The downside is that, with people this awful and this unrelatable, I don't really care what they do next, because I have no investment in them as people I care about. The writing style is also a little clunky, which is a nitpick and not something that really put me off. If I'd liked the story more, I could have glossed over it, although I probably still would have mentioned it. This book was not for me. Sorry, Heather, for bailing.
2 to 2.5 out of 5 stars
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