I have very mixed feelings about this book, mainly because it seems as if the author had a difficult time deciding what to focus on in the book.
On the one hand, it was a fascinating look at alternative lifestyles for adults, a topic that does not get enough honest attention. What two consenting adults do in their private life is really nobody else’s business, regardless of age or gender.
I found this first part of the story to be extremely interesting because I thought the author’s exploration of a married couple’s shared interest outside the marriage is not a usual catalyst in a novel. The actions and reactions of Jessica and Jake were honest and realistic.
When Jessica crosses a few lines, however, I felt that the plot sort of lost its way. It wasn’t so much her crossing them because that seemed like a natural progression in the relationships they had. It was that the character who was the catalyst for the “line-crossing” did not have enough depth to him.
Everything else to that point was carefully described and detailed. Then this guy pops up primarily (it seemed) to cause problems. I thought this whole interlude did not ring true and was thrown in to make it “interesting.” All it did for me, however, was to take focus away from the couple’s growth and dealing with issues.
That’s not to say that the conflict shouldn’t have happened. I liked how Jessica was able to use her experience to help another character, so I think that something should have happened – I just think it could have been done differently. I also felt that it was resolved way too easily, considering the trouble that it caused, and everything wrapped up rather quickly at the end, not to mention there were a few characters that were just sort of left hanging.
My other issue is in the author’s notes; she mentions that she wrote the book to be able to address “toxic masculinity…and rape culture.” I did not get that from ANY of this book and could not even begin to see where that would have had any place in the story. I would still recommend this book. I just wish it had been a little bit more streamlined.
