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emma's Reviews > The Lifestyle
The Lifestyle
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by
emma's review
bookshelves: arc, from-publisher-author, romance, non-ya, unpopular-opinion, nope, 1-star, reviewed
May 23, 2022
bookshelves: arc, from-publisher-author, romance, non-ya, unpopular-opinion, nope, 1-star, reviewed
this book contains two affairs, an entire friend group swinging, multiple breakups, marriage-threatening behavior, blackmail, company-wide food poisoning, secret exes, long-term deception, and, in the worst sin of all, one person having to cook dinner for everyone AND do the dishes.
and no one gets mad at each other even once.
WHERE is the DRAMA??!
perhaps this is because of our protagonist, O Perfect One.
O Perfect One catches her husband graphically cheating on her, WITH HER MENTEE, at their SHARED WORKPLACE, and she is never anything but nice to that girl. including in that exact moment.
she IMMEDIATELY and COMPLETELY forgives said husband, and so in spite of reconnecting with the Love Of Her Life approx 17 pages into the story, she doesn't even THINK about him until after he was already unfaithful and she STILL is tormented by guilt because of her perfect true-north moral compass.
and least relatable of all, she cooks everyone stir fry on the first night of vacation AND washes the dishes and wineglasses when they go to sleep with not even 1 bad thought.
this book is so f*cking boring.
everyone is okay with everything!
it's ostensibly about swinging and about affairs, but it's uncomplex, cartoonish, and ill-conceived, so we land squarely in snooze city.
bottom line: i honestly don't know how you make a book that sounds this interesting this moment-to-moment boring.
--------------------
tbr review
i don't want to be mean.
but this cover is terrifying.
(thanks to netgalley for the e-arc)
and no one gets mad at each other even once.
WHERE is the DRAMA??!
perhaps this is because of our protagonist, O Perfect One.
O Perfect One catches her husband graphically cheating on her, WITH HER MENTEE, at their SHARED WORKPLACE, and she is never anything but nice to that girl. including in that exact moment.
she IMMEDIATELY and COMPLETELY forgives said husband, and so in spite of reconnecting with the Love Of Her Life approx 17 pages into the story, she doesn't even THINK about him until after he was already unfaithful and she STILL is tormented by guilt because of her perfect true-north moral compass.
and least relatable of all, she cooks everyone stir fry on the first night of vacation AND washes the dishes and wineglasses when they go to sleep with not even 1 bad thought.
this book is so f*cking boring.
everyone is okay with everything!
it's ostensibly about swinging and about affairs, but it's uncomplex, cartoonish, and ill-conceived, so we land squarely in snooze city.
bottom line: i honestly don't know how you make a book that sounds this interesting this moment-to-moment boring.
--------------------
tbr review
i don't want to be mean.
but this cover is terrifying.
(thanks to netgalley for the e-arc)
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Reading Progress
May 20, 2022
– Shelved
July 16, 2022
–
Started Reading
July 20, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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message 1:
by
Emma Griffioen
(new)
May 23, 2022 07:44AM
omg her face specifically like who okayed that
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emma griffioen! wrote: "omg her face specifically like who okayed that"spooky stuff in truth!!!
Lol you're not wrong
What’s even scarier is how a book about swinging can be so bland
I read an article by this author in which she called this book a modern version of Jane Austen’s Emma, and I was wondering if you could see it because from every review I’ve read I do not??
April wrote: "What’s even scarier is how a book about swinging can be so bland"ok true...
Emma wrote: "I read an article by this author in which she called this book a modern version of Jane Austen’s Emma, and I was wondering if you could see it because from every review I’ve read I do not??"i have literally no idea!!! at one point she's like "maybe i'm not a matchmaker"...? that's the closest it gets and even that is not emma-y
It looks like the set for Alfred Hitchcocks Rope starring Jane's Stewart...the cover.
Mike wrote: "It looks like the set for Alfred Hitchcocks Rope starring Jane's Stewart...the cover."hmm!!
That’s what I said! Like yeah, not everyone likes the same things/ has the same tastes, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, etc. But literally exactly. Who decided that was a winning cover?
The fact that the author tries to make Nathan sympathetic immediately after getting caught being a cheating ass put me off the book right away. Yes, he WAS a dickhead. Don't try to pretend otherwise. What kind of spineless doormat person tries to rationalize their partner's cheating let alone trying to internalize the behavior as a failure on their part?My other anger point? How in the hell was Meridith not thrown out on her ass without a job!?! That's the VERY least that should've happened to her. I just can't with this. Yeah, I get placing the blamed on the actual cheater but the "other person" who is familiar with the spouse is equally awful. She knowingly hurt a person who had never been anything but kind to her. Yes, she 100% deserves an equal amount of scorn. Stop trying to make her sympathetic.
I also hate these new cartoonish covers of books
Andrea - I’m surprised. It’s not the Jr that bears the burden of sexual harassment, it’s the partner, of a law firm no less, who has the responsibility of not harassing Jr lawyers. If there was a fuss and it came out, the husband should be fired. If the Jr lawyer is ever fired, she can claim sexual harassment, again damaging the law firm, the husband on the wife. Remember, we only have the husband’s side of the story. Why is it always the women who are blamed and fired?
I wish I could remove this from my list all together. It makes we not want to add books to my TBR list.
