About the Book
When a couple starts to feel like they’re married to a stranger, a flirtatious game of pretend becomes the spark they need to reignite their relationship.
Eliza and Graham are anticipating an anything-but-sexy, weeklong getaway to celebrate their five-year anniversary. Nestled on the Northern California coastline, the resort prides itself on being a destination for those in love and those looking to find it. For Eliza and Graham, it might as well be a vacation with a roommate.
When a well-meaning guest mistakes Eliza and Graham for being single and introduces them at the hotel bar, they don’t correct him. Suddenly, they’re pretending to be perfect strangers and it’s unexpectedly…fun? Eliza and Graham find themselves flirting like it’s their first date, and waiting with butterflies in their stomach for the other to text back.
Everyone at the retreat can sense the electric chemistry between Eliza and Graham’s alter egos. But when their scintillating game of roleplaying ends, will they still feel the heat?
My Review
What a fascinating read on a topic that doesn’t get discussed as much – fighting to stay in love. I read a lot of books about the thrill of finding someone, the ups and downs of dating, life after divorce, but this felt like a fresh take on a romance novel that dives into so much more. Eliza and Graham are celebrating their five year wedding anniversary, but somewhere along the way have started to feel like friends and roommates more than lovers and life partners. When they plan a getaway at a beautiful Northern California resort, everything is set for romance – until Eliza decides to get her own room. When Graham meets a fellow vacationer at the bar and Eliza appears later in the night, his new friend thinks the two don’t know each other – and they decide to keep it that way. A classic game of Do I Know You? begins, with Eliza and Graham being given a way to express themselves, their feelings, and their desires in a different light. Flirting, butterflies, and anticipation begin to heighten – but what happens after the vacation is over and they go back home and back to real life? Will they still have the rediscovered passion they have uncovered, or will it all fall apart again?
As someone who is divorced, I related to so much of this story. I was married for seven years and know just how much work needs to be put into keeping a partnership going. I could relate to both Eliza and Graham, and understood why each of them held back. I felt a little closer connected to Eliza, and her struggle with her family also playing a role in the book and her relationship with her husband. Both characters had a lot to work out, both separately and together, and it was endearing to watch two people who clearly love each other understand they have to make changes to keep their marriage working. I really wasn’t sure if they would come out on the other side of not, and the tone is written with such a raw realness that no matter what they decided I wouldn’t be surprised, only understanding that not everything works out how we hope. An intimate portrayal at life after I do and the complexities of staying in love.
5 stars
