Goodreads|Amazon

Release date: January 9, 2018

Publisher: Lake Union

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Blurb:

From New York Times bestselling author Allison Winn Scotch comes an honest, touching, and funny exploration of falling in and out of love, told from two perspectives—one rewinding history, one moving it forward—and each with bias and regret.

When their paths first cross, Ben Livingston is a fledgling scriptwriter on the brink of success; Tatum Connelly is a struggling actress tending bar in a New York City dive. They fall in love, they marry, they become parents, and they think only of the future. But as the years go by, Tatum’s stardom rises while Ben’s fades. In a marriage that bears the fallout of ambition and fame, Ben and Tatum are at a crossroads. Now all they can do is think back…

A life of passion, joy, tragedy, and loss—once shared—becomes one as shifting and unpredictable as a memory. As the pieces of their past come together, as they explore the ways love can bend and break, Ben and Tatum come to see how it all went wrong—and wonder what they can do now to make it all right.

Review:

The structure of this is ambitious and at first glance you may think it sounds confusing but I didn’t find it to be too hard to follow. It alternates with one chapter told from Ben beginning in 2016 and working it’s way backwards to 1999 when him and Tatum first meet then her chapters are told in chronological order. There are no big surprises since you know from the very start that where they are today is nowhere near that young, happy go lucky couple from their early days, but there was something bittersweet about reading one chapter full of resentment and bickering and then the next one is a sweet little anecdote from the past. It was unique and put a fresh spin on a love story and I admire the risk the author took, I can imagine it wasn’t easy to write.

I’ve read a couple of Scotch’s books now and I what I really like about her style is that she can show relationships that appear real, they’re flawed, imperfect and wholly relatable. Getting to see a marriage from both sides was interesting, sometimes their individual perception of an event was so completely different from each other it was crazy but I think that’s an honest observation and true for any relationship. I liked the way the format played into the plot in the end, it was a little AHA moment that I appreciated. If you’re looking for a relationship drama/love story with a clever spin give this a try.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher and the Great Thoughts Ninja review team for my copy.