“I know I’m gonna be the bad guy here. I’ve accepted that. It’s just the way it is, right?....But shit, man, since when is it a crime to want to be happy?”
pages: 270
read: 6/4/2020
book: 44 in 2020
SYNOPSIS
The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples. They got married around the same time, had kids around the same time, and now, fifteen years later, they’ve started getting divorced around the same time, too. With three of the Core Four unions crumbling to dust around them, Jessica and Mitch Butler take a long, hard look at their own marriage. Can it be saved? Or is divorce, like some fortysomething zombie virus, simply inescapable?
To maximize their chance at immunity, Jessica and Mitch try something radical. Their friends’ divorces mostly had to do with sex—having it, not having it, wanting to have it with other people—so they decide to relax a few things. Terms are discussed, conditions are made, and together the Butlers embark on the great experiment of taking their otherwise happy, functional marriage and breaking some very serious rules.
Jessica and Mitch are convinced they’ve hit upon the next evolution of marriage. But as lines are crossed and hot bartenders pursued, they each start to wonder if they’ve made a huge mistake. What follows is sexy, fun, painful, messy, and completely surprising to them both. Because sometimes doing something bad is the only way to get to the heart of what’s really good.
THOUGHTS
I saw this one on IG and I liked the cover. the premise seemed pretty good too.
I guess I ordered it as an ebook through my library (and forgot about it) because I woke up to an email that it was ready for me to read. so even though I was still asleep, I downloaded it and started reading it.
At first I though it was going to be about all 4 couples so I was rushing to take notes because that's a lot of people but in the end it's just a story about Mitch & Jessica and their fight to save their marriage. ....and the hiccups along the way.
At first this was just an okay read. Like I was into it but I wasn't nuts over it. I've never been married. I can't say that I know the work it takes to make it work so I was like....mmmkkkay...but then it picks up and man does it get good. (i mean, obvs i've been in long term relationships but i personally don't think they match up anywhere near the same...especially given that i am currently single. so, ya know!)
I once read an article and this person said something along the lines of "If a reader can guess what's going to happen next, that means it's good. It means your story is believable." I gotta say, I saw alot of the things that were going to happen before they happened. ....but I loved it because I just had a shit grin on face and I kept saying "no shiiiiit" every single time. 😂😂😂
to know me is to know that I NEVER see it. I saw at least 3 of them and it felt so good to see that i was right. I agree. It was a good story. Norman does a good job of making this a believable (to me. I'm not over thinking it), funny story.
The penultimate chapter fucking killed me. I could not stop laughing!!!! Suuuuure some of it was a little unbelievable but I loved the fuck out of it!!! The culmination of the entire story laid out like that for you to take in was just so fucking hilarious.
I LOVED IT!!!!!!
i should note though that given the story in its entirety, Jessica can suck it.
i didn't like the way she manipulated this to go her way but it made for a good story so hey.
Overall, it was a good read. A quick 1 sitting read.
I'm kinda bummed I don't a physical copy but now that just means i get to hunt one down.
I dont really care for oreos but now whenever I see them, the golden ones anyway, I'll always think of these two.
SPOILERS
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
Jessica and Mitch decide to have sexual relations with other people in order to avoid divorce like their friends. because one set cheated, the other cyber cheated and the last ones never really loved each other.
The rules are simple: no people you know, no names, no repeats, honesty so on and so on.
When the story starts they're at a bar or some shit and Jess sees a waiter and thinks he's hot af.
She ends up going back to that same bar after her and her friends get together to "celebrate" the latest divorce. They're all ready to call it a night but Jessica decides to stay back under the guise that shell get her own uber since the current one didnt want to handle that many people in his car but instead goes back inside and ends up getting the bartenders number.
They sleep together.
And she lets him know it's just a one time thing but hes become infatuated with her.
She tells Mitch. He didnt think she'd go through with it so soon so he finally decides to try his hand in the game. 2.5 strikes, hes out.
So jessica tells him that she's set up a dating profile for him and ends up picking his conquest (I hate that Jessica did that. I thought that was a bitch move on her part. Just cause she was locked and loaded....) anyway, she picks this woman named El for him.
He goes to the bar, waits for her and then runs into his neighbor (who is also just recently divorced) and it turns out that she was actually the one he was supposed to meet with. He ends up taking her home, they don't sleep together but she does try to make a move on him.
He goes home and lies to Jessica and tells her that he did sleep with this El person. Truthfully, he didnt want to sleep with anybody else. But jessica insisted because she didnt want to be the only one who did it.
Mitch is out one night at one of the other dudes apt, when their other friend Alan brings over his current gf with 3 of her friends
They all end up drinking, they all couple off and Mitch gets "stuck" with Kristen. There is a possibility that they will hook up but when hes heading back to the party, he walks by the dudes kids room and he feels bad that it looks so sad and he decides then and there to go home.
Across town, Jessica is breaking the rules: no repeats. She went back to the dudes house and is getting ready to fuck him when she gets messages from the babysitter saying the kids are freaking out.
She rushes home and right behind her in an uber pulls up Mitch.
They decide then and there not to talk about it.
I should mention that Jessica is a therapist.
And she has this client, a student, Scarlett, that goes to school where her husband works....she was fucking the dudes roommate so when shes rushing out, she sees Scarlett in her underwear and Scarlett obviously pieces it together. (Nice choice of name.....very....fitting)
So anyway, because that happened, Jessica tells Scarlett she cant see her anymore. And that spirals her out of control.....Scarlett then talks to Mitch telling him she knows their deal and that needs his help getting Jessica back. (Also, the babysitter is Luke, who happens to be Ellen's (El) son thinks that Mitch slept with his mom.)
In the end, they decide to end whatever experiment thing they have going on. They talk it out and the kids end up over hearing.
....whether they understand, who knows.
The next morning, he wakes up to finds that the kids snuck into bed with them. His daughter Emily tells him she wants pancakes so he goes to the store to buy stuff.
On the way home, he gets in an accident with Luke. Almost gets killed because of the wood he had in the back and it turns out that Ryan (hot waiter dude is at his front door declaring his love for Jessica.
Everyone confronts each other, Scarlett ends up rolling up begging Jessica back, Luke slaps Mitch because he "slept" with his mom, the kids are witnessing it all, Ryan wont stop claiming his love for Jessica, Mitch rushes him and tries to throw it down with him and in the end Emily ends up kicking Ryan in the balls for holding her dad in a headlock.
(Honestly, read the chapter. So so funny)
and it ends with Mitch & Jessica meeting up for a date.
Obvs theres lots I missed but that's the gist of it.
Overall, it was a good read. A quick 1 sitting read.
I'm kinda bummed I don't a physical copy but now that just means i get to hunt one down.
I dont really care for oreos but now whenever I see them, the golden ones anyway, I'll always think of these two.
thanks for reading!
#bookslesreads on IG
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
S P O I L E R
Jessica and Mitch decide to have sexual relations with other people in order to avoid divorce like their friends. because one set cheated, the other cyber cheated and the last ones never really loved each other.
The rules are simple: no people you know, no names, no repeats, honesty so on and so on.
When the story starts they're at a bar or some shit and Jess sees a waiter and thinks he's hot af.
She ends up going back to that same bar after her and her friends get together to "celebrate" the latest divorce. They're all ready to call it a night but Jessica decides to stay back under the guise that shell get her own uber since the current one didnt want to handle that many people in his car but instead goes back inside and ends up getting the bartenders number.
They sleep together.
And she lets him know it's just a one time thing but hes become infatuated with her.
She tells Mitch. He didnt think she'd go through with it so soon so he finally decides to try his hand in the game. 2.5 strikes, hes out.
So jessica tells him that she's set up a dating profile for him and ends up picking his conquest (I hate that Jessica did that. I thought that was a bitch move on her part. Just cause she was locked and loaded....) anyway, she picks this woman named El for him.
He goes to the bar, waits for her and then runs into his neighbor (who is also just recently divorced) and it turns out that she was actually the one he was supposed to meet with. He ends up taking her home, they don't sleep together but she does try to make a move on him.
He goes home and lies to Jessica and tells her that he did sleep with this El person. Truthfully, he didnt want to sleep with anybody else. But jessica insisted because she didnt want to be the only one who did it.
Mitch is out one night at one of the other dudes apt, when their other friend Alan brings over his current gf with 3 of her friends
They all end up drinking, they all couple off and Mitch gets "stuck" with Kristen. There is a possibility that they will hook up but when hes heading back to the party, he walks by the dudes kids room and he feels bad that it looks so sad and he decides then and there to go home.
Across town, Jessica is breaking the rules: no repeats. She went back to the dudes house and is getting ready to fuck him when she gets messages from the babysitter saying the kids are freaking out.
She rushes home and right behind her in an uber pulls up Mitch.
They decide then and there not to talk about it.
I should mention that Jessica is a therapist.
And she has this client, a student, Scarlett, that goes to school where her husband works....she was fucking the dudes roommate so when shes rushing out, she sees Scarlett in her underwear and Scarlett obviously pieces it together. (Nice choice of name.....very....fitting)
So anyway, because that happened, Jessica tells Scarlett she cant see her anymore. And that spirals her out of control.....Scarlett then talks to Mitch telling him she knows their deal and that needs his help getting Jessica back. (Also, the babysitter is Luke, who happens to be Ellen's (El) son thinks that Mitch slept with his mom.)
In the end, they decide to end whatever experiment thing they have going on. They talk it out and the kids end up over hearing.
....whether they understand, who knows.
The next morning, he wakes up to finds that the kids snuck into bed with them. His daughter Emily tells him she wants pancakes so he goes to the store to buy stuff.
On the way home, he gets in an accident with Luke. Almost gets killed because of the wood he had in the back and it turns out that Ryan (hot waiter dude is at his front door declaring his love for Jessica.
Everyone confronts each other, Scarlett ends up rolling up begging Jessica back, Luke slaps Mitch because he "slept" with his mom, the kids are witnessing it all, Ryan wont stop claiming his love for Jessica, Mitch rushes him and tries to throw it down with him and in the end Emily ends up kicking Ryan in the balls for holding her dad in a headlock.
(Honestly, read the chapter. So so funny)
and it ends with Mitch & Jessica meeting up for a date.
Obvs theres lots I missed but that's the gist of it.
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