Review by Booklist Review
As her thirty-fifth wedding anniversary approaches, Julie heads for home with an envelope holding divorce papers, planning to tell Michael that they are over. But before she can talk to him, Derbyshire, along with much of the rest of the world, goes into COVID-19 lockdown. The two of them are alone together. Their three children are all out on their own, and Michael's mother has other plans to wait out the pandemic. Alternating day-by-day scenes of their present life and snippets of their past together, their relationship, its strengths and where it went wrong, is exposed. Neither of them cheated, was cruel, or did anything egregious. The biggest tragedies they faced were the deaths of his father and her mother. Little misunderstandings just mounted up until it seemed to Julie she had to get out. This is a quiet, thoughtful novel and an important look at life during a pandemic and the effect it has on relationships. Wilde tells this story in just the right low-key but powerful way, with winning characters and the surprising rediscovery of lost joys.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Love rekindles during quarantine in this timely romance from Wilde (the Angel series). Julie and Michael Marshall have been married for nearly 35 years, but they've been drifting apart ever since their children grew up and moved out, to the point where now they live separate lives. When Julie has had enough, she meets with a divorce lawyer and prepares to have the Talk with Michael. Then Covid hits and the pandemic lockdown begins. Stuck together with no distractions, they have the time to look back on their relationship, figure out where it went wrong, and determine whether it can be fixed. Will they be able to rediscover what made them fall in love, or will they be doomed to drift apart? Wilde is precise in her placement of flashbacks to the couple's early relationship, showing both characters' perspectives and enhancing the slow but constant burn of the pair's redeveloping chemistry in the present. This emotional second-chance tale promises both tears and smiles. Agent: Kate Shaw, Shaw Agency. (Apr.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
After nearly 35 years of marriage, empty nesters Michael and Julie find themselves in a relationship lacking passion and purpose. Leaving her lawyer's office with a sheaf of divorce papers, Julie knows something big is on the horizon, but she never imagined it would be something as momentous as a pandemic lockdown. With no one but each other for company, will they slowly drive each other mad, or will a little social distancing be the thing that brings them back together? Author Wilde makes her debut with a character-driven, contemporary romance falling in love with it. As the alternating timeline reveals details of their relationship, listeners will be moved by the funny and flirtatious couple; they'll root for them to be reunited. Narrators Harriet Fraser and Alex Hyde-White bring life to the dual perspectives of this humorous and heartwarming tale. Both are perfectly matched to the amusing, emotional tone of their respective characters. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a laugh-out-loud account of renewed love in lockdown; recommended for fans of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Emily Giffin.--Lauren Hackert
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