The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
char_king's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
brooke_review's review against another edition
4.0
A fast read. Better than I thought it would be. Premise is a bit ridiculous, but I'm glad that the author didn't tie everything up with a bow at the end. People get hurt in this novel, relationships break up. There are real-world consequences to an open marriage that go beyond a fictional story. I'm glad that the author didn't make this arrangement play out like a walk in the park
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
When a book makes me laugh out loud multiple times, it more than deserves 5 stars! The Arrangement made me giggle uncontrollably throughout the entire book, and I want to hand this book to every married person I know. Well, every married person I know who has been married for more than a few years, that is. The people who understand what a marriage turns into after the shine wears off. The banter in this story was absolutely perfect, and the situations described were both so so relatable and absolutely absurd - absurd just like married with children life actually can be! Absolutely loved this book, but be warned: don't try The Arrangement at home.
aurigae's review against another edition
4.0
Lucy and Owen are happily married. They live in a bucolic suburb with their "spectrum-y" son and a coop full of chickens, and life is good. Except they're tired, overworked, and bored - so when friends mention a six month experiment with open marriage, they decide to take the plunge.
The good: A well-written, engaging, thought-provoking read. Even minor characters are multi-dimensional. Although the broader strokes of the plot are fairly predictable, the details are unique and surprising.
The bad: The main characters' motivation for embarking on the arrangement isn't really explored. A major subplot involving a wealthy local resident and his mismatched younger wife, while thoroughly enjoyable on its own, is not well-integrated with the central plot.
The verdict: Although the synopsis makes it sound like a thirty-something couple's midlife crisis, this is actually a comedy of manners. Worth reading.
The good: A well-written, engaging, thought-provoking read. Even minor characters are multi-dimensional. Although the broader strokes of the plot are fairly predictable, the details are unique and surprising.
The bad: The main characters' motivation for embarking on the arrangement isn't really explored.
Spoiler
This means that, in the end, we don't really know - did they get what they were looking for?The verdict: Although the synopsis makes it sound like a thirty-something couple's midlife crisis, this is actually a comedy of manners. Worth reading.
katiez624's review against another edition
5.0
Lucy and Owen are experiencing the typical midlife marriage slump - a life full of responsibilities and mundane tasks, and their sex life is getting the short end of the stick.
On the surface, this seems like another "open marriage gone wrong" type of story. But this book delved into many other unexpected topics, such as transgender representation and parenting a child with special needs. Lucy and Owen's relationship was portrayed in a very authentic and relatable way, although it's always surprising to me how quickly couples are shown to make this momentous decision.
Unfortunately, the secondary characters in the book were much more one-dimensional, particularly Sunny Bang. There were a few questionable editorial decisions, such as the inclusion of
Overall, this was a delightful read with both laugh-out-loud moments and tender, deep moments of reflection.
On the surface, this seems like another "open marriage gone wrong" type of story. But this book delved into many other unexpected topics, such as transgender representation and parenting a child with special needs. Lucy and Owen's relationship was portrayed in a very authentic and relatable way, although it's always surprising to me how quickly couples are shown to make this momentous decision.
Unfortunately, the secondary characters in the book were much more one-dimensional, particularly Sunny Bang. There were a few questionable editorial decisions, such as the inclusion of
Sunny Bang narrowed her already narrow Korean eyes.The dialogue is quippy and the plot was infused with plenty of humor and amusing situations, which made it a much more enjoyable read. This book would be considered closed-door, without even much foreplay being included, and the aftermath of sexual encounters is often more endearing and awkward than sexually charged. For a book about open marriage, that was unexpected but worked really well with the writing style.
Overall, this was a delightful read with both laugh-out-loud moments and tender, deep moments of reflection.
atirandomness's review against another edition
4.0
This book starts out funny. Hilarious. And then it started to make me a little sad and then.. And then I was just PISSED! I grew to hate Lucy. I knooow, I'm supposed to hate Owen because he's the man and he screwed a crazy chick and blah blah blah but seriously.. Eff. That.
LUCY comes up with this idea to have an open marriage for 6 months (technically it was a stolen idea but that’s beside the point). They come up with a list of "rules" that they are to maintain throughout the arrangement. I could see the disaster coming from a mile away.
Owen (her husband) was hesitant (slightly reluctant) but being that he has a penis he didn't have a hard time getting laid (no pun intended). HOWEVER he was never devious about it. He maintained his loyalty (emotionally) to Lucy throughout the arrangement. Yeah, he got with Izzy who was 5 kinds of crazy but honestly, men are never smart enough to detect crazy in advance that so I can't entirely fault him.
LUCY on the other hand quickly turned into a sneaky, dishonest little cunt and turned it all on Owen like it wasn't HER. EFFING. IDEA. Seriously, you can't tell your husband you want to sleep with other people and then act like the victim when he does. idc idc idc Furthermore... YOU BROKE THE RULES, LU-SEEEE. You can't have your cake and eat it too!!
Sidenote: none of my griping is towards the writing or the author. Sarah Dunn was really pretty accurate in her depiction of human emotions. Men and women are fundamentally different whether or not we admit it out loud. Yes, there are exceptions. There are ALWAYS exceptions!! But still. No relationship is perfect and everyone has their own demons to fight through. Even billionaires.
I highly recommend this read. It could also act as a cautionary tale to married people. Like, "Hey married people, maybe you and your spouse should... I don't know.. Maybe.. NOT sleep with other people and refuse to talk about it until it becomes this huge elephant in the room that stinks so bad you can't see straight!! Just a little friendly advice but hey, I'm no expert"
One last thing - Sunny Bang is the best character in the book. I wish she could have been a part of every scene. Love Love LOVE her.
One last last thing - Lucy, I hate you! :)
LUCY comes up with this idea to have an open marriage for 6 months (technically it was a stolen idea but that’s beside the point). They come up with a list of "rules" that they are to maintain throughout the arrangement. I could see the disaster coming from a mile away.
Owen (her husband) was hesitant (slightly reluctant) but being that he has a penis he didn't have a hard time getting laid (no pun intended). HOWEVER he was never devious about it. He maintained his loyalty (emotionally) to Lucy throughout the arrangement. Yeah, he got with Izzy who was 5 kinds of crazy but honestly, men are never smart enough to detect crazy in advance that so I can't entirely fault him.
LUCY on the other hand quickly turned into a sneaky, dishonest little cunt and turned it all on Owen like it wasn't HER. EFFING. IDEA. Seriously, you can't tell your husband you want to sleep with other people and then act like the victim when he does. idc idc idc Furthermore... YOU BROKE THE RULES, LU-SEEEE. You can't have your cake and eat it too!!
Sidenote: none of my griping is towards the writing or the author. Sarah Dunn was really pretty accurate in her depiction of human emotions. Men and women are fundamentally different whether or not we admit it out loud. Yes, there are exceptions. There are ALWAYS exceptions!! But still. No relationship is perfect and everyone has their own demons to fight through. Even billionaires.
I highly recommend this read. It could also act as a cautionary tale to married people. Like, "Hey married people, maybe you and your spouse should... I don't know.. Maybe.. NOT sleep with other people and refuse to talk about it until it becomes this huge elephant in the room that stinks so bad you can't see straight!! Just a little friendly advice but hey, I'm no expert"
One last thing - Sunny Bang is the best character in the book. I wish she could have been a part of every scene. Love Love LOVE her.
One last last thing - Lucy, I hate you! :)
ferris_mx's review against another edition
2.0
I had high hopes for this, but there were problems.
1) Too many characters, too much unnecessary plotting.
2) Author was fundamentally judgmental and conventional while trying to appear open minded. Nobody practiced their polyamory remotely like the actual polyamorists.
3) There were a couple instances of slut shaming. I hate that; what year is this?
1) Too many characters, too much unnecessary plotting.
2) Author was fundamentally judgmental and conventional while trying to appear open minded. Nobody practiced their polyamory remotely like the actual polyamorists.
3) There were a couple instances of slut shaming. I hate that; what year is this?
aprestia310's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun, easy read. It read like a movie script and was slow to build but then the ending seemed to wrap-up too quickly.