I won a copy of SKIPPING A BEAT in a goodreads giveaway. I was thrilled. Having been completely intrigued by Sarah Pekkanen's first novel, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, I was eager to start reading SKIPPING A BEAT, and I have to say, I became involved in the story, which is filtered through the perceptions of the main character, Julia, very quickly. However, as I read this emotional story of a marriage falling apart and coming together, and falling apart, I became frustrated because as much as I liked the premise and loved the way the writer wove in the stories of characters like Isabelle and Noah, I just couldn't fall in love with Julia. I wanted to root for her, but her fears of life after money, while justified, felt hollow to me and even while I enjoyed learning about her interest in the fascinating world of opera, I wasn't won over by her character. That being said,the book tells an interesting story of marriage, it is very emotional (I cried at more than one point in the book), and is a well-written book that reads easily and asks interesting questions about living, dying, about family, and about what it really means to love someone.