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After I Do

Taylor Jenkins Reid (Goodreads Author)

3.99 · Rating details · 45,481 ratings · 6,034 reviews

From the author of Forever, Interrupted—hailed by Sarah Jio as “moving, gorgeous, and at times heart-wrenching”—comes a breathtaking new novel about modern marriage, the depth of family ties, and the year that one remarkable heroine spends exploring both.

When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to tak ...more

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Kindle Edition, 353 pages

Published July 1st 2014 by Washington Square Press

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Oct 24, 2018 Zoë rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Isn't it nice...once you've outgrown the ideas of what life should be and you just enjoy what it is?"

I love how TJR is able to weave together different elements of a story (such as flashbacks and emails) so seamlessly. This went beyond a simple "finding yourself" and "discovering love again" story as we got different character's unique perspectives on what love is. There wasn't just one definition of a "perfect" love or life, just whatever made them happy and fulfilled. She is now one of my fav ...more

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Sep 03, 2014 Kristin (KC) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Kristin (KC) by: Rachel Reads Ravenously

Shelves: contemporary-romance

*5 Stars* for a refreshingly genuine read!

This book seems so incredibly simple, yet so profoundly important. A husband and wife who have reached a crossroads in their marriage agree to separate for a year to find out if they can make their marriage whole again.

Lauren and Ryan have reached a point in their relationship where they no longer bother telling the other what is important to them. Communication is stifled, and they become so withdrawn they begin despising the other for their own shortc ...more

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Jan 04, 2021 Yun rated it did not like it · review of another edition

In After I Do, Lauren and Ryan have been married for a few years, and they have slowly drifted apart and become resentful of each other. They agreed to take a year apart to learn about themselves and to figure out if they still want to stay together. On the surface, this is exactly the sort of book I enjoy. It's a nuanced look at relationships and how they evolve over time, through the good and the bad. Instead, this book made me so angry and incredulous I was ready to hurl my Kindle at the wall In After I Do, Lauren and Ryan have been married for a few years, and they have slowly drifted apart and become resentful of each other. They agreed to take a year apart to learn about themselves and to figure out if they still want to stay together. On the surface, this is exactly the sort of book I enjoy. It's a nuanced look at relationships and how they evolve over time, through the good and the bad. Instead, this book made me so angry and incredulous I was ready to hurl my Kindle at the wall.

To start with, Lauren is probably the most self-centered female main character I have ever read in a book. She is so mean and dismissive towards her husband, treating him like a doormat, and then is shocked that he doesn't love her anymore. All she cares about in their relationship is herself and what she's getting out of it. For example, during their year apart, they agreed that she gets to keep the house and to split who gets their beloved dog. When it's finally her husband's turn to get the dog, he lets her know that he is heartbroken at losing his wife, his house, and his dog, and he couldn't do that to her, so he'll let her keep the dog for the whole year. Her entire response is "Ok." It doesn't even occur to her to think of his feelings, when he did the same for her.

During their separation, instead of working on herself and learning to become a more supportive and caring spouse, she only obsesses about whether he is sleeping with anyone else and stalks him. She pretty much views him as her possession, while not caring an ounce about him as a person. At one point, she says something that pretty much sums up her entire problem: "I don't want to go home tonight and work hard at being nice to somebody."

Ryan isn't any better. For example, at one point, he confesses that he is filled with rage and wants to punch the wall any time she says she wants to eat falafel or pho. He thinks ethnic food is pretentious and he hates that she likes it. In fact, all he wants to eat is burgers and pizza. (Seriously, who doesn't love Persian, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, and Greek food?) Yep, these two idiots deserve each other.

Then we hit the last 10% of the book, and suddenly, everything is resolved. They love each again! And what's changed? Well, there's a tragedy, so they need each other! They realized they have to keep trying! Don't give up! Wow, it's like being smacked in the face with the ultimate cliché in relationships. It feels like this book didn't even try to develop the characters, when you can just drop them at the very end and call it good.

What a huge disappointment from such a beloved author. I adore Taylor Jenkins Reid's newest books, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six, and have been wanting to go back and read her earlier works. And maybe that's where I went wrong. Authors mature and grow, so to have expected that her books from years ago contained just as much insight and uniqueness as her current works is probably too high of a bar to meet, even for Reid. ...more

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May 25, 2017 Elyse Walters rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was given a gift certificate from my daughter Ali and her boyfriend Adam to the Burkes William Spa. While driving to Santana Row in the morning, I was listening to
Taylor Jenkins Reid audiobook "After I Do". I was so close to the end ...I was sure I'd finish it before my 'fancy-dancy' spa treatment began.
But I didn't.... I had 26 minutes to go.

While Lucas was giving me a wonderful 2 hour massage including hot stones and an exfoliating skin scrub treatment ( I already have soft skin...but it w ...more

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Feb 24, 2019 ALet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2019

★★★★½/ 5
It was such a beautiful and genuine story! Usually I‘m not a very big romance fan, but this book in an exception. The story itself looks simple, but underneath it, this book brings such amazing points about relationships and life in general.

I very loved main character and how she stayed herself, but at the same time tried to change herself to become better. I really liked her inner monolog and how she dealt with everything what happened. She was very honest with herself and that was very ...more

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Jul 20, 2014 Lady Vigilante (Feifei) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: i-trust-my-friends, contemporary-duckie, favorites, 6-stars-of-brilliance, i-love-my-friends, oops-let-s-do-it-again-romance, third-time-s-the-charm-romance, this-is-for-ana, cry-me-a-river, women-s-fiction

6 stars!!

description

I am in awe of this book. This is the kind of story that makes me think, makes me feel, and stays with me long after the last page is flipped. It doesn’t just become another book on the ‘read-shelf.’ It’s in a league of its own, and no matter how much time passes, the profound impact it’s made on me won’t diminish. This is one of THOSE books: the kind that will get you out of a book rut, continue your book roll, and is filled with the most meaningful quotes you won’t be able to stop ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Farrah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4⭐ because I wanted to read something light over the weekend and this book was exactly that.

After I Do has like, ZERO conflict.
Lauren and Ryan's marital problems are SO simple - she doesn't like the way he packs his toothbrush, he doesn't share her likes for ethnic food - and they could have been fixed if either of them had thought to say 'why don't we just get 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 takeaway dinners?'

However, I thought the messages about love and marriage were sweet. Open communication, compassion and ...more

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Aug 30, 2020 emma rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-ya, 3-and-a-half-stars, recommend, owned, romance, reviewed

What do you do when you realize you’re addicted to an author the second you finish their entire backlist?

Just curious.

As it turns out, I’ve been in a reading slump for the better part of three months and only tricked myself into thinking I’d gotten out of it because Taylor Jenkins Reid books feel more like that thing where you’re at a hotel or something and you alternate between the pool and the hot tub and your body is in a state of total confusion / mild trauma than they feel like reading.

But ...more

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Sep 06, 2020 Michael David rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I’m 3 for 3 with my love for TJR’s novels! I mean, she could write a 500 page book about Egypt, and I’d probably devour every word.

This is such a wonderful story about Lauren and Ryan, a couple that married young and no longer feel love for each other. They agree to take a break for one year and see what happens. No contact. No obligations.

While the story was told fully from Lauren’s point of view, I must say all of the characters were fleshed out. I loved each and every person, and truly enjo ...more

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Jul 23, 2014 Baba rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: sap-or-cheeseville, rolls-eyes

2 stars. Review posted July 25 2014

photo oie_NyYAiLRsJ79M_zps9d3f2256.gif

From the blurb:
(…) And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.

With all due respect I dissent. This is the story of Lauren. It's not a story about a couple because Ryan hardly exists. He drops by sporadically (view spoiler) And what did they search for? It's all about Lauren here and Lauren there. We never get Ryan's ...more

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Mar 16, 2022 Kezia Duah rated it liked it · review of another edition

After I do takes us on the journey of a struggling marriage. Ryan and Lauren have been together for a while, and after years of many miscommunications, their love is not sparkling like it used to be. They decide to take a year apart with no contact at all and see if their love can survive. During this time, they both learn a lot about each other and discover many things that were wrong with their marriage. Is this enough for them to get back together?

You know your relationship is bad if you forg ...more

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Mar 23, 2022 Larissa Cambusano rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.25 ⭐️ pain. so much pain. the way I was STRESSED the entire time reading this book. i’m happy w how it ended but the journey…. was painful….. 🧍🏻‍♀️& in typical Taylor Jenkins Reid form It was beautifully written <3

“But sometimes you need to go get coffee more than you actually need coffee.” I relate to this hard.

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Nov 21, 2016 Gabby rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites, emotional, favorite-male-characters, reviewed, books-to-reread-in-the-future, 4-star-books, inspirational, amazing-ending, adult, contemporary

“Just because you can live without someone doesn’t mean you want to.”
This book is incredibly emotional and moving and I absolutely loved it. This book follows Lauren and Ryan, a couple who meets in college and is together for eleven years (married for six). We see them at their best and we see them at their worst, and the couple is struggling to make their marriage work. They just don't care about each other the way they used to. This book reminded me a lot of one of my all time favorite movies: ...more

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Jul 13, 2021 Thomas rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: romance, realistic-fiction, adult-fiction

After I read this book, I wanted to call it a hot mess, though it felt more like a bland mess in all honesty. I will start with the positives: I appreciated Taylor Jenkins Reid’s general attempt to show that relationships can take different forms and that these various types of relationships all have merit. I liked the main character’s sister, Rachel, the most. Rachel started her own bakery and did not feel pressured to have a romantic partner or a kid. Yay Rachel (I’m not being sarcastic, like After I read this book, I wanted to call it a hot mess, though it felt more like a bland mess in all honesty. I will start with the positives: I appreciated Taylor Jenkins Reid’s general attempt to show that relationships can take different forms and that these various types of relationships all have merit. I liked the main character’s sister, Rachel, the most. Rachel started her own bakery and did not feel pressured to have a romantic partner or a kid. Yay Rachel (I’m not being sarcastic, like genuinely yay Rachel for acting as one redeeming quality of this book even if she did not receive much actual character development.)

Now to start the roast session, in which I will do my best to focus on specific qualities of the novel itself so I do not come across as unnecessarily mean to the author. First, the two main characters, Lauren and Ryan, have a super toxic relationship where their communication breaks down faster than I can sing the first lines from my favorite Twice song, “Feel Special.” What’s frustrating is not the fact that they have a super toxic relationship – because that happens sometimes when communication falters – what’s frustrating is that Reid literally does not actually address the toxicity or show either character trying to grow from the toxicity, reflect upon the toxicity, or exhibit any tangible behavior change to ameliorate the toxicity. Rather, Reid has the two characters take a separation of a year, and then after that year, they magically fall back in love and act like their relationship is glorious again, without actually addressing the roots of why their relationship fell apart in the first place. She could have shown these characters unlearning unhealthy relationship behaviors, and instead she opted to portray them feeling obsessed about one another, then slightly less obsessed about one another, then back to being obsessed with zero actual self-insight about their original relationship. Ugh.

I’m not even going to try to say this in a nicer way: these characters felt blander than the blandest men I’ve gone out with, and trust me, I have gone on dates with men that literally put the “medi” in “mediocre” and the “bor” in “boring” (idk why I chose those parts of those words, I’m just trying to emphasize my point here.) After reading 300 pages of this novel, I don’t think I can recall a single interesting characteristic of Lauren or Ryan. Lauren, our main character, comes across as so basic: she works in alumni relationships, she generally cares about her family, she eventually writes to an advice columnist. But what intriguing conflict or growth edge does she have outside of her angst about her marriage and then separation with Ryan? Nothing. Like actually nothing. Aside from her sister Rachel’s bakery, every single thing that occurred in this novel felt like filler for Lauren to ruminate about her relationship with Ryan – and again, she doesn’t even generate any psychologically deep insight about that relationship after 300 pages and one year apart from him.

My final critique of this novel centers on how it does not address amatonormativity in any meaningful way. Reid had such a clear opportunity to tackle amatonormativity – the initial portrayal of Lauren and Ryan’s relationship is rife with heteronormativity, internal and external messages about “the one,” unquestioned expectations about marriage, etc. However, instead of having either character reflect on what made them prioritize romance so much in the first place, Reid makes them continue to obsess over romance and then simply fall back in love with no awareness of the societal forces that affected their unhealthy relationship to begin with. At this point as I write this, I’m like, am I projecting my frustration about not currently having a crush on a guy right now onto this book? I think the answer is no though, because even if I had a crush on the most beautiful, emotionally available, social justice-oriented man of color right now, I would still say all of these things about the book because it was pretty yikes.

Anyway, if you’re interested in quality romance, I’d highly recommend Such a Lonely, Lovely Road by Kagiso Lesego Molope and A World Between by Emily Hashimoto, both written by women of color who deserve way more praise and attention though have not yet gotten it most likely because of racism in the publishing industry, imo. Or check out my favorite fiction reads of 2021 so far, two books that center women of color with full and complex internal and external lives: When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert and A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum. Okay Goodreads friends and followers, it’s 11:24pm as I write this and I’m going to bed after posting this, have a good night or day or listen to “Lovesick Girls” by Blackpink wherever you are, and I hope your current or next read is better than my experience with this book. ...more

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Jul 28, 2020 exploraDora rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: bookclub, romance, adult, audiobook

***5 stars***

This book just hit me on so many levels and it really pulled at my heartstrings in the best way. I absolutely adored it!

After I do is about a couple, Lauren and Ryan. They meet in college, fall in love and after 6 years of dating they get married. But another 5 years later, they fall out of love and separate.
They want to work things out, so they decide to take a break for a year. No texts, no emails, no contact whatsoever. Will they find their way back to each other?

I won't give away much more of the plot, but I will tell you that what Lauren and Ryan go through was so very real, at least it felt that way to me. I think it could be so easy to just become disconnected and complacent in a relationship/marriage. They got so wrapped up in their day to day life, that they forgot about their love and about honoring each other. It was sad to read about how things began to crumble, but then again, so very real. They didn't have problems that came up over night, it was a series of miscommunication, lack of interest in each other and they simply forgot all the reasons why they fell in love in the first place.

***

Me and my friend, Natalie, read this book at the same time and she rated it 2 stars. When I told her that I actually loved it and that it's a clear 5 stars for me, she asked if we even read the same book. 😂 Thing is - everyone approaches love and relationships differently. This book has a lot to do with the individual, as it does with how we each perceive relationships and love. What I see as being right can be completely wrong for someone else.

The reason why I felt so connected to this book is because my relationship with my boyfriend is similar in many ways to that of Lauren and Ryan. We met when we were 19 and we've been together for exactly 11 years (just as the two in the book). We're best friends and partners in crime, besides being each other's better half. So, even though we never had any rough patches along the years (not any huge, break-up-y ones, at least), I could so easily relate to everything these two were going through. I always say this with every chance I get: communication is the key to every relationship. It's what makes us work so well even after so many years. Lauren and Ryan grew apart because they stopped talking and eventually stopped caring - about each other, about everything that concerned them as a couple. I think anyone who has been in a long term relationship can relate to some of the things that happen in the book. Maybe not to such an extreme extent, but getting to the point where you start snapping at your partner or find yourself getting irritated at them for their mannerisms, or for not being able to read your mind. That's when you have to start talking to your partner, at least if you want to save the romance.

I feel like through this book, I got the chance to see what could possibly happen to me and my bf, if we'd stop communicating and it kind of scared the crap out of me. Made me realize that I never want to get to a point where I'll need space from him, just to see if there are still feelings between us...

***

But my love for this book is not only with the MCs, it's also with all the ways in which the other characters approach and interpret love. We get to meet Lauren's family and they all have complex relationships with love. Her sister wants to fall in love but she is also happy being by herself and developing her career. Her mom is seeing a man that loves and spoils her and she is happy with just casualy dating him. Her brother chooses to marry a girl he barely knows and that works for him. I loved their crazy family dynamics and this is another thing I can relate to, because I, too, have a big, crazy family.

***

The story of Lauren and Ryan reached me personally, yes, but I also felt that there were some really great messages for everyone throughout the book. It has something for every reader: heart ache, self discovery, falling in love, family complexities and more. They’re not the things that fairy tales are made of – they’re real, honest, sometimes painful and yet, endearing.

***

This book is well written, it's filled with hope and it will make you laugh, cry and warm your heart. Whether you’re married or single, go read this! It’s worth it. ...more

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Apr 08, 2021 Virginie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: english, romance, psychological

There's a first time for everything... With this book, TJR didn't meet my expectations! But it's still TJR, so it wasn't bad either. Reading her books is always... soothing and comforting, you know what I mean?!

I really appreciated how different perceptions of love, marriage and relationships were depicted. Each character had a different point of view about that, but it wasn't too stereotypical.

According to me, the greatest lesson of this book is about communication: Please, share your thoughts ...more

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Apr 19, 2017 Chelsea (chelseadolling reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Chelsea by: Dylan

Re-read 12/21/18: Aw look how cute 2017 chelsea was down there before she realized TJR would become one of her favorite authors. Not at all surprising: this book was still so fucking great.

Original read 4/18/17: I really, really, really, really, really, really liked this. I want to read everything this author has written now.

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Jun 23, 2021 Susanne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, audiobooks

Review posted on blog: https://books-are-a-girls-best-friend...

A Taylor Jenkins Reid novel that I almost gave up on immediately... (I had my reasons!)

Thankfully, I kept going and it paid off!

The beginning of this novel was so Schmaltzy and Schmoopy, I honestly couldn’t take it! It was so very over the top, it made me ill. Then thankfully, it took a turn (which I knew it would) and became much more realistic, thus, I breathed a sigh of relief and continued on.

Let me explain: Lauren and Ryan are ...more

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Dec 01, 2018 chloe rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2018-reads

I read this despite it sounding like something I wouldn’t be interested in because I LOVED Evelyn Hugo & for the #TJReidalong and WOW I really enjoyed this! I’m now a lot more open to adult contemporary & definitely want to continue reading Taylor Jenkins Reid’s other books!

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Dec 28, 2019 Warda rated it really liked it

Taylor Jenkins Reid just can’t do no wrong.
I’ve been wanting to read more books that explore relationships and marriages and how people keep it together.
We get so much of the happily every after, the honeymoon phase, the good stuff with the odd miscommunication thrown in. But this story was so real and raw and it became uncomfortable to read at times.
The grittiness was appreciated. And Taylor Jenkins Reid did it so well.

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Jan 17, 2021 Reading_ Tamishly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Why do we do this?
Why do we undervalue things when we have them?
Why is it only on the verge of losing something that we see how much we need it?"

I love the characters. Yes, Taylor Jenkins Reid does that with every book she has written. I guess this will stay for the books to come as well!

Her flawed, clueless characters. It's the character development that's always so wholesome and damn satisfying to read.

The main couple/main characters we are dealing with, Lauren and Ryan, while they are sepa ...more

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Jan 02, 2020 Brandice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In After I Do Lauren marries Ryan, her college sweetheart. Things are great — until they aren’t. After years of being together, they painfully admit they don’t feel the same way about each other that they once did, and decide to take a year apart - with no contact - to evaluate what they each truly want.

It’s understandably a challenging year for Lauren, whose POV spans the entire book. She has a lot to think about and must embrace different feelings, both good and bad: hurt, anger, longing, fre ...more

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Jul 01, 2021 myo (myonna reads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-favorites, romance

i really enjoyed this, i love second chance romances okay!

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Aug 09, 2014 Pavlina Read more sleep less blog rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is on sale only 1.99$ guys you must read it!!One of my favorite books <3 <3

AMAZON amzn.to/25KtTGs

5 STARS

"Ryan and I are two people who used to be in love.
What a beautiful thing to have been.
What a sad thing to be."

Honestly I'm speechless! Her books are fantastic, this is the third book I've read by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I keep wanting more and more. Now that I have only got one book left of this author's that I haven't read, I'm sad and I'm planning to read it later because I don't know w ...more

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Mar 13, 2018 Lucie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: women-s-fiction, emotional-healing

You know how in the beginning of a relationship, everything the other person does is just so darn cute and adorable??

But THEN, after a few years of marriage, you're baffled at their inability to pick a simple towel up off the floor? 😂 That's what this book is about.

Lauren and Ryan have been together a little over ten years, married for six, and feel like they've fallen out of love. Miserable and desperate, they decide to do a trial separation for one year.

“Ryan and I are two people who used to b ...more

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Dec 26, 2018 chan ☆ rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018, adult-contemporary

uh. no.

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Sep 22, 2018 Taryn rated it really liked it

A couple's journey from infatuation to the brink of divorce.

Ryan and I are two people who used to be in love.
What a beautiful thing to have been.
What a sad thing to be.

Lauren and Ryan seemed made for each other in the beginning, but the years have taken a heavy toll on their relationship. After a decade together, the bad times are overshadowing the good and tiny hurts have accumulated to the point that the once inseparable couple can't stand to be together. In a last-ditch effor A couple's journey from infatuation to the brink of divorce.

Ryan and I are two people who used to be in love.
What a beautiful thing to have been.
What a sad thing to be.

Lauren and Ryan seemed made for each other in the beginning, but the years have taken a heavy toll on their relationship. After a decade together, the bad times are overshadowing the good and tiny hurts have accumulated to the point that the once inseparable couple can't stand to be together. In a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, they decide to take a yearlong break with no contact allowed. Will they find their way back to each other or are they just delaying the inevitable?

I’ve come to realize that resentment is malignant. That it starts small and festers. That it grows wild and unfettered inside of you until it’s so expansive that it has worked its way into the furthest, deepest parts of you and holds on for dear life.

Lauren and Ryan were only nineteen when their whirlwind romance began. They never got a chance to know themselves as individuals and they made most of their first relationship mistakes with each other. The story begins with their happier milestones but the future stress points are evident in their early interactions, such as Ryan's inability to be direct. Once endearing quirks can become annoying in close quarters and small irritations can be marriage destroying if ignored. Ryan and Lauren get trapped in a bad cycle and they didn't work up the courage to confront their problems until they were at a breaking point. None of Lauren's and Ryan's problems were insurmountable, but they let their issues fester too long. In the moment their problems always seemed temporary or easily dealt with later, but promises of tomorrow can quickly become a decade of inertia. Communication isn't always enough, especially if it's not followed by action.

"The sun will always rise. Always.
The sun rises the next day after mothers lose their babies, after men lose their wives, after countries lose wars. The sun will rise no matter what pain we encounter. No matter how much we believe the world to be over, the sun will rise. So you can’t go around assessing love by whether or not the sun rises. The sun doesn’t care about love. It just cares about rising."

The book follows Lauren during the marriage hiatus. With her newfound free time, she's able to spend more time with her friends and family. She observes their relationships and inquires about their approaches to love and relationships. She hoped that they would give her guidance on what to do about her own marriage, but no two answers are alike. It would be so much easier if there was a standard life roadmap to follow, but trying to measure up to someone else's ideal just leads to frustration and disappointment. Lauren is annoyed by people's judgments about how she's handling her marriage problems, but she later realizes that she was forcing her own hopes and dreams on her sister. Not everyone is meant to follow the same path and that's okay.

Maybe it doesn’t matter if you need someone during the everyday moments of your life, Maybe what matters Is that when you need someone, they are the one you need. Maybe needing someone isn’t about not being able to do it without them. Maybe needing someone is about it being easier if they are by your side.

Contemporary romance is a genre where relatable characters are a requirement for me. The supporting characters were so great! Lauren's mom, brother, sister, and grandma were awesome. Lauren's interactions with them reminded me a lot of my own family: "Big gestures are easy. Making fun of someone who’s just trying to help you, that’s family." :D I loved the way they disagreed with each other; no matter how hard they fight, they always come together in the end. I could also relate to Lauren and Ryan's relationship in many ways. My relationship with my husband started very similarly and we used to spend months apart because of his work situation. A surprising number of women told me they wished they had the same arrangement! Of course, it’s easier said than done. As Lauren's awesome grandma says, space is important—maybe just not all at once!

"All that matters in this life is that you try. All that matters is that you open your heart, give everything you have, and keep trying."

It's so frustrating to watch people who have similar needs not be able to find a way to give those things to each other. I hoped that Lauren and Ryan's story would mirror the events of their engagement, but I was willing to accept whatever decision they made. I was riveted by the uncertainty of how it would end! Lauren and Ryan made each other their everything and in the process lost themselves. One of their biggest problems was trying to be what they thought the other person wanted, while simultaneously disregarding their own needs. They also took for granted that their spouse would always be there no matter what and let their relationship get to the point where they were two individuals living in parallel rather than as a team. Will Lauren and Ryan find a way to save their marriage? Just because a relationship isn't playing out like a fairy tale doesn't mean it's not meant to be. It can take a great deal of effort to make a relationship work—but sometimes you have to know when it's time walk away, regardless of how much it hurts.

“Isn’t it nice one you’ve outgrown the idea of what life should be and you just enjoy what it is?”

Related:
• My Taylor Jenkins Reid ranking so far: 1. After I Do, 2. Maybe In Another Life audiobook………..3. One True Loves, which I’m hoping audiobook narrator Julia Whelan can make that one work for me when my hold becomes available. After I Do is less polished but it doesn't have the repetitive, oh-so-relatable character quirks of the other two (MiAL Hannah won't shut up about cinnamon rolls/hair buns, OTL Emma's fixation with her body proportions).
•🤣26 Tweets About Married Life You Can't Help But Laugh At

...more

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Jul 06, 2014 Jeanne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Jeanne by: Fran and Ami

" My heart is truly broken. And I know that even if it mends, it will look different, feel different, beat differently."

Lauren and Ryan have been together for 11 and a half years, and have reached a point in their marriage where they are questioning whether or not they still love each other, if their marriage is worth saving. They decide to take a year long break from each other with no contact whatsoever.

"Ryan and I are two people who used to be in love.
What a beautiful thing to have bee ...more

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Sep 20, 2021 Layla rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads, taylor-jenkins-reid

After I Do was a pretty good book. I enjoyed reading it and I am obsessed with Taylor Jenkins Reid's writing, she has this amazing way of storytelling. I am never disappointed by this author, though I will admit, this book didn't exactly live up to my expectations.

This book follows Lauren and Ryan, a married couple who after so many years, are no longer in a healthy marriage. They can't stand being around each other, despite the great love they once had. So they decide to take a year long break ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Sher❤ The Fabulous BookLover rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: married-couple, contemps-i-read

4 Solid Stars!

It's no secret I really enjoy married couple stories and this one was no different. But I couldn't give it 5 stars because for me this was more Lauren's story. I felt like it was more about Lauren finding herself and becoming a better woman. Which is ok, but I really wish Ryan was more apart of it, I actually missed him while reading it.

Also, the end came together just way too quickly. I'm not a fan of the year apart thing, I feel like as a couple you should be in each others face ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Fiction, married couple separate for a year with no contact then re-evaluate relationship [s]	5	901	Dec 29, 2021 09:47PM
Goodreads Librari...: please add cover	2	16	Oct 03, 2021 03:48AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: After I do by Taylor Jenkins Reid - Restarting February 24th 2020	27	54	Feb 29, 2020 08:40AM
Play Book Tag: After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid - 4 stars	1	14	Feb 19, 2020 03:33AM
More books like this?	3	97	Mar 27, 2015 05:11AM
After I Do... top pick for 2014	6	72	Aug 30, 2014 08:39PM

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About Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins Reid

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Taylor Jenkins Reid is the New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as four other novels. Her newest novel, Malibu Rising, is out now. She lives in Los Angeles. You can follow her on Instagram @tjenkinsreid. ...more