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Locked In
“My name is Grace Donovan and my whole world is about to change.”
Grace and Ben have been together since they were teenagers.
They are in love, with each other, and their two children.
They’ve spent their entire adult life together, happy in the small southern California beach town they call home; until one day Ben comes home and tells Grace he’s leaving.
Now Grace is left wondering what happened to her life, to her home, and when exactly did things start to go so wrong. To find out, she turns to the place she didn’t even realize she was missing, the place she grew up, and the place she still considers home. With the help of her family and friends and the ocean, Grace begins to rebuild her life and remind herself where it is she truly wants to be…and, whether or not that life includes her husband. Locked In is a story about love and forgiveness, about riding the waves of life, and it is about how we continually reshape ourselves but never really feel grown up.
Grace and Ben have been together since they were teenagers.
They are in love, with each other, and their two children.
They’ve spent their entire adult life together, happy in the small southern California beach town they call home; until one day Ben comes home and tells Grace he’s leaving.
Now Grace is left wondering what happened to her life, to her home, and when exactly did things start to go so wrong. To find out, she turns to the place she didn’t even realize she was missing, the place she grew up, and the place she still considers home. With the help of her family and friends and the ocean, Grace begins to rebuild her life and remind herself where it is she truly wants to be…and, whether or not that life includes her husband. Locked In is a story about love and forgiveness, about riding the waves of life, and it is about how we continually reshape ourselves but never really feel grown up.
266 pages, Paperback
Published June 20, 2017
147 people are currently reading
441 people want to read
About the author
Anna Chastain
5 books62 followersAnna Chastain is a born and raised California girl. She currently resides in central California with her husband and two daughters. She is addicted to books, music, pizza and donuts (and makes no apologies about it); She is the author of five books that revolve around kissing and laughing, and Locked Out is her newest release. On an average day, you'll catch her hanging with her kindergarteners singing songs about ABC's and pizza, a book not far out of reach.
annalchastain@comcast.net
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
October 9, 2023
3 ⭐⭐⭐ - OK decent reads.
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♥♥♥♥Rereading in 2023♥♥♥♥♥
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Cheater, or No? In my opinion he is a cheater!
Make your conclusions:
If your husband... everything behind your back, without you having the slightest idea of what happens==>
➡he's coming home every day from work later because he was with OW,
➡forgetting commitments from his children's school because he was with OW,
➡have dates with OW that last for hours,
➡have conversations inside OW's car for hours,
➡go out to have lunch with OW every day,
➡exchange messages and phone calls with OW,
➡discuss the couple's life and the alleged problems with OW,
➡leave you and say that he met someone,
➡the OW take her son in your child's birthday party in your house after your husband leave you,
➡take the OW's son to play with yours, when you're not at home,
➡kissing the OW,
➡the OW has found you at the grocery store and say that she is with your husband and looks at you with pity,
➡OW makes gossip about you at your children's school,
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♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥Rereading in 2023♥♥♥♥♥
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
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Cheater, or No? In my opinion he is a cheater!
Make your conclusions:
If your husband... everything behind your back, without you having the slightest idea of what happens==>
➡he's coming home every day from work later because he was with OW,
➡forgetting commitments from his children's school because he was with OW,
➡have dates with OW that last for hours,
➡have conversations inside OW's car for hours,
➡go out to have lunch with OW every day,
➡exchange messages and phone calls with OW,
➡discuss the couple's life and the alleged problems with OW,
➡leave you and say that he met someone,
➡the OW take her son in your child's birthday party in your house after your husband leave you,
➡take the OW's son to play with yours, when you're not at home,
➡kissing the OW,
➡the OW has found you at the grocery store and say that she is with your husband and looks at you with pity,
➡OW makes gossip about you at your children's school,
=======================================
Amelia’s preschool spring concert was tonight, a big deal for a little girl, and my husband never showed. He forgot.
“I’m leaving, Grace.” His voice is steady signaling that this is not an impulsive move. This was premeditated leaving. God, how much time had he spent thinking about leaving me? Leaving us?
“I-I’ve met someone, and...”
Where was he staying? Did I need a lawyer? Were we getting divorced? How would I pay the mortgage, and would I even live here anymore? How would we tell the kids?
“You cannot just tell me you’re leaving me for another woman and not talk about it. That’s insane! We have a life and a lot of the parts of our life depend on you, Ben.”
“I just don’t want things to be awkward, you know? Benjamin and I didn’t mean for anything to happen between us, it just…did.”
“You have thirty minutes to pack your stuff.”
“We were. But that was yesterday, before I had a chat with Joanne Myers in the grocery store this morning, you fucking asshole.”
What I am not prepared for, however, is Tanner and his mom pulling up, her long, tan legs popping out the car door to reveal a sundress of her own and flashy sandals with heels on them.
This is low, so, so, so very low. Ben is shaking his head, his face frozen, begging. I turn back to her as she walks up, a chipper smile plastered on her face while Tanner runs ahead to the kids who have gathered in the sand.
And I see Ben, standing by the picnic table, talking to Joanne.
“You could never? Can you really say that to me now? Because I feel like we’re deep in ‘could never’ territory right now, Ben. I feel like things are happening that I never thought possible.”
“Did you really think you could go off with some other woman and just come back to me, to our marriage, when you were ready?” “No,” he shakes his head adamantly. “No, Grace.”
“Well,” Ben starts, clearing his throat, “Grace and I have been together for about fifteen years, married for ten, and recently, um, we’ve had some issues.”
“He left me for another woman,”
“And what do you mean you were ‘never seeing her’?” I ask, wagging my fingers in the air. “You told me you’d met someone else.”
And what kind of immature, disrespectful man tells his wife he’s leaving her and he met someone else for attention?”
“Maybe that will change in a couple of days, I don’t know. If it does, I’ll call you, but for now, I just want to go home, hug my kids, and go to bed.”
He shrugs and says it was alright, going on to tell me they had pizza for dinner and that Tanner came over to play yesterday. Tanner. As in, Joanne’s kid, Tanner. And if Tanner was here, I couldn’t help but wonder where Joanna was.
“I found out you invited her to our house while I was gone, that you had a playdate with her and our children? I don’t-I-“
“We started eating lunch together sometimes, and, I don’t know, she’d vent about her life, and then I-“ he stops to rub a hand down his face and that’s my signal that it’s about to get worse. “I started talking about me, about us…and our marriage.”
“You talked to her about us? About me?” I squeak out, causing him to grimace further. “Like, how?”
“Any of it. The talking, the lunches, none of it. I told her things had gone further than I should have ever allowed it, that our friendship was unprofessional and disrespectful to you.” “Yet, she feels like she can still text you.”
“She kissed me. Once,” he confesses. “She kissed you.” He nods. “And what did you do when she kissed you, Ben?” My voice is frosty and inflexible.
I just hate that there is this other woman out there who feels like she has any ownership over my husband, like she has the right to text him and check in.
June 22, 2017
4.5 Surprising Stars
The day before my husband left me, I’d locked myself in the bathroom with a glass of wine and my iPod turned up just loud enough to mask the whining and knocking of my two young children, but not so loud as to be negligent if they were to truly need something.
If I had a nickel.
Grace and Ben have been together for fifteen years and while most of that time has been happy, the stress of work and young children has finally started to take its toll. Still, nothing prepares Grace for the day Ben makes a choice that will forever change their relationship.
Ben and I are twisted and tied in ways that would never, could never, ever be undone, that I didn’t want to be undone. And he’d decided none of it was worth it, worth anything.
If you've ever experienced the rollercoaster ride called married with children, you know it's not always easy. Things are said and decisions are made in the heat of the moment that can't be undone. At its heart, Locked In is a story about two people deeply in love who've lost their way just a bit. I was prepared to take sides and, to an extent, that still happened, but Ben found a way to endear himself to me, despite their tale being told entirely from Grace's point of view.
This is my first Anna Chastain book and without a doubt, her writing completely won me over. Not only is this relationship portrayed in a 100% believable way, but the writing itself is so. Damn. Good. The images she creates of a beach life that, as a northern California valley girl I've always envied, are beautiful and absolutely coveteous.
Locked In was a book I truly didn't want to leave. I'm getting a series vibe with the possibility of a book for Dean, Grace's brother, so here's hoping I get to continue my newfound love for this author.
The day before my husband left me, I’d locked myself in the bathroom with a glass of wine and my iPod turned up just loud enough to mask the whining and knocking of my two young children, but not so loud as to be negligent if they were to truly need something.
If I had a nickel.
Grace and Ben have been together for fifteen years and while most of that time has been happy, the stress of work and young children has finally started to take its toll. Still, nothing prepares Grace for the day Ben makes a choice that will forever change their relationship.
Ben and I are twisted and tied in ways that would never, could never, ever be undone, that I didn’t want to be undone. And he’d decided none of it was worth it, worth anything.
If you've ever experienced the rollercoaster ride called married with children, you know it's not always easy. Things are said and decisions are made in the heat of the moment that can't be undone. At its heart, Locked In is a story about two people deeply in love who've lost their way just a bit. I was prepared to take sides and, to an extent, that still happened, but Ben found a way to endear himself to me, despite their tale being told entirely from Grace's point of view.
This is my first Anna Chastain book and without a doubt, her writing completely won me over. Not only is this relationship portrayed in a 100% believable way, but the writing itself is so. Damn. Good. The images she creates of a beach life that, as a northern California valley girl I've always envied, are beautiful and absolutely coveteous.
Locked In was a book I truly didn't want to leave. I'm getting a series vibe with the possibility of a book for Dean, Grace's brother, so here's hoping I get to continue my newfound love for this author.
September 12, 2017
Not too shabby of an emotional H cheating story.
May 1, 2022
A gentle cheating story - if there is such a thing.
H/h marry right out of college and have two children in quick succession. Their troubles begin when hero gets a promotion and they move to an upscale town 2 hours away from friends and family. The heroine doesn't make friends with the 'mommy mafia' and the hero doesn't enjoy his desk job.
Hero starts talking to a co-worker at lunch and after work. Heroine, meanwhile, pulls away and doesn't talk about her feelings (details are fuzzy) The blowup comes when hero misses his daughter's preschool concert and heroine confronts him. He blurts out he's met someone else and she kicks him out.
The rest of the story is the hero begging to come back and the heroine being self-righteous. They go to marriage counseling for four weeks, the heroine spends time at her parent's house and the beach, and they eventually reconcile.
They discover:
That's it. That's the problem from what I can tell. They implement that solution and all is well. Hero was just trying to get the heroine's attention with his bombshell statement at the beginning.
So low stakes, made high stakes by immaturity. Very understandable, but not the most riveting reading.
I did enjoy the idyllic descriptions of a southern California Beach town. The author writes well with some clever turns of phrase.
H/h marry right out of college and have two children in quick succession. Their troubles begin when hero gets a promotion and they move to an upscale town 2 hours away from friends and family. The heroine doesn't make friends with the 'mommy mafia' and the hero doesn't enjoy his desk job.
Hero starts talking to a co-worker at lunch and after work. Heroine, meanwhile, pulls away and doesn't talk about her feelings (details are fuzzy) The blowup comes when hero misses his daughter's preschool concert and heroine confronts him. He blurts out he's met someone else and she kicks him out.
The rest of the story is the hero begging to come back and the heroine being self-righteous. They go to marriage counseling for four weeks, the heroine spends time at her parent's house and the beach, and they eventually reconcile.
They discover:
That's it. That's the problem from what I can tell. They implement that solution and all is well. Hero was just trying to get the heroine's attention with his bombshell statement at the beginning.
So low stakes, made high stakes by immaturity. Very understandable, but not the most riveting reading.
I did enjoy the idyllic descriptions of a southern California Beach town. The author writes well with some clever turns of phrase.
Read
March 3, 20192 points without rating
I knew he technically didn't cheat, but he was a weak coward. I wouldn't have forgiven him...
I didn't expect her family to be that 'cool' with the whole situation. If a man left my daughter, I would kick him in his balls/or the lack of it, and I would definitely support my daughter more. The h's mom even invited him to the barbecue 🙄
Her brother was also a weak mess in this situation.
What I disliked the most - when she started to search for her mistakes. As a woman I just can't be on the man's side, especially after he hurt her that much.
Female solidarity is not just a word to me!
Last 20% aka reunion was my less fav part of this story.
Well, CR is a wrong place to look for strong women, who forgive but not forget and move on.
I knew he technically didn't cheat, but he was a weak coward. I wouldn't have forgiven him...
I didn't expect her family to be that 'cool' with the whole situation. If a man left my daughter, I would kick him in his balls/or the lack of it, and I would definitely support my daughter more. The h's mom even invited him to the barbecue 🙄
Her brother was also a weak mess in this situation.
What I disliked the most - when she started to search for her mistakes. As a woman I just can't be on the man's side, especially after he hurt her that much.
Female solidarity is not just a word to me!
Last 20% aka reunion was my less fav part of this story.
Well, CR is a wrong place to look for strong women, who forgive but not forget and move on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2019
Did he or didn't he?
2nd read 3/19 I still don't understand why that woman said that to her in the store. It is never explained to my satisfaction. I still am confused as why he said he met someone else if it wasn't true. It looked true to me.
1st read
I loved the book but I am not sure I believe the H about the OW. It was just too weird with him saying I met someone and then saying I was lying, then admitting she kissed him and that he knew he could call her for sex!?! How did you know that? Plus The OW Approaching Her and Apologizing? And There Were A Couple Of Other odd Interactions With Her That Just Made Me Suspicious. I Just Know That men Lie about That Stuff. But I Still Gave It Four Stars Because I Want To Believe It. In A Perfect World He Would Be telling The truth. I Loved All The Characters. I Loved The Family And Friend dynamics And I Cant Wait For The Other Stories. I Loved How The H Wooed Her Back And I Truly Believed He Was Sorry And That He Loved His Wife. It Was A Very Good Ending. I Know I Questioned Hid Honesty but I really Think He Didnt Leave Her for The OW. I just wish I could have seen the OW have karma shoved in her face. I hate liars.
2nd read 3/19 I still don't understand why that woman said that to her in the store. It is never explained to my satisfaction. I still am confused as why he said he met someone else if it wasn't true. It looked true to me.
1st read
I loved the book but I am not sure I believe the H about the OW. It was just too weird with him saying I met someone and then saying I was lying, then admitting she kissed him and that he knew he could call her for sex!?! How did you know that? Plus The OW Approaching Her and Apologizing? And There Were A Couple Of Other odd Interactions With Her That Just Made Me Suspicious. I Just Know That men Lie about That Stuff. But I Still Gave It Four Stars Because I Want To Believe It. In A Perfect World He Would Be telling The truth. I Loved All The Characters. I Loved The Family And Friend dynamics And I Cant Wait For The Other Stories. I Loved How The H Wooed Her Back And I Truly Believed He Was Sorry And That He Loved His Wife. It Was A Very Good Ending. I Know I Questioned Hid Honesty but I really Think He Didnt Leave Her for The OW. I just wish I could have seen the OW have karma shoved in her face. I hate liars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2017
Another middling book for me. It's not bad but there's nothing exceptional about it either. Maybe if there was more angst or if the hero's actions and decisions were a little more fleshed out, then I would've rated this higher because the set up is quite good. I love a good marriage-in-peril trope stories. And while this one didn't wow me, it was still a good read.
June 29, 2017
For all there is no steam and Ben is definitely not an alpha male, this one really surprised me ... in a good way. I love me a marriage in trouble book, when both parties fight for the marriage.
Ben pulled an idiot move that put the marriage in jeopardy but I totally get why he did what he did and it didn't bother me at all like it probably would some. Why? Because if she had done the same thing it would have been perfectly acceptable, so he should get the same free ride. There is no cheating, which I had sort of expected.
I really enjoyed this, except for the lack of use of contractions which made for jarring reading at times. I hope Dean gets a book - there's definitely something going on there! Also Red!!! He SO needs to tell his story.
Ben pulled an idiot move that put the marriage in jeopardy but I totally get why he did what he did and it didn't bother me at all like it probably would some. Why? Because if she had done the same thing it would have been perfectly acceptable, so he should get the same free ride. There is no cheating, which I had sort of expected.
I really enjoyed this, except for the lack of use of contractions which made for jarring reading at times. I hope Dean gets a book - there's definitely something going on there! Also Red!!! He SO needs to tell his story.
May 6, 2022
After reading this book I wish I lived in California too, near the beach, where people learn to surf before they learn to walk, where you can see the ocean waking up in the morning and you can go to a nice pub where the local band plays every Thursday night.
Where you go to your counseling in jeans and flip flops and have barbecue on the beach every weekend with all the folks.
I loved the book just for this playful scene. And songs of The Beach Boys playing.
Hero and heroine are two of these guys, grown up together, he was her older brother’s friend and only love, they got married young, had two children, went to live in a bigger town when he found a more lucrative job, then they lost themselves as a couple.
The book opens with the hero coming back home late as usual and the heroine angry because he forgot their daughter’s performance at school or something like that. The baby -man sulks, then packs and leaves telling her he’s found someone else.
If I was the heroine the book would have ended here. With him dead and me in jail.
Because how bastard sob can a man be?
But of course the book is not about me, and the heroine is stunned but still tries to hold on.
They aren’t really able to talk for a couple of days, he still sulks and she’s shocked. Then she meets ow at the grocery. She’s the mum of one of her son’s schoolmates.
She is nasty. Slimy. She looks at her with pity and tells her she and hubby dear are sorry. She tells her she knows.
The heroine is not me, because she simply leaves without telling anything to this pos. I would have killed her too. So now I would be writing reviews from my jail.
The heroine is angry and tells the hero what happened. The hero is embarrassed. Embarrassed? Go and shoot yourself!
But it’s not the end.
Evil ow comes to heroine’s son’s party with her son. So the heroine still shows great patience and self control and clearly does not have an Uzi near her so she leaves without a world.
In the weekend she goes back to her parents that lives on the beach. She spends time with some of her old friends, between them there’s also a hunk she had a crush on, he plays in a band and has a thing for her too. I wish they had an affair.
Then poor babe husband is sorry and wants to go counseling with her for one month.
The heroine accepts, even if she’s got her doubts, and me too, since the as***le should have done this thing first.
When you have problem first you go counseling then if things are impossible you may leave.
After counseling.
Whatever.
Turns out there’s no ow.
He didn’t leave her for ow. He only told her so because he wanted her attention.
Really? The man is 34, has two children and has been married to his wife for 10, and is with her for 15. Are you crazy???
The heroine color him blue. And green and purple.
Thank god.
Turns out he feels he’s no longer in touch with her and is jealous of his children. Turns out they have some issues, that is the usual ones couple may have through the years.
Well, he wants her back and is sorry for his awful behavior.
Ow was only a co-worker he had lunch sometimes but he never wanted her. She kissed him once but he didn’t want.
They manage to have time for themselves as a couple and to talk about their feelings.
They will go back to their beach where he will build a house for them.
Ok, much seaside, surfing, beers and barbecue and friends that are as close as a family.
I like this book, the style is very good and sometimes it’s also funny even if the angst is very high especially in the first part.
I still don’t understand why he left in the first place.
It’s not a mature behavior.
And telling her he had another woman?
How can a woman trust a man after such a behavior mmmmm lo?
It seems to me a reaction of a teenager, not a man married for 10 years and with two children.
All because they did not have outings without children?
And I didn’t like ow. He was tempted and didn’t do anything because he was a coward.
Ok, no Greek dominant alpha here, only a beta with less backbone than a jellyfish.
But the heroine obviously loved her jellyfish. Talking about sea.
So, this is not a hp, but somehow I think that Michelle Reid with her Ultimate betrayal was able to make us understand much better how the couple had developed issues, that were not only due to the lack of time they spent together but also to the fact that one had grown up and the other hadn’t.
Here we don’t really understand much about their interactions as a couple and I was left with the impression that the guy was a narcissistic spoiled brat who broke his wife’s heart because he felt neglected.
So, maybe a lil less focus on beach life and friends and more on them as a couple would have helped.
Anyway it was good
Where you go to your counseling in jeans and flip flops and have barbecue on the beach every weekend with all the folks.
I loved the book just for this playful scene. And songs of The Beach Boys playing.
Hero and heroine are two of these guys, grown up together, he was her older brother’s friend and only love, they got married young, had two children, went to live in a bigger town when he found a more lucrative job, then they lost themselves as a couple.
The book opens with the hero coming back home late as usual and the heroine angry because he forgot their daughter’s performance at school or something like that. The baby -man sulks, then packs and leaves telling her he’s found someone else.
If I was the heroine the book would have ended here. With him dead and me in jail.
Because how bastard sob can a man be?
But of course the book is not about me, and the heroine is stunned but still tries to hold on.
They aren’t really able to talk for a couple of days, he still sulks and she’s shocked. Then she meets ow at the grocery. She’s the mum of one of her son’s schoolmates.
She is nasty. Slimy. She looks at her with pity and tells her she and hubby dear are sorry. She tells her she knows.
The heroine is not me, because she simply leaves without telling anything to this pos. I would have killed her too. So now I would be writing reviews from my jail.
The heroine is angry and tells the hero what happened. The hero is embarrassed. Embarrassed? Go and shoot yourself!
But it’s not the end.
Evil ow comes to heroine’s son’s party with her son. So the heroine still shows great patience and self control and clearly does not have an Uzi near her so she leaves without a world.
In the weekend she goes back to her parents that lives on the beach. She spends time with some of her old friends, between them there’s also a hunk she had a crush on, he plays in a band and has a thing for her too. I wish they had an affair.
Then poor babe husband is sorry and wants to go counseling with her for one month.
The heroine accepts, even if she’s got her doubts, and me too, since the as***le should have done this thing first.
When you have problem first you go counseling then if things are impossible you may leave.
After counseling.
Whatever.
Turns out there’s no ow.
He didn’t leave her for ow. He only told her so because he wanted her attention.
Really? The man is 34, has two children and has been married to his wife for 10, and is with her for 15. Are you crazy???
The heroine color him blue. And green and purple.
Thank god.
Turns out he feels he’s no longer in touch with her and is jealous of his children. Turns out they have some issues, that is the usual ones couple may have through the years.
Well, he wants her back and is sorry for his awful behavior.
Ow was only a co-worker he had lunch sometimes but he never wanted her. She kissed him once but he didn’t want.
They manage to have time for themselves as a couple and to talk about their feelings.
They will go back to their beach where he will build a house for them.
Ok, much seaside, surfing, beers and barbecue and friends that are as close as a family.
I like this book, the style is very good and sometimes it’s also funny even if the angst is very high especially in the first part.
I still don’t understand why he left in the first place.
It’s not a mature behavior.
And telling her he had another woman?
How can a woman trust a man after such a behavior mmmmm lo?
It seems to me a reaction of a teenager, not a man married for 10 years and with two children.
All because they did not have outings without children?
And I didn’t like ow. He was tempted and didn’t do anything because he was a coward.
Ok, no Greek dominant alpha here, only a beta with less backbone than a jellyfish.
But the heroine obviously loved her jellyfish. Talking about sea.
So, this is not a hp, but somehow I think that Michelle Reid with her Ultimate betrayal was able to make us understand much better how the couple had developed issues, that were not only due to the lack of time they spent together but also to the fact that one had grown up and the other hadn’t.
Here we don’t really understand much about their interactions as a couple and I was left with the impression that the guy was a narcissistic spoiled brat who broke his wife’s heart because he felt neglected.
So, maybe a lil less focus on beach life and friends and more on them as a couple would have helped.
Anyway it was good
September 24, 2017
I liked this one. Pressures of the daily grind and marriage with kids. H/h forgot to take care of their relationship. They really didn't think about how changes in a job/success/promotion/move to the suburbs would affect their relationship with each other. I liked that the h let H have it at their marriage counselor's office - healthy anger, communication and not taking each other for granted. 4 stars.
Read
May 5, 2022THIS REVIEW HAS SAFETY INFO WITH SPOILERS!!!
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A TON OF SPOILERS
—He is a little bit shady in my opinion when they go to therapy he doesn't say that she kissed him and I think they were still going. He didn't say for two weeks. He starts a friendship with her that the wife doesn't know about it. Turns out the ow is a mom in their kid class. HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THAT?!
Okay here are the facts that made me not believe in him:
—He left saying he met someone after he forget the kid's preschool performance.
—The h goes shopping and one of the moms of their kid's school says we are sorry we didn't mean to happen (we as the h husband and this ow) h realizes this is the ow
—He comes back and she kicked him without talking. She told him that he met the ow he doesn't fight to tell her she's just a friend, I mean after saying that he left her for someone else... STRIKE ONE
—It's the kid's bday and obviously, the ow appears and he seems frozen and kinda like he is saying to the ow to go. Don't want to hurt the wife but he keeps the friendship like wtf STRIKE TWO
—The ow is gossiping about the main couple with moms in school.
—The ow kissed him (we don't know for two weeks) he says that he stopped her and tell her that their relationship is not like that. ENOUGH, LEAVE HIM. How could she kiss him if they weren't talking or in a private place? He doesn't specify where they were.
—The mc has started to go to therapy before some of the ow drama, he doesn't mention the kiss during the sessions. BRO...
—AFTER THE FUCKING KISS, he invited the ow to a playdate (I think the ow wasn't there, it was only the kid but someone has to leave the kid) AFTER the playdate, the kiss,… that's when he said to her this has gone too far and our friendship is hurting my wife. TOO LITTLE TOO LATE YOU MAN CHILD THAT HURT YOUR WIFE JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT HER ATTENTION. Communicate with her
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A TON OF SPOILERS
—He is a little bit shady in my opinion when they go to therapy he doesn't say that she kissed him and I think they were still going. He didn't say for two weeks. He starts a friendship with her that the wife doesn't know about it. Turns out the ow is a mom in their kid class. HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW THAT?!
Okay here are the facts that made me not believe in him:
—He left saying he met someone after he forget the kid's preschool performance.
—The h goes shopping and one of the moms of their kid's school says we are sorry we didn't mean to happen (we as the h husband and this ow) h realizes this is the ow
—He comes back and she kicked him without talking. She told him that he met the ow he doesn't fight to tell her she's just a friend, I mean after saying that he left her for someone else... STRIKE ONE
—It's the kid's bday and obviously, the ow appears and he seems frozen and kinda like he is saying to the ow to go. Don't want to hurt the wife but he keeps the friendship like wtf STRIKE TWO
—The ow is gossiping about the main couple with moms in school.
—The ow kissed him (we don't know for two weeks) he says that he stopped her and tell her that their relationship is not like that. ENOUGH, LEAVE HIM. How could she kiss him if they weren't talking or in a private place? He doesn't specify where they were.
—The mc has started to go to therapy before some of the ow drama, he doesn't mention the kiss during the sessions. BRO...
—AFTER THE FUCKING KISS, he invited the ow to a playdate (I think the ow wasn't there, it was only the kid but someone has to leave the kid) AFTER the playdate, the kiss,… that's when he said to her this has gone too far and our friendship is hurting my wife. TOO LITTLE TOO LATE YOU MAN CHILD THAT HURT YOUR WIFE JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT HER ATTENTION. Communicate with her
March 30, 2021
4 Grace and Ben Stars
Following another recommendation from @LydiasRomance (thanks Lydia!) , I decided to take a peek at this 'Marriage in Trouble' trope based book and then ended up sleep deprived again because once I started it kept me turning the pages for the first half or so.
Grace and Ben have been married for ten years , together for 15. They were 16 and 19 when they first dated and Grace has never been with anyone else. Ben worked construction but gave it up for a promotion to a more office based job and they moved half an hour or so away from where they grew up. Ben thought Grace wanted a bigger house etc and Grace thought Ben wanted to climb the ladder at work. As is often the way with marriages, life overwhelmed them and somewhere along the way they lost sight of each other as the person they fell in love with. Children , school runs, work , routine all took it toll until one day , Ben drops a bombshell on Grace.
“I’m leaving, Grace.”
His voice is steady signaling that this is not an impulsive move. This was premeditated leaving. God, how much time had he spent thinking about leaving me? Leaving us?
“I-I’ve met someone, and...”
The words fall from his lips like bullets. At least he has the grace to look away, to not finish that sentence, to look as though he actually feels bad about adulterating our marriage.
OMG!
I thought that scene was really well written and my heart ached for Grace but what really hit home was when she was confronted by the 'other woman' in the grocery store. I tried to imagine how utterly awful that would feel. Whilst that part was well set out , I really wanted Grace to react more, to be more angry but she saved her cold ire for Ben and I relished every bit of that.
“She called you Benjamin. Right there, in front of the granola section, some woman, this horrible, mean woman is referring to you, my husband, as Benjamin, with the most practiced and vile look of pity on her face, referring to the two of you as a we. You and I are the only we there is supposed to be, Benjamin!”
As a reader , I felt like I was experiencing every emotion with Grace. There is an incident whereby , two weeks after Ben walks out , it is their son's birthday party and they hold a party at the beach. The 'OW' rocks up with her son and Grace is horrified to see her there. (I was livid on Grace's behalf).
Oh my god, I can’t breathe; my head flicks back and forth between my husband and his other woman, my hands coming up to cover my face
She was way more restrained than I would have been. *cracks knuckles and narrows eyes*
As a heroine, Grace was very likeable. I loved that she slowly reclaimed herself but along the way we got glimpses of how much Ben's actions still stung. He persuades her to go to Marriage Counselling and she can't help but vent some snark....
“Well,” Ben starts, clearing his throat, “Grace and I have been together for about fifteen years, married for ten, and recently, um, we’ve had some issues.”
Some issues, he says. I want to be a grown-up about all this, but turns out, my angry side is a hormonal 13-year-old girl who just got her iPhone taken away. Plus, I’m just kinda cranky.
“He left me for another woman,” I report, with what I’m sure is a twisted smile, then cross my arms across my chest, in order to fully expressed my pissed-off vibe.
Now, Ben was a curious 'Hero'. I wanted to hate him but I didn't. Did he cheat? I felt that he definitely went there emotionally. He was confiding in a woman who was not his wife , about problems to do with marriage - he's very clear he wasn't talking about their marriage , but still , it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise he and Grace were having issues. I wanted chapters from his POV and I wanted to be inside his head. There were at least three scenes that I was desperate to see through his eyes. He denies ever having sex or being intimate with this woman and says she kissed him once. I really wanted to slap him upside the head then. He persistently denies having an affair with the OW all the way through.
Slowly , Grace finds her old confidence and alongside that , her husband is desperately trying to win her back. With her family and their friends back in their old hometown , she starts to emerge from the emotional turmoil and I loved that. Weirdly , I also wanted her and Ben to be back together again. He got a mild dose of his own medicine - his wife is an attractive woman and he's not the only one to notice. Grace began to recognise that she was more than just a Mum. She really started to own the real Grace and all that that encompassed.
The yellows and golds in the flowers, combined with the black background, complimented my skin tone and hair, and I felt kinda sexy. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m still allowed to feel that way, aren’t I?
YES , GRACE!!! Do it...go out there , be sexy and show your husband what he's missing.
Overall , this was a really enjoyable read. I would have loved dual POV -purely personal preference.
Also, I wanted more anger from Grace towards the OW but perhaps the heroine in this book is much classier than I am because I would have lost it completely.
HEA? More HFN but I was convinced that once they reunited , they would be forever. Ben redeemed himself and they both realised that they had to make changes to their behaviours.
Cheating? Honestly , this was a forgivable event in my opinion. Ben is not physically intimate and he never actually left Grace for her. He discloses later that he said it to get a reaction ...way to go Ben , I can think of better ways but then we wouldn't have a good book....
Following another recommendation from @LydiasRomance (thanks Lydia!) , I decided to take a peek at this 'Marriage in Trouble' trope based book and then ended up sleep deprived again because once I started it kept me turning the pages for the first half or so.
Grace and Ben have been married for ten years , together for 15. They were 16 and 19 when they first dated and Grace has never been with anyone else. Ben worked construction but gave it up for a promotion to a more office based job and they moved half an hour or so away from where they grew up. Ben thought Grace wanted a bigger house etc and Grace thought Ben wanted to climb the ladder at work. As is often the way with marriages, life overwhelmed them and somewhere along the way they lost sight of each other as the person they fell in love with. Children , school runs, work , routine all took it toll until one day , Ben drops a bombshell on Grace.
“I’m leaving, Grace.”
His voice is steady signaling that this is not an impulsive move. This was premeditated leaving. God, how much time had he spent thinking about leaving me? Leaving us?
“I-I’ve met someone, and...”
The words fall from his lips like bullets. At least he has the grace to look away, to not finish that sentence, to look as though he actually feels bad about adulterating our marriage.
OMG!
I thought that scene was really well written and my heart ached for Grace but what really hit home was when she was confronted by the 'other woman' in the grocery store. I tried to imagine how utterly awful that would feel. Whilst that part was well set out , I really wanted Grace to react more, to be more angry but she saved her cold ire for Ben and I relished every bit of that.
“She called you Benjamin. Right there, in front of the granola section, some woman, this horrible, mean woman is referring to you, my husband, as Benjamin, with the most practiced and vile look of pity on her face, referring to the two of you as a we. You and I are the only we there is supposed to be, Benjamin!”
As a reader , I felt like I was experiencing every emotion with Grace. There is an incident whereby , two weeks after Ben walks out , it is their son's birthday party and they hold a party at the beach. The 'OW' rocks up with her son and Grace is horrified to see her there. (I was livid on Grace's behalf).
Oh my god, I can’t breathe; my head flicks back and forth between my husband and his other woman, my hands coming up to cover my face
She was way more restrained than I would have been. *cracks knuckles and narrows eyes*
As a heroine, Grace was very likeable. I loved that she slowly reclaimed herself but along the way we got glimpses of how much Ben's actions still stung. He persuades her to go to Marriage Counselling and she can't help but vent some snark....
“Well,” Ben starts, clearing his throat, “Grace and I have been together for about fifteen years, married for ten, and recently, um, we’ve had some issues.”
Some issues, he says. I want to be a grown-up about all this, but turns out, my angry side is a hormonal 13-year-old girl who just got her iPhone taken away. Plus, I’m just kinda cranky.
“He left me for another woman,” I report, with what I’m sure is a twisted smile, then cross my arms across my chest, in order to fully expressed my pissed-off vibe.
Now, Ben was a curious 'Hero'. I wanted to hate him but I didn't. Did he cheat? I felt that he definitely went there emotionally. He was confiding in a woman who was not his wife , about problems to do with marriage - he's very clear he wasn't talking about their marriage , but still , it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realise he and Grace were having issues. I wanted chapters from his POV and I wanted to be inside his head. There were at least three scenes that I was desperate to see through his eyes. He denies ever having sex or being intimate with this woman and says she kissed him once. I really wanted to slap him upside the head then. He persistently denies having an affair with the OW all the way through.
Slowly , Grace finds her old confidence and alongside that , her husband is desperately trying to win her back. With her family and their friends back in their old hometown , she starts to emerge from the emotional turmoil and I loved that. Weirdly , I also wanted her and Ben to be back together again. He got a mild dose of his own medicine - his wife is an attractive woman and he's not the only one to notice. Grace began to recognise that she was more than just a Mum. She really started to own the real Grace and all that that encompassed.
The yellows and golds in the flowers, combined with the black background, complimented my skin tone and hair, and I felt kinda sexy. I mean, I’m pretty sure I’m still allowed to feel that way, aren’t I?
YES , GRACE!!! Do it...go out there , be sexy and show your husband what he's missing.
Overall , this was a really enjoyable read. I would have loved dual POV -purely personal preference.
Also, I wanted more anger from Grace towards the OW but perhaps the heroine in this book is much classier than I am because I would have lost it completely.
HEA? More HFN but I was convinced that once they reunited , they would be forever. Ben redeemed himself and they both realised that they had to make changes to their behaviours.
Cheating? Honestly , this was a forgivable event in my opinion. Ben is not physically intimate and he never actually left Grace for her. He discloses later that he said it to get a reaction ...way to go Ben , I can think of better ways but then we wouldn't have a good book....
June 29, 2017
This has a lot of highs and lows. This also isn't my usual type of read. I love to read how the couple meets, how they go through trials and tribulations. How they then ride into the sunset. Yeah in a perfect world that would be the case. In the real world? Not so much.
Color me surprised that I was sucked into Grace's life.
There are just some words you never want to hear in a relationship and they are “I met someone – “. Yes, we meet new people every day but we don’t stand in the kitchen with a duffel bag and pull the rug out. And so, here the rollercoaster ride begins. For the characters and for me as a reader.
Ben made me so mad. The audacity of Ben implying...you rat bastard. He doesn't deserve happiness. Did I feel as if he really worked for it? No. His reasons for doing what he did where had to fathom because it could have been handled differently.
The humiliation that Grace felt. The betrayal. Knowing the “other woman” hearing the news from her and not your husband.
I was on the fence I wanted Grace and Ben to work things out. I also wanted Grace to get it on with Finn. I am more team Grace than anything else. But admittedly she isn’t perfect and there were things that she needed to work on.
A month of marriage counselling is the first step in finding their way back to one another. If you want a read where love conquers truly does all after marrying then this book is for you. I can really see how difficult it was to write as the author has written. Where forgiveness and moving forward as a couple is centre stage here. It is so easy with everything that happens in day to day life to just drift away from one another.
The one thing I had a problem with was Grace staying at home. I find it admirable that Grace is a stay at home Mom. But she gave all and in the end nearly lost herself.
There is solid writing with great secondary characters. Bear is my favourite. The author has truly created something beautiful and heartfelt. I finished it in one day so that should imply how good it is.
I hope Dean and Holly get a book as well as Finn.
There is no cheating in the book.
November 18, 2021
4.5 Stars
Marriage in Trouble--one of my favorite tropes
Be still my heart, a heroine in a second chance romance that is not a doormat. One of the Oscar moments in the book was when Grace told Ben, "You have thirty minutes to pack your stuff."
Me:
Personally, I would have chosen more colorful words, but I was proud of Grace, nonetheless.
I downloaded this book via KindleUnlimited after midnight, just to finally settle on a book for the weekend. Soon after, I thought: Jesus, take the wheel, because I canNOT put this down. But who needs sleep when you can be riddled with angst all night over fictional characters? What is even sleep?
I really enjoyed this book. I put off reading it for a long time (I was wary), but after several back-to-back DNFs, 'Locked In' found its way into the queue. I do like this author's writing very much, even though her other book, Locked Out, didn't work for me, it wasn't because of the writing. There's something about her style that sucks me in. It's so easy to connect to, it carries me forward effortlessly. Her heroines are relatable. This story immediately reeled me in and had my heart in my throat before the end of chapter one. God, will I ever tire of angsty books? Nah (God answers)
Ben was not the bad guy I thought he was going to be. Phew. Did he cheat? That's arguable, in my opinion. He made a mistake, but nothing that I would consider unforgivable. Marriage is not always easy. People are not perfect. And not everything is black and white. Most of the time, I believe, we live in the gray areas. Those are the stories I prefer to read about, anyway. So, if any form of cheating is unforgivable to you, regardless of the context, the circumstances...then these type of books are not for you. If I can connect to the characters, I'm game.
HEA: Yes
Reviews I recommend:
Jen's Reviews
Marriage in Trouble--one of my favorite tropes
Be still my heart, a heroine in a second chance romance that is not a doormat. One of the Oscar moments in the book was when Grace told Ben, "You have thirty minutes to pack your stuff."
Me:
Personally, I would have chosen more colorful words, but I was proud of Grace, nonetheless.
I downloaded this book via KindleUnlimited after midnight, just to finally settle on a book for the weekend. Soon after, I thought: Jesus, take the wheel, because I canNOT put this down. But who needs sleep when you can be riddled with angst all night over fictional characters? What is even sleep?
I really enjoyed this book. I put off reading it for a long time (I was wary), but after several back-to-back DNFs, 'Locked In' found its way into the queue. I do like this author's writing very much, even though her other book, Locked Out, didn't work for me, it wasn't because of the writing. There's something about her style that sucks me in. It's so easy to connect to, it carries me forward effortlessly. Her heroines are relatable. This story immediately reeled me in and had my heart in my throat before the end of chapter one. God, will I ever tire of angsty books? Nah (God answers)
Ben was not the bad guy I thought he was going to be. Phew. Did he cheat? That's arguable, in my opinion. He made a mistake, but nothing that I would consider unforgivable. Marriage is not always easy. People are not perfect. And not everything is black and white. Most of the time, I believe, we live in the gray areas. Those are the stories I prefer to read about, anyway. So, if any form of cheating is unforgivable to you, regardless of the context, the circumstances...then these type of books are not for you. If I can connect to the characters, I'm game.
HEA: Yes
Reviews I recommend:
Jen's Reviews
January 27, 2020
I thought the author did a great job of addressing the couples marriage issues.
Ben and Grace have been together for 15 years married for 10 with 2 young kids. Like many couples the are guilty of going through motions and forgetting to make each other a priority.
Ben is guilty of a few things, but cheating is not one of them. He is a totally clueless dumb male, and basically tells her he met someone because he wants to get her attention and make him a priority. He also allows himself to be manipulated by a conniving OW to hurt Grace. Fellas ... don’t talk about your relationships with another woman even if she’s pretending to just be your friend.
What I liked....
Grace has wonderful parents, they were supportive and understanding...loved them
I liked how both Grace and Ben both put in the work to evaluate themselves and both bear responsibility for their problems. It takes 2 to be in a marriage, and takes both to put it back together regardless if he was the dumbass talking to Joanne.
I liked that Grace made Ben walk her through all the Joanne details. I think this is natural and a must if they are going to work it out. So many books gloss over the messy stuff. I personally think it’s so us readers don’t condemn the offending spouse, but it needs to be hashed out.
I wish we would have had Ben’s POV, in these “troubled marriage” books; I think you need both for the book to be great.
Overall great read. Part of KU so it’s free to borrow:)
Ben and Grace have been together for 15 years married for 10 with 2 young kids. Like many couples the are guilty of going through motions and forgetting to make each other a priority.
Ben is guilty of a few things, but cheating is not one of them. He is a totally clueless dumb male, and basically tells her he met someone because he wants to get her attention and make him a priority. He also allows himself to be manipulated by a conniving OW to hurt Grace. Fellas ... don’t talk about your relationships with another woman even if she’s pretending to just be your friend.
What I liked....
Grace has wonderful parents, they were supportive and understanding...loved them
I liked how both Grace and Ben both put in the work to evaluate themselves and both bear responsibility for their problems. It takes 2 to be in a marriage, and takes both to put it back together regardless if he was the dumbass talking to Joanne.
I liked that Grace made Ben walk her through all the Joanne details. I think this is natural and a must if they are going to work it out. So many books gloss over the messy stuff. I personally think it’s so us readers don’t condemn the offending spouse, but it needs to be hashed out.
I wish we would have had Ben’s POV, in these “troubled marriage” books; I think you need both for the book to be great.
Overall great read. Part of KU so it’s free to borrow:)
May 13, 2021
No idea why these two are together.
No idea why she didn’t keep him gone after he told her he’s leaving her.
No idea why she didn’t keep him gone after he told her he’s leaving her.
January 25, 2022
this was so boring. there is emotional cheating but where's is the angst, the groveling 🤡
January 3, 2025
4/5 Stars
Ok so this is one of the times that I wanted to throw my new kindle at the MMC when he kept saying, " I didn't actually cheat" and " I just wanted your attention"
. Emotional cheating is still cheating in my book and this story delves heavily on emotional cheating and it's toll it takes on the family of the cheater. I'd recommend reading the book too if you like California surfing references as the fmc and her family are or were surfers.
Ben and Grace are a couple in their 30s with 2 young children Ben packs his bag one day and tells his wife he's leaving and there's someone else. Grace soon learns that someone else is a big B mother at her sons school. The other woman approaches her in the grocery and tells her neither her or Ben meant to hurt Grace.
Grace is devastated and leaves to the California coast town she grew up in to clear her mind and put distance with Ben. Ben later swears that he didn't actually cheat and just wanted Grace's attention. Igghhh..he frustrated me to no end.
I wanted to see more action / groveling and not just words.
Ok so this is one of the times that I wanted to throw my new kindle at the MMC when he kept saying, " I didn't actually cheat" and " I just wanted your attention"
. Emotional cheating is still cheating in my book and this story delves heavily on emotional cheating and it's toll it takes on the family of the cheater. I'd recommend reading the book too if you like California surfing references as the fmc and her family are or were surfers.
Ben and Grace are a couple in their 30s with 2 young children Ben packs his bag one day and tells his wife he's leaving and there's someone else. Grace soon learns that someone else is a big B mother at her sons school. The other woman approaches her in the grocery and tells her neither her or Ben meant to hurt Grace.
Grace is devastated and leaves to the California coast town she grew up in to clear her mind and put distance with Ben. Ben later swears that he didn't actually cheat and just wanted Grace's attention. Igghhh..he frustrated me to no end.
I wanted to see more action / groveling and not just words.
April 14, 2022
SPANISH
Los personajes principales son novios de desde la secundaria/prepa. Él era amigo del hermano de ella y le lleva como 2 o 3 años. Llevan como 15 años juntos, están casados y tienen dos hijos (niño y niña). El cada día llega tarde a casa después de pasar una larga jornada en el trabajo y ella cada vez está más enojada por esto, ya que no pasan tiempo juntos y él no atiende a los eventos de sus hijos. Una noche se pelean y él le dice que conoció a alguien más y que se va a ir de la casa. Él empaca una maleta y se va. Ella suele guardar sus emociones y se enfoca en sus hijos. Al día siguiente en la escuela de su hijo menor se da cuenta que un grupo de mamás está hablando a sus espaldas, una de ellas se acerca y le pregunta medio maliciosamente cómo está. Como a uno o dos días de eso, vuelve a encontrarse a esa señora (que también tienen un hijo en el mismo salón que el suyo) en el supermercado y le dice que su esposo y ella no quieren que se sienta mal por lo que pasó, dando a entender que están juntos. Ella está muy molesta y decide que ya no quiere hablar con su marido sobre lo que está pasando.
El pueblo en el que crecieron esta en la playa queda cerca su casa y decide llevar a sus hijos el fin de semana y surfear con su papá para despejarse. A los pocos días es el cumpleaños de su hijo e invitan a los niños del salón a la playa. Llega la fulana con el hijo y coquetea con el marido, pero en ese momento ella ya quiere saber que va a pasar en su matrimonio y asume que ellos están juntos tomando en cuenta lo que la mujer ha dicho. A los pocos días el marido habla con ella y le dice que no está con la otra mujer, pero ella está muy dolida y siguen separados. Ella empieza a ir cada vez más a casa de sus papás y se reencuentra con su amigos de la adolescencia y decide que se quiere regresar a vivir ahí. El marido le pide que vayan a terapia de pareja y resulta que él no estaba saliendo con la otra mujer, pero le dijo eso porque quería llamar su atención (WTF?!). Aunque le confiesa que se la fulana y él se hicieron amigo, ella se estaba divorciando y empezó a contarle sus penas y él la hizo su confidente. En un punto ella lo beso a él, pero según no paso nada más... mehhh... por como se comporta la otra mujer con ella pareciera que hay algo más que un beso y unas cuantas comidas. Al final, después de un mes de terapia (4 sesiones) resuelven sus problemas, regresan y se van a vivir a su pueblo, felices para siempre. No sabemos que pasa con la fulana y la gran forma en la que él le compensa todo el mal rato es construyendo una casa.
Me gusto el libro, pero me hubiera gustado ver el punto de vista de él para saber bien que paso con la fulana y también que la señora esa tuviera algún tipo de karma, me pareció super inmaduro esa situación de "mean girls" con las señoras de la escuela y ella chismeando.
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ENGLISH
The MC are high school sweethearts. H was friends with h's brother and it's older than her for about 2 or 3 years. They have been together for about 15 years, they are married and have two children (boy and girl). He comes home late everyday after a long day at work and she is getting more and more angry about this, as they don't spend time together and he doesn't spend time with their family nor attend their children's events. One night they have a fight and he tells her that he has met someone else and is leaving. H packs a bag and leaves. h usually keeps her emotions bottled up and focuses her attention on her children. The next day at their son's school she notices a group of moms talking behind her back, one of them comes up to her and asks her half maliciously how she is doing. About a day or two after that, she runs into this lady (who also has a child in the same class as hers) again in the supermarket and tells her that she and H don't want h to feel bad about what happened, implying that they are together. h is very upset and decides that she no longer wants to talk to H about what is going on.
H&h hometown is on the beach near their home and h decides to take her kids for the weekend and go surfing with her dad to get away from it all. A few days later it's their son's birthday and they invite the kids from the school to the beach. OW arrives with herson and flirts with the H, but at that point h assumes that they are together taking into account what OW has said. A few days later H talks to h and tells her that he is not with OW; h is very hurt and they are still separated. h starts going to her parents' house more and more and meets up with her friends from her teenage years and decides that she wants to move back in. H asks her to go to couple's therapy and it turns out that he wasn't dating the OW, but he told her that because he wanted to get her attention (WTF?!). Although H confesses to h that he and the OW became friends, she was getting divorced and started telling him her problems and H made OW his confidant. At one point OW kissed him, but according to H nothing more happened... mehhh... from the way OW behaved with h it seemed like there was more to it than a kiss and a few meals. In the end, after a month of therapy (4 sessions) they solve their problems, return to live in their hometown and live happily ever after. We don't know what happens to the tramp!
H's great grovel was to build tehir family a house.
I liked the book, but I would have liked to see H POV to know what really happened with OW and also that lady had some kind of karma. I found that situation of OW gossiping with the other moms a "mean girls" attitude, super immature.
Los personajes principales son novios de desde la secundaria/prepa. Él era amigo del hermano de ella y le lleva como 2 o 3 años. Llevan como 15 años juntos, están casados y tienen dos hijos (niño y niña). El cada día llega tarde a casa después de pasar una larga jornada en el trabajo y ella cada vez está más enojada por esto, ya que no pasan tiempo juntos y él no atiende a los eventos de sus hijos. Una noche se pelean y él le dice que conoció a alguien más y que se va a ir de la casa. Él empaca una maleta y se va. Ella suele guardar sus emociones y se enfoca en sus hijos. Al día siguiente en la escuela de su hijo menor se da cuenta que un grupo de mamás está hablando a sus espaldas, una de ellas se acerca y le pregunta medio maliciosamente cómo está. Como a uno o dos días de eso, vuelve a encontrarse a esa señora (que también tienen un hijo en el mismo salón que el suyo) en el supermercado y le dice que su esposo y ella no quieren que se sienta mal por lo que pasó, dando a entender que están juntos. Ella está muy molesta y decide que ya no quiere hablar con su marido sobre lo que está pasando.
El pueblo en el que crecieron esta en la playa queda cerca su casa y decide llevar a sus hijos el fin de semana y surfear con su papá para despejarse. A los pocos días es el cumpleaños de su hijo e invitan a los niños del salón a la playa. Llega la fulana con el hijo y coquetea con el marido, pero en ese momento ella ya quiere saber que va a pasar en su matrimonio y asume que ellos están juntos tomando en cuenta lo que la mujer ha dicho. A los pocos días el marido habla con ella y le dice que no está con la otra mujer, pero ella está muy dolida y siguen separados. Ella empieza a ir cada vez más a casa de sus papás y se reencuentra con su amigos de la adolescencia y decide que se quiere regresar a vivir ahí. El marido le pide que vayan a terapia de pareja y resulta que él no estaba saliendo con la otra mujer, pero le dijo eso porque quería llamar su atención (WTF?!). Aunque le confiesa que se la fulana y él se hicieron amigo, ella se estaba divorciando y empezó a contarle sus penas y él la hizo su confidente. En un punto ella lo beso a él, pero según no paso nada más... mehhh... por como se comporta la otra mujer con ella pareciera que hay algo más que un beso y unas cuantas comidas. Al final, después de un mes de terapia (4 sesiones) resuelven sus problemas, regresan y se van a vivir a su pueblo, felices para siempre. No sabemos que pasa con la fulana y la gran forma en la que él le compensa todo el mal rato es construyendo una casa.
Me gusto el libro, pero me hubiera gustado ver el punto de vista de él para saber bien que paso con la fulana y también que la señora esa tuviera algún tipo de karma, me pareció super inmaduro esa situación de "mean girls" con las señoras de la escuela y ella chismeando.
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ENGLISH
The MC are high school sweethearts. H was friends with h's brother and it's older than her for about 2 or 3 years. They have been together for about 15 years, they are married and have two children (boy and girl). He comes home late everyday after a long day at work and she is getting more and more angry about this, as they don't spend time together and he doesn't spend time with their family nor attend their children's events. One night they have a fight and he tells her that he has met someone else and is leaving. H packs a bag and leaves. h usually keeps her emotions bottled up and focuses her attention on her children. The next day at their son's school she notices a group of moms talking behind her back, one of them comes up to her and asks her half maliciously how she is doing. About a day or two after that, she runs into this lady (who also has a child in the same class as hers) again in the supermarket and tells her that she and H don't want h to feel bad about what happened, implying that they are together. h is very upset and decides that she no longer wants to talk to H about what is going on.
H&h hometown is on the beach near their home and h decides to take her kids for the weekend and go surfing with her dad to get away from it all. A few days later it's their son's birthday and they invite the kids from the school to the beach. OW arrives with herson and flirts with the H, but at that point h assumes that they are together taking into account what OW has said. A few days later H talks to h and tells her that he is not with OW; h is very hurt and they are still separated. h starts going to her parents' house more and more and meets up with her friends from her teenage years and decides that she wants to move back in. H asks her to go to couple's therapy and it turns out that he wasn't dating the OW, but he told her that because he wanted to get her attention (WTF?!). Although H confesses to h that he and the OW became friends, she was getting divorced and started telling him her problems and H made OW his confidant. At one point OW kissed him, but according to H nothing more happened... mehhh... from the way OW behaved with h it seemed like there was more to it than a kiss and a few meals. In the end, after a month of therapy (4 sessions) they solve their problems, return to live in their hometown and live happily ever after. We don't know what happens to the tramp!
H's great grovel was to build tehir family a house.
I liked the book, but I would have liked to see H POV to know what really happened with OW and also that lady had some kind of karma. I found that situation of OW gossiping with the other moms a "mean girls" attitude, super immature.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2017
Grace is raising two young children while Ben works all hours. She gets frustrated and lonely having to carry the weight of taking care of the children and home while never knowing if Ben will be home for dinner or to kiss the kids before bed. Other than picking up the kids or attending birthday parties, Grace doesn’t do very much socializing and is slowing isolating herself more and more.
Ben’s unhappy with his promotion that took them from The Cove where they grew up to Hammer Beach. He thought Grace wanted the bigger house and nicer cars but he misses his earlier position in building and construction. After leaving her claiming that he had met someone, he later clarifies that the relationship was not physical and he was just trying to get Grace’s attention.
So, there you go. Two parents overwhelmed with day to day life and doing a shitty job of communicating what they really need or want. Who hasn’t experienced this in their marriage? Ben and Grace’s story is not uncommon, but their love was unique and truly moving. Even when Ben was announcing that he was leaving, the author’s writing made you feel the love between them. At times, she also made it very easy to feel anger and hurt, but the characterization was amazing and definitely made this novel special.
The only character I was “on the fence” about was Grace’s brother Dean. He seemed overly grouchy to me, but then again he was home on leave from the military, being protective over his sister, etc. I am thinking that there may be a sequel devoted to Dean’s character, and if so, I look forward to understanding him more.
Locked In is a quick read that you will devour in one sitting. It is romantic, real, and reminds the reader not to take the ones you love for granted and not to get too wrapped up in daily routine. I highly recommend this to fans of women’s fiction and romance and readers that crave everyday characters.
*Many thanks to the fabulous author for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review!
Ben’s unhappy with his promotion that took them from The Cove where they grew up to Hammer Beach. He thought Grace wanted the bigger house and nicer cars but he misses his earlier position in building and construction. After leaving her claiming that he had met someone, he later clarifies that the relationship was not physical and he was just trying to get Grace’s attention.
So, there you go. Two parents overwhelmed with day to day life and doing a shitty job of communicating what they really need or want. Who hasn’t experienced this in their marriage? Ben and Grace’s story is not uncommon, but their love was unique and truly moving. Even when Ben was announcing that he was leaving, the author’s writing made you feel the love between them. At times, she also made it very easy to feel anger and hurt, but the characterization was amazing and definitely made this novel special.
The only character I was “on the fence” about was Grace’s brother Dean. He seemed overly grouchy to me, but then again he was home on leave from the military, being protective over his sister, etc. I am thinking that there may be a sequel devoted to Dean’s character, and if so, I look forward to understanding him more.
Locked In is a quick read that you will devour in one sitting. It is romantic, real, and reminds the reader not to take the ones you love for granted and not to get too wrapped up in daily routine. I highly recommend this to fans of women’s fiction and romance and readers that crave everyday characters.
*Many thanks to the fabulous author for providing a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review!
November 7, 2018
Reconciliation story.
The Hero says he's met someone and leaves. Later he says he hasn't cheated, he has become good friends with a work colleague and they have lunches together and end up discussing his marriage. At some point the woman kisses him and he says he stopped her.
He hasn't actually cheated although he points out he had the opportunity to.
Some of the writing is very good, the pressures of everyday life finding it hard to make time for each other when you are dealing with children is realistic.
He doesn't cheat but there is betrayal esp as their sons are in school, together.
It lacked the confrontation between either the Hero and the other woman or the heroine and the other woman to make sure if was finished and the Hero was happy.
Excellent secondary characters.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
Breadcrumbs dropped for next book, Dean and Holly.
The Hero says he's met someone and leaves. Later he says he hasn't cheated, he has become good friends with a work colleague and they have lunches together and end up discussing his marriage. At some point the woman kisses him and he says he stopped her.
He hasn't actually cheated although he points out he had the opportunity to.
Some of the writing is very good, the pressures of everyday life finding it hard to make time for each other when you are dealing with children is realistic.
He doesn't cheat but there is betrayal esp as their sons are in school, together.
It lacked the confrontation between either the Hero and the other woman or the heroine and the other woman to make sure if was finished and the Hero was happy.
Excellent secondary characters.
No intimate scenes with anyone other than the Hero and heroine.
HEA.
Breadcrumbs dropped for next book, Dean and Holly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2020
3/4/20
Just read this for the second time, so it's going to 5 star territory for me. Love the writing, seems like people these days discount excellent writing opting instead for a flashy storyline. Not me, give me good writing, an afternoon off, a cup of coffee, spice cake (lol) and I'm a happy woman.
I just read a blog post this author wrote in 2015 about having to wait for time to write and I hope she continues to do so. I'll wait for her. Now I'm off to get the next one in this series, Locked Out, off of KU. It'll be the second reading of that one too, so I imagine another 5 star coming from me.
Seriously good.
Just read this for the second time, so it's going to 5 star territory for me. Love the writing, seems like people these days discount excellent writing opting instead for a flashy storyline. Not me, give me good writing, an afternoon off, a cup of coffee, spice cake (lol) and I'm a happy woman.
I just read a blog post this author wrote in 2015 about having to wait for time to write and I hope she continues to do so. I'll wait for her. Now I'm off to get the next one in this series, Locked Out, off of KU. It'll be the second reading of that one too, so I imagine another 5 star coming from me.
Seriously good.
May 11, 2019
Immature hero, who needs attention and emotionally cheats on his wife 🤮
January 20, 2024
I wanted and needed angst, but this book had very little. I still had to finish it to see the resolution. I was confused by the H’s behavior. It never really made sense.
August 24, 2017
This book made me cry! It's about a couple who lost their way. They had two lovely kids but their communication went to zero. Life, kids, work, school, kids activities, all conspired to eliminate the couple time that is so necessary to feed the love and the passion. Once that is gone, the sex goes the same way, and when you least expect it, you have two strangers living together. This happened to Grace and Ben. They have two kids, seven-year old Liam and four-year old Mimi. When Grace repeatedly complained to Ben about his late arrivals home and missing Mimi's recital, he packs up a duffel and leaves. Before leaving he throws a verbal bomb: I met someone....
At this, I expected fights, tears, screaming, clinging, all the works. But Grace just shut down. She locked the door and went to bed to sleep.
The second bomb fell when she went grocery shopping and one of the school moms at Liam's school asks her how it went with Benjamin, and implied there's something going on between them. I loved her reaction here!! She let her shopping basket fall at their feet and left. Next time she saw Ben, he looked like crap. He wanted to talk and what she said was: You have thirty minutes to take your stuff out of the house and I don't want to see you here when I return. It hurt me to read these words but I also applauded Grace's spirit. At the same time, I got a feeling that Ben was getting cold feet about his grand departure.
What I loved about this book was that there were no screaming matches and no disrespect between the couple. The kids were always front and center in their hearts, never neglected. And when Grace was feeling most low and dejected, she went to her parents beach house and there her father reintroduced her to surfing. The sun and the beach exerted their treatment and she felt her heart a bit more full and ready to face the future. I think that Ben and Grace lost themselves in the everyday life and needed a personal earthquake to wake them up. Grace found herself again in the beach and surfing and re-connecting to old friends and beach bums. Poor Ben had a harder road, because he had to work to get accepted again. I liked the procedure presented in the book, the couples counseling and the openness of their approach, open heart and open mind. Both were very open about their feelings and differences. It hurt to live the process with them because I felt like I would hurt if the same thing happened to me. I loved the support of Grace's family and friends. The only thing I didn't like is that I didn't get to see Grace kick the other woman in the butt.
At this, I expected fights, tears, screaming, clinging, all the works. But Grace just shut down. She locked the door and went to bed to sleep.
The second bomb fell when she went grocery shopping and one of the school moms at Liam's school asks her how it went with Benjamin, and implied there's something going on between them. I loved her reaction here!! She let her shopping basket fall at their feet and left. Next time she saw Ben, he looked like crap. He wanted to talk and what she said was: You have thirty minutes to take your stuff out of the house and I don't want to see you here when I return. It hurt me to read these words but I also applauded Grace's spirit. At the same time, I got a feeling that Ben was getting cold feet about his grand departure.
What I loved about this book was that there were no screaming matches and no disrespect between the couple. The kids were always front and center in their hearts, never neglected. And when Grace was feeling most low and dejected, she went to her parents beach house and there her father reintroduced her to surfing. The sun and the beach exerted their treatment and she felt her heart a bit more full and ready to face the future. I think that Ben and Grace lost themselves in the everyday life and needed a personal earthquake to wake them up. Grace found herself again in the beach and surfing and re-connecting to old friends and beach bums. Poor Ben had a harder road, because he had to work to get accepted again. I liked the procedure presented in the book, the couples counseling and the openness of their approach, open heart and open mind. Both were very open about their feelings and differences. It hurt to live the process with them because I felt like I would hurt if the same thing happened to me. I loved the support of Grace's family and friends. The only thing I didn't like is that I didn't get to see Grace kick the other woman in the butt.
June 27, 2017
Good Enough
This is about a married couple who had a big hiccup in their marriage. Too much going on, too little time to be a romantic couple. Their story is about regret, redemption and forgiveness. There was an OW involved but no physical cheating more like he got close to her so it could be called emotional. The story was good but it left an unanswered question which is the continuous presence of the OW at his job since they work together. I don't like that the author sort of brushed it off and not really address this at all. I would, in real life if this is my marriage. Not happy.
This is about a married couple who had a big hiccup in their marriage. Too much going on, too little time to be a romantic couple. Their story is about regret, redemption and forgiveness. There was an OW involved but no physical cheating more like he got close to her so it could be called emotional. The story was good but it left an unanswered question which is the continuous presence of the OW at his job since they work together. I don't like that the author sort of brushed it off and not really address this at all. I would, in real life if this is my marriage. Not happy.
September 9, 2024
This is remarkably readable.The H is more of a fool than a cad, but since he causes the suffering to his wife, he needs to do the time. He realizes the error of his ways, big time. One of the most enjoyable things about this book is that the h is already well on her way to a more authentic life full of hot guys when the H starts panicking.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 4, 2017
Has some emotional cheating, OW kisses H but he quickly pushes her off. Very well written story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2025
2.5*
Emotional cheating, only - yes.
But it was made worse by the fact he got close to the ow whose kid is his kids' school. Well, he did know it initially but does that stop him? From b*tching about his life to her? NO!
Also, he states quite clearly that he is leaving because he has 'met someone else'!
The fmc doesn't even know who -- and then it turns out to be the b*tch bully leader of the mommy squad at the school is that 'someone else'!
Worse - she gets to know about it as the b*tch accosts her at the supermarket, spouting sympathy that 'we' hurt you etc.!
Anyways, later it takes the usual tame way out - of him being apologetic etc. and she taking her time to ...
And he did it all to get her attention?
Meh!
Sad also that the ow was really wasted here! :D
Emotional cheating, only - yes.
But it was made worse by the fact he got close to the ow whose kid is his kids' school. Well, he did know it initially but does that stop him? From b*tching about his life to her? NO!
Also, he states quite clearly that he is leaving because he has 'met someone else'!
The fmc doesn't even know who -- and then it turns out to be the b*tch bully leader of the mommy squad at the school is that 'someone else'!
Worse - she gets to know about it as the b*tch accosts her at the supermarket, spouting sympathy that 'we' hurt you etc.!
Anyways, later it takes the usual tame way out - of him being apologetic etc. and she taking her time to ...
And he did it all to get her attention?
Meh!
Sad also that the ow was really wasted here! :D
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2024
So, out of the blue, the H packed a bag, told his wife that he met someone else and walked out on her and their two kids.
Then, he told her that there really wasn't anyone else; he'd just made up the story because he wasn't getting enough attention and he thought that it would make her cry and beg him to stay.
Then, it turned out that there WAS someone else; he had been having an emotional affair with someone from work (although he claimed he had never slept with her).
What an immature, inconsiderate, a$$hole manbaby. And, I can see from the reviews that she ended up getting back together with him. 🤬 I'm outa here. DNF
Then, he told her that there really wasn't anyone else; he'd just made up the story because he wasn't getting enough attention and he thought that it would make her cry and beg him to stay.
Then, it turned out that there WAS someone else; he had been having an emotional affair with someone from work (although he claimed he had never slept with her).
What an immature, inconsiderate, a$$hole manbaby. And, I can see from the reviews that she ended up getting back together with him. 🤬 I'm outa here. DNF
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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