I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
How to Keep a Husband for Ten Days by Jessica Hatch Published by Bookouture on 8th February 2023
Genres: Chicklit, Contemporary, Love & Romance, Women's Literary Fiction
Pages: 293
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Amazon Kindle
Pretending to be married to the man you were married to… How hard can it be?!
When Lina’s oldest friends unexpectedly announce they’re coming to stay, she has to think fast. No one knows she and her husband Brown are breaking up, and so she persuades him to act as if they aren’t… After all, how hard can it be to pretend to be married for ten days?
Turns out, a lot harder than she thought. On day one, she strikes so many couple poses that she throws her back out. On day two, she gets muscle spasms from smiling too hard at her husband’s jokes. On day three, she almost has a heart attack when she puts her hand far too high up his thigh at the dinner table. And on day four, when she accidentally grazes Brown’s lips when aiming for his cheek, she almost passes out in the middle of the restaurant.
By day five, Lina is starting to realise there’s a thin line between love and hate. And while she can try to fool her friends, she can’t fool her heart. Was she too hasty calling time on her marriage? Is this more than make believe? And does she even have enough time to find out if Brown feels the same?
This absolutely hilarious and totally addictive romcom is perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood’s The Love Hypothesis, Christina Lauren’s The Unhoneymooners, and Emily Henry.
I have sat down to write this review and the words that come to mind are it was okay. I didn’t hate it but I am not sure I could recommend it either. I feel terrible saying this as I know it takes a lot of time, effort and courage to write a book.
This is the second book by Jessica. I tried to read her first book but I ended up DNFing after about 30% as I just couldn’t like the characters. I think after this book I won’t be reading any more from this author. I just don’t think she is for me.
It was funny in parts. It wasn’t hilariously funny and definitely not enough to make me call it a rom-com. The romance was also pretty thin on the ground. I can’t really think of any romantic moments between the two main characters.
The characters were all okay. None of them had anything special about them that made me really like them. I didn’t connect or root for anyone in particular. Lina and Brown are poor communicators. Lina makes big decisions rather dramatically and doesn’t discuss them. I found that by the end nothing was really resolved. It didn’t seem like they were going to end up any differently. Also, no one has really discussed Sophie and what happened there. It’s almost brushed under the carpet.
The cover annoyed me as the characters do not match their descriptions. Brown has blonde hair and Lina is brunette. Given this is an illustrated cover these are simple fixes that would go a long way.
The story felt underdeveloped and unfinished. Thank you to Bookoututre for my copy of this book via Netgalley.
About Jessica Hatch
Jessica Hatch has a passion for writing humorous women’s fiction with a strong-beating heart. She loves to develop quirky, high-concept “what if” scenarios and then drop her characters into them, escape room–style, to see what happens. Her work spotlights characters and locales the reader can fall in love with, and aims to explore real-world issues that women and nonbinary people face.
Jessica has worked in book publishing since 2013. She has had bylines published in Writer’s Digest, The Millions, and G*Mob Magazine, among others, and she is a proud alumna of the Mors Tua Vita Mea workshop in Sezze Romano, Italy. Before being acquired by Bookouture, her debut novel won a pitch slam at the Brooklyn Book Festival in 2018 and was workshopped by acclaimed author Rumaan Alam at Aspen Summer Words in 2019.
Jessica was born outside of Richmond, Virginia, but now lives in Jacksonville, Florida, with her bartender husband, Paul, and their three cats. When she is not writing, you can find her jogging on the Riverwalk or planning her next international trip. Say hello at www.jessicahatch.com.
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