Georgina Wagman has a great marriage, great career and great friends…so it seems. When she catches her husband with a junior associate she must come up with a plan to save her marriage. Did I mention that plan includes spicing up their marriage as swingers? 😁 When she reconnects with an old flame things get a little dicey.

One of the reasons I enjoy about reading is because I love learning new things. In this case it is about swinging aka The Lifestyle and I feel very enlightened. My heart just hurt for Georgina when it felt like her life was falling apart. I’m also proud of myself for stepping a little out of my comfort zone.

I went in to this book blind, I didn't read the blurp totally judged it by its cover, which is super cute by the way

Anywho, it's about swingers! What I learned!

Georgina has everything she wants, husband, great job, living in the city.

Then she walks in on something she never expected to see.

After a moment of crisis and a lot of soul searching, she decides that she and Nathan will become swingers, eek....

She enlists her friends to tag along as well, but things go wrong there and cause friction all over the place.

Everything is going great until she runs into someone from her past at a party and everything really changes.

I liked it enough, all thoughts are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review this title.

I just reviewed The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn. #TheLifestyle #NetGalley

Georgina's seemingly perfect life comes crashing down around her when she discovers her husband is having an affair. Desperate to save her marriage, Georgina decides "the lifestyle" (aka "swinging" is the only way to save her marriage. Overall, this book fell flat for me. I found Georgina to be a bit of a pill, and it made it difficult for me to become invested in her story and care about the outcome of the story. I do appreciate the author bringing attention to alternative lifestyles, although since I have little knowledge of ethical non-monogamy in practice, I'm not sure how reality-based this depiction actually is. Despite not being overly invested in the story, I did complete it, and it is a good read if you are looking for something a little out of the norm and not too heavy.

What a fun read! I'm a huge Jane Austen fan and this is a loose retelling based on Emma. I was curious to read this as the plot is set in the world of swinging couples (Jane Austen and I probably know about the same amount of this world). I found the characters engaging and there are laugh-out-loud moments. There is a love triangle and I ended up reading until 1 AM to see how that played out.
#TheLifestyle #NetGalley

Georgina Wagman is perfect, everyone thinks she’s perfect - perfect husband, perfect job, perfect life. But when Georgina walks in on her husband Nathan going down on her new summer associate, she quickly sees that maybe she doesn’t have life as figured out as she thought she did. Desperate to save her marriage, Georgina proposes to her husband that they try swinging or “the lifestyle” to spice up their marriage and get it back on course. Alongside their friend group (gag) - Georgina and the two couples in the friend group embark on a short lived swinging escapade to save their marriages/relationships and figure out who they are.

Let's be clear - this isn’t a book about swinging. This isn't a romance book either. There's minimal talk about swinging or the actual act of the “lifestyle” and most of the couples in the story wind up backing out / not participating. Calling this a retelling of Emma is a tough stretch; maybe, maybe if, in the end, it turned out to be Felix all along. If anything is more a story about Georgina discovering herself and what she wants in life versus fixing everything to make everybody else happy.

Thank you NetGalleyy and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC

I was initially interested in reading this one before book of the month released it as one of their monthly selections because it seemed light and funny but it no longer seems like the type of romance that I like to read. All the reviews say that it is quite boring and nothing like what they were expecting from the synopsis. Thank you for the chance to review this early copy, but I am no longer interested in reading this title.

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Georgina Wagman is perfect. No literally, everyone thinks she’s perfect - perfect husband, perfect job, perfect outfits. But when Georgina walks in on her husband Nathan going down on her new summer associate, she quickly sees that maybe she doesn’t have life as figured out as she thought she did.

Desperate to save her marriage, Georgina proposes to her husband that they try swinging or “the lifestyle” to spice up their marriage and get it back on course. Alongside their friend group (yes, it’s as ick as it sounds) - Georgina and the two couples in the friend group embark on a short lived swinging escapade to save their marriages/relationships and figure out who they are.

To be clear - this isn’t a book about swinging, in fact, there’s minimal talk about swinging and most of the couples in the story wind up backing out / not participating in “the lifestyle”. The story is contrived, the plot line is formulaic and the ending feels like it was phoned in or for some characters doesn’t even make sense (re: Nathan).

If you have other books on your TBR list, you should probably skip on over this one. Not memorable, but a fluff piece on “finding yourself”.

Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Taylor Hahn, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This was fun! I didn’t really know what to expect but I really liked it. It was basically a rom com, just with a dirtier than usual subplot!

Thank you to @vintageanchorbooks and @prhaudio for the netgalley widget and audiobook. I was hesitant to read this book because it has a pretty low GR rating, but I haven’t let that stop me before! I was also more persuaded after @bookofthemonth picked this as one of their monthly choices.

I have to say… I should have gone with my gut. I think the book is well written, but the book was just sad to me. Georgina has a great life and a great marriage… until she walks in on her husband and his assistant in a very compromising position. She doesn’t want to get divorced just a few years into her marriage so they decide to try swinging? It was such a strange twist and reaction to infidelity? I just think if your relationship is already on the rocks, this is not the way to go.

Georgina and two of her friends also decide to get involved. She also meets an ex bf at the first swingers party they go to. She always harbored feelings for him and they haven’t gone away. But isn’t she supposed to be reconnecting with her husband?

I’m not a Jane Austen fan at all and supposedly this is a modern retelling of Emma, but I wouldn’t know. This was definitely a swing and a miss for me.

This was my first 5 star book in months!! I loved this story, even though it was not my typical style. When you catch your man cheating, what do you do? Decide to become swingers! Oh and your hot ex happens to be a swinger also… I laughed out loud so many times during this read. I was afraid it would be cringy and uncomfortable to read the “swinging scenes” but they were entertaining and light. I cried during this book y’all!! That’s how amazing it is! I loved it so much I ordered a copy for my bookshelf. Thank you Netgalley for my ARC.

This was a delight! I think the swinging angle was a fresh element and I love that it Didn’t talk town to those who engage in that lifestyle IRL. The MC was charming and I thought this was perfect for summer.

The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn features Georgina as the woman who has it all; happy marriage, successful career, etc. However, her world is soon turned upside down thanks to her husband's actions. She comes up with a unique solution to their problem by deciding to enter the world of swinging. The crazy cast of characters makes this story a joy to devour. Read and enjoy!

this was a funny and interesting emma retelling! i really laughed so hard and really lighthearted. i liked georgina and felt pity for her when she found her husband with the redhead girl. I'm really impressed by this book and how quick I read it. It's a kind of rom-com I've never read before and totally liked it!

If you want to read a romcom that’s different from the others, this book is for you! It definitely veered in a direction I wasn’t expecting, but it was fascinating reading about the parties and clubs for those participating in the “lifestyle” (a sly way to say swinging).
Georgina, the MC, found her husband having sex with someone from his office. She decides their marriage could be saved if they become swingers. That’s not the first thing that would cross my mind, but to each his own!
Georgina knows a woman who has been lived the lifestyle for a while, and she said it saved her marriage. I’m guessing that the ability to swing with your partner would depend on each person’s self-esteem level and the strength of the partnership. Even though Georgina’s friend was happy, for different people emotions like jealousy and possessiveness could arise and destroy the experiment.
The book is well written, and the characters are interesting, especially how they act in relation to the lifestyle. It’s definitely not like any romcom I’ve read before! 4 stars.

Synopsis
Georgina Wagman has it all—a great marriage, a great job at a prestigious law firm, and great friends. She’s living the life she always wanted, and everything is perfect. Until, that is, she walks in on her husband Nathan in a compromising position with a junior associate. Georgina has a moment of crisis. But divorce is not a part of the five-year plan, so she comes up with asan idea to save her marriage and recapture the spark. She and Nathan are going to become swingers.

Georgina isn’t going to embark on this adventure alone, though. Her friends Felix and Norah and their respective partners decide to tag along for the ride. They’ve got relationship woes of their own that swinging just might fix. Georgina, convinced Felix and Norah belong together, is thrilled. What better place to reignite romance between two people destined to be together than a swingers’ party? Her plan is foolproof, until she runs into a college ex at the first party. When they reconnect, Georgina will find herself torn between her head and her heart, with her very happiness hanging in the balance. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Sophie Kinsella, The Lifestyle is a playful homage to Jane Austen's Emma Woodhouse and an outrageously fun summer read.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I wanted to love The Lifestyle and there were definitely parts I enjoyed, but overall found I could not connect with any of the characters. I loved the idea behind the book and the unique retelling of a classic. The writing was good, I just wish the characters were more likable.

When Georgina walks in on her husband cheating with someone at the office, she is determined to fix her marriage. But what she doesn’t expect along the way is to be reunited with someone very important from her past who sets the change of everything into motion.

This book came out of nowhere and hit me where it hurt the most - my heart. I wasn’t expecting to get so attached to Georgina, her friends, and this story that I would actually start crying during the last chapter. When a book evokes that type of powerful emotion within me, I can’t help but love it. Georgina’s growth was slow and messy at times, but that made her feel real to me. She was entertaining but also imperfect, and I was so glad to finally see her stand up for herself and fight for who she loved. The Lifestyle was a super fun read with a lot of heartwarming and sad moments in it; it’s not going to be for everyone, but it’s not one I’m going to forget anytime soon.

CW for cheating, divorce, sexual content.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Anchor Books for the ARC of The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn!

A unique romance - trying to save a marriage/romance by joining the swinging lifestyle. It was funny & heartwarming - a nice beach read.

Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn is her debut novel and I was pretty impressed by it. The storyline started to slow down and I had to power through there for a bit. However, this novel was lighthearted and brought a story not told often. Overall, I would read another Taylor Hahn novel and I look forward to seeing what topic she delves into next.

*ARC courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. I want to thank the valued author, the publisher who took a chance on the author, and Netgalley for providing a copy.*

3.5 stars rounded up. This book was not at all what I expected. I expected a light funny romp about swingers. Instead I got a heartfelt book about a woman finding herself. At times this book felt a little slow but I mostly enjoyed it.

Won a goodreads ARC copy so will be instead be reviewing the physical copy on my Insta (thanks again for the approval)