After six years of marriage, Cass feels like she and Jonathon have drifted apart. She can't help but wonder how her life would have been different if she had not met Jonathon, Jonathon is broadsided when Cass suggests that their marriage needs an intermission. Will a six-month separation, aka intermission, help them get back on track? At the end of the six months, will Jonathon be able to let go of the betrayal and anger he feels? Will they be able to save their marriage? This book is an insightful look at relationships and getting married at a young age,

<I>I received this book from NetGalley</i>.

Truthfully, this book felt a lot like something intended to attract attention through the hook. Like, the IDEA of a wife asking a husband for an "intermission" in their marriage. It appears designed to grab headlines and provide an easy route to PR in magazines / newspapers. But that's not altogether a bad thing. If anything, I admire the author's marketing moxie and imagination.

Marriage is a tricky thing. We all present our best selves when we're dating. And we pretend - or in a haze decide we actually do like everything about the other person. We whisper sweet nothings and decide that we can be together forever, however that looks. Whatever you think of the modern approach to marriage, I think everyone would agree that asking for a six-month "break" is unusual. It's a trial separation, without the formality.

For Jonathan and Cass, six years of marriage (not a long time, folks), has taken a lot of shine off their romance. Cass, in particular, has decided she's just not into being married to Jonathan any longer and wants a break. Jonathan is not so keen. Although Cass does irritate him on occasion, he's still mad for her. But he agrees - probably in part, to keep her. By letting her go, maybe he can anchor her to his side?

The "secrets" both are keeping don't seem that major to me, from a marital perspective. Part of the idea of being in a loving partnership is being able to communicate, forgive, work through. It simply won't function otherwise. So I was dubious that they couldn't just hash things out.

In conclusion, an interesting premise for a book but not the most riveting - maybe if both characters had more to lose? It just seemed very low stakes.

This was a great book. I highly recommend it! It was such a cute book and I love how the characters were brought together. This author was new to me and I would love to read more by her!

Never read unfortunately. Was downloaded to me automatically. According to goodreads it has 4 plus stars.

Great premise told with wit and wonder. Humor is the wit, and the wonder stems from all the thinking the reader does as he/she imagines themselves taking an intermission in their own relationships.

Couple can't decide if they should have a baby or get a divorce, so they take a break. Kind of depressing and annoying at the same time. Eventually I skipped to the last chapter to see what they decided and called it a day.

Unfortunately unable to provide a full review of THE INTERMISSION by Elyssa Friedland due to it being archived before I was able to read it. I am still interested in reading it and would like to at some future date.

It is well written but I wasn't sure where it was going most of the time. I liked it, though. I suppose all married people have moments of doubt and thoughts of a different life, so that was well done.

“The Intermission” is a read that mostly fits best with warm sticky months of summer - the time of it’s original release. The story of Cass and Jonathan reveals it self slowly and provides enough emotional weight to offer itself as a mellow beach read. Similar to a few other popular contemporary romances, the novl is narrated from alternating perspectives. Unlike comparable stories such as “After I Do” by Taylor Jenkins Reid and “The Arrangement” by Sarah Dunn, our main characters are somewhat dull and difficult to care for. As such, the main plot of “maritial intermission” lacks heartache. The silence during this separation reveals many secrets between Cass and Jonathan, which ultimately does end up drawing the reader in, but not as effectly as it could or should.

A sub-par new title in the recent string of “press pause” contemporary romance releases. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced release copy in lieu of an honest review.

This read was quite entertaining. Characters that you didn't quite know what to think of them. One point you really like them, other points you wanted to yell at them. Yet it was very engrossing and made you want to keep reading.

This book took me forever to get through. Not because the writing wasn't good or the story itself was lacking, but it was the particularly unlikable characters of Cass and her husband Jon. They both seemed a bit vapid and shallow to me. Cass and Jon have been together for six years, married for five, and are contemplating having a child. And it doesn't seem like they've ever really been open and honest or communicative on any level of great depth. Cass is with Jon because he represents security and something other than the hard life she was living and I'm still not sure I understand why Jon was with Cass. There doesn't seem to be great and undying love - so this is more like real life than fantasy swoon inducing romance. One day Cass just decides that they need a break. She's been living in her head, judging their marriage, weighing the secrets she's holding, wondering if they truly know each others, and and she feels they need time to reflect separately.

This isn't a plot driven story, but rather a reflection on marriage and how well we really know each other.

The blurb made me interested in reading the book, but once I started it, I found it depressing. It is always sad to see a marriage in trouble and this story was no exception. I could not finish the book.

I didn’t really like this book as I had a hard time with Cass. The story rather dragged on and I found myself skimming the book.

Relatable characters and storyline. Not your picture perfect romance novel, but a true, ridden with mistakes, real love that makes you appreciate your loved one. I'd recommend this book to friends.

While I enjoyed The Intermission, I spent a lot of my reading getting so frustrated with Cass that I wanted to smack her! This book reminded me so much of what real relationships can be like, the ways we hide things from those we love, and the way we can destroy something very important to us simply because we do not speak up about what we want or need. I read quickly through The Intermission and I liked the fact that Cass and Jonathan's stories came back together and ended on a positive note with all the lies out in the open.

I totally appreciate what Ms. Friedland was doing with this book and this couple. She was taking a moment in time that is crucial in a marriage; deciding to have kids and examining it. Maybe with having almost 18 years of marriage and being together 23, I found Cass and Jonathan whiny. I thought Jonathan’s secret was much more damning then Cass’s.

I did enjoy how the novel was told from both of their points of view because it let us know how they were handling the Intermission and what they really thought. Honestly if they didn’t have Puddles I’m not sure if they would have stayed in touch.

I liked how the book ended I just wonder if they really worked out their issues.

I didn't enjoy this book very much. The characters annoyed me, and I thought that their actions were often inconsistent. I wasn't crazy about the writing style; a lot of the dialogue seemed off, and there are too many times when some point or message is spelled out directly to the readers ("There are those times in life when..."). All that said, I flew through it and was for some reason very invested with finding out how things would go for the characters, even though I didn't particularly care about them.

This was pretty great! I would definitely recommend to fans of AFTER I DO by taylor jenkins reid. I'm giving it a four because I felt like it was a little longer than it needed to be.

An interesting character study about a married couple and what to do when the honeymoon phase in a marriage is over. Instead of throwing in the towel, the couple decides to take an "intermission" from their relationship. Just like most plays or musicals, the book is divided into a beginning, the intermission, and the end and is told from both perspectives of each character, who have their secrets of their own. It's a funny, quick summer read.

This was just okay for me. I wasn't a huge fan of Cass or Jonathan as characters and I could not relate. I found myself putting this to the side so I could finish a few others before coming back to it. I feel like it will grab the attention of people enough to be purchased for our collection at the library, but I will not be reading it again. I was a little frustrated with it because the summary sounded so good!