I tried, but could not finish... I felt nothing for Molly and Gabe - no connection, no hope that they make it through, nothing

This is the story of Molly and Gabe who recently got engaged. Here is the thing Gabe is an aspiring author who wrote a book loosely based on his past relationship.

He presents the book to his agent and he loves it. There is a bidding war for the book. Needless to say the book is a success which leaves Molly in a weird situation. She is happy for Gabe and his success however she feels uncomfortable by the story. Oh yeah the ex in question shows up and asks for a cut of the earning

Molly over the course of a year spirals down. She loses her job. She has some family drama. She is unsure if this relationship will last.

This was a good chick-lit that hit the spot. I love that the ending wasn’t a happily ever after. It kept things real.

I give this book 4 stars.

I will publish a review for this book on February at What to Read Next Blog.

I wanted to like this book from the synopsis, however it missed the mark for me. I just couldn't engage with any of the characters and found myself skimming over chunks of each chapter. This book was just a miss for me.

I struggled to get through this one. I really hated all of the characters and I just didn’t desire to get back inside of their brains so I found myself avoiding reading. This is a story of an insecure woman that makes assumption after assumption about her fiancé and experiences a severe psychological downward spiral and nearly loses everything. I found myself wanting to yell at the main character repeatedly. While I didn’t enjoy the first 80% of the book, I did like the ending and I think there are lessons to be learned.

Typical chic lit....but that’s not a bad thing. The ending isn’t necessarily typical and I really liked that. It’s easy to tell where this book is heading but it’s a a light, fun read. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This is a story of the most dysfunctional couple you will ever meet. Otherwise Engaged was a light, bubbly and relatable chick lit novel.

As someone whose life recently fell apart in similar ways, I really related to this book and enjoyed it immensely. Despite it's somewhat serious topics, it is light hearted and a fun escape. A great read for Winter Break.

At some point in this book I loved and hated almost every character. I felt for Molly and while she was her own worst enemy, I can sympathize with her situation where it gets so bad that you seriously go insane. Overall I really enjoyed this book even if I got so mad at Gabe at times that I wanted to throw tit across the room.

I received an advanced copy in exchange of an honest review.

This book was very captivating. I was hooked from the first chapter. Five starts. I enjoyed the characters and the story so very much.

Otherwise Engaged is a quick and easy read, with a hopeful ending, rather than storybook perfect. Honestly I did feel my own anxiety rising in succession with the characters decisions and drama. I didn't find it to be as relaxing as your typical romance. I enjoyed it though and read through to the end to see how things turned out!

Life is sweet for New Yorkers Molly and Gabe: They're young, in love, and newly engaged.
But when Gabe sells his first novel—a thinly-veiled retelling of his wild love affair with ex-girlfriend Talia—and it becomes a national sensation, Molly can't help but feel like the third wheel. To make matters worse, Talia reappears in Gabe's life, eager to capitalize on the book's success and to rekindle what she had with Gabe... at least, that's how it seems to Molly.

Jealous, paranoid, and increasingly desperate, Molly starts to spin out of control. Her social life, work life, and love life all go to pieces. As fact and fiction, and past and present, begin to blur, Molly realizes the only way out of this downward spiral is to fight her way back up. But what—if anything—will be left of her life and her relationship when she arrives?

Oh man did I feel for Molly, her paranoia made me paranoid! I definitely had a love/hate relationship with Gabe and Molly and at times I wanted to shake Molly! I was so involved with these characters that they felt like my own friends that I was listening to (that's how great of an author Lindsey J. Palmer is!) I really enjoyed this one and I think fans of Liane Moriarty or JoJo Moyes would like it too.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the ARC of #OtherwiseEngaged
Pub Date: 15 Jan 2019

Life is sweet for New Yorkers Molly and Gabe: They're young, in love, and newly engaged.

But then Gabe sells his first book. The book about his relationship with his ex Talia and quickly becomes a national sensation. You can see where this is going... To make matters worse, Talia reappears in Gabe's life, eager to capitalize on the book's success and to rekindle what she had with Gabe... at least, that's how it seems to Molly. But even more concerning? Gabe doesn't seem concerned at all. Instead, he's delighting in his newfound fame and success.

As Molly becomes more jealous and paranoid, she spins out of control. But what—if anything—will be left of her life and her relationship when this is all over?


I loved this book. It is filled with jealousy and despair and at times it feels a little like Molly is going a bit over the top, but then Gabe does something to make you angry and you are right there with her. This is for any woman who has had a partner whose ex is still in their life. They will understand these feelings.

I also have to say the ending was fantastic! Thank you Lindsey for an ending that fits the modern day woman. Spoiler alert - Molly ends up alone. And happy. And yes she starts to rekindle her relationship with Gabe, but she put herself first and that is what a 20th century woman would do. Bravo!

I loved the plot of this book. It really makes you think what you would do if you were in the same situation.
The character development was on point.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of the most dysfunctional couple you will ever meet. You will immediately have a love /hate relationship with the group of friends that are close to the couple of topic. I swear I was actually yelling out loud to a book and I can pretty much guarantee that you will be too. Let me explain why.

Gabe and Molly are a couple who are cute together yet you wonder why they are together. They finally get engaged but you still ask yourself why? Then Gabe is apparently writing a book. But not just any book. This book is about a "fictional" girl who he may have had a relationship with. Then why is she contacting Molly?

Now you have to read this book so you can meet Molly's friends Katie and Sam, because they are truly the type of friends that you want to have on your side. Especially when you are going through crazy stuff like this and you want to survive.

This is a great story that will grab you and make you wonder how you would react in the same situation - what would you do if you're perfect, happily-ever-after life was suddenly upended? Would you continue on the same path that you were already on or would you pick a new path? That's what the characters here have to decide and it will keep you reading to the last page in order to find out what they did.

Thank you for the advanced copy of Otherwise Engaged. This was a fun read about Molly and Gabe, newly engaged as Gabe finishes his first novel, loosely based on his previous relationship. As a reader I felt like I was screaming at Molly to stop making every decision she decided to make. There was a little confusion of what was the books and what were excerpts from Gabe's novel, but overall this is an enjoyable read that focuses on friendship, self discovery, and picking yourself up after disappointment. I am rooting for Gabe and Molly in the end!

3.5
Ugh Molly, why do you do the things you do? This story of Molly and Gabe (and Talia) was a tough one. It’s pretty complex, just like most relationships. The characters and plot (and side characters) are well fleshed out. I am my own worst enemy when it comes to books about writers or journalists (I don’t know why, but they don’t usually work for me). This did though, as it was more the fallout of the completed work and what comes after. The snippets of Gabe’s story were clever and worked well in marrying the two stories together. The ending fit, a little hopeful and a bit sad. This was a good one.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Skyhorse Publishing for a copy in exchange for a review.

Otherwise Engaged is the story of Molly and Gabe, a couple that begins to lose their way when Gabe's book about his ex-girlfriend becomes an overnight success. Molly becomes plagued with doubt about her relationship as she watches Gabe and Talia (the ex) work together to promote the novel, and the inevitable fallout ensues. While I did find this book to be overwritten in places, I enjoyed the overall story line and found myself sad when I was done reading.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

I found this book to be entertaining in parts, but extremely predictable. I do not think it really stacks up to the likes of Jennifer Weiner or Liana Moriarty. Molly and Gabe are engaged and everything unravels when Gabe sells his book. Molly compares herself to Gabe's ex and experiences a lot neuroses when she thinks that he prefers Talia and starts to look into her past to see how she has become who she is. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I picked this because of the plot It was well-written and a interesting read. I recommend this book to fans of adult fiction.