With all the recent tik tok drama the timing of this book was perfect! The world of swingers was eye opening and I liked that this story featured different couples in different phases of their relationships. It was so interesting and juicy and messy and I was very here for it! The steam was fun but the characters were really what made this for me. A new twist on a classic story!

This book was just not for me. I picked it up and put it down numerous times. I struggled to to through if ultimately DNFing it at 42%. I

I did not connect with the characters and could not get into the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This book was indeed, funny and sexy, especially when the Lifestyle was introduced in the book. I liked all of that, I was here for it, the humor is something that always wins me over especially with a romance novel. The main character Georgina is the funniest, and is the perfect EVERYTHING, job, marriage, friends, life, EVERYTHING. Then her whole life shattered when her husband messed up, she decided on a remedy that worked for a colleague of hers and it was to join the “Lifestyle” AKA become a Swinger. Even her friends join in on the fun and it gets pretty messy, and we cant forget about the man that got away, Georgina’s ex-boyfriend.

I loved how everything flowed, the characters backstories, and how they all evolved, within their own marriages, relationships and even within themselves. I was not a huge fan of Georgina constantly getting into her friends’ business, and always looking out for others and not herself, which is an amazing trait but she was DOING THE MOST and it was becoming annoying. I do love the ending, I think those last few chapters made me love this book even more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

I try to be open-minded about many things, including how others live their lives. However, I must have forgotten the synopsis of the book when I finally got down to reading The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn, I was a little shocked to read it was about swingers (that is what they used to be called. Now, apparently, it’s called “the lifestyle.”)

The Lifestyle is being pushed as a beach or summer read. Well, for one thing, if I were browsing books in the store, I’d pass over the crude cartoonish cover. I certainly hope that the book gets a new cover sooner than later because it offers no appeal whatsoever. What a fail in the marketing department. The book is also being sold as a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma. Apparently, that’s because there’s some attempted matchmaking.

Georgiana is a career-driven woman who is married to Nathan, who also has similar ambitions, or so she thinks. That is, until Georgiana walks in on Nathan and a junior associate at the law firm they all work at. Instead of leaving her husband, suggesting therapy, or something you know, more sane, she decides to suggest they try the lifestyle as a way to bring them closer. She heard from a client what a life-changing experience it was so Georgiana thinks it will work with her and Nathan.

She also thinks that it’s time to get her two college buddies back together, despite the fact that one is married with three kids and the other is in a committed relationship. Quite frankly, there’s nothing charming about Georgina’s meddling with her friends’ relationships the way Austen’s Emma was. She should have spent more time focusing on her own relationship with her husband.

The swinging part of the book wasn’t as salacious as it seems from the outset. There are a couple of sex scenes, much like many other summer beach reads, but nothing really wild. While “the lifestyle” is not for everyone, it’s explored in a way to shed a light on some of the myths and mysteries of swinging.

I got fed up with Georgina’s matchmaking early on and never really warmed to her as a character. The reader does see growth in her character arc, but I found the other characters more interesting than her.

This book had a very unique plot that I enjoyed reading. Georgina and her husband, Nathan, decide to try out a swinger lifestyle after she catches him cheating on her with another woman. As she talks to their friends about her decision, they all decide to try out the swinger lifestyle as well.

I really liked all of the characters and enjoyed seeing them evolve throughout the story. The plot is very straightforward and easy to follow. It’s a quick read that I would recommend if you’re looking for something a little bit different!

Thank you Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC.

This is a clever and funny book! Georgina is an attorney at a top law firm in New York, with the seemingly perfect marriage to a fellow partner and a career on the rise. Georgina feels her life plan is right on track -- until she catches her husband cheating. Out of sorts, Georgina decides to take bold action to save her marriage. She is not quite sure what she is getting herself into -- and is all the more surprised when she runs into her ex from college. As Georgina balances her new lifestyle, her old love, and her existing marriage, her life feels entirely up in the air -- but maybe that is a good thing?

This is a great book for summer -- interesting and fast-paced, it will have you laughing out loud at several points. Highly recommended!

I really try to find the positive in most books, but I really struggled with this one. For one thing, it feels like it's trying to do to0 much - it's a modern take on Jane Austen's Emma, but just for fun, let's throw in a plot involving swinging!

My biggest objection, however, is with how the swinging is handled by the author. I'm not sure what research the author did, but this is a problematic take on non-monogamy. Instead of taking it seriously, the main character enters into it for all the wrong reasons, egged on by a cartoonish figure singing the praises of the lifestyle as a cure-all for her marriage issues. While exploring alternatives to traditional monogamy absolutely can help some relationships, presenting it in this way feels careless. The more experienced characters in the lifestyle also feel like caricatures rather than thoughtfully written additions to the novel, which is truly disappointing.

I'm giving this two stars only because I did find some of the other characters more compelling - watching Felix gain confidence to pursue what he wants instead of going along with his girlfriend's desires was a pleasure, and watching Ari and Norah' work through their issues was also a compelling side plot, but ultimately I can't get past how poorly the swinging storyline was handled.

The Lifestyle is for non-monogamy what Fifty Shades is to BDSM - and that is not a compliment.

Unfortunately this just wasn't fun or funny for me. I was intrigued by the premise and I usually love Austen re-tellings but this was just meh for me. I feel like a lot was left unsaid in that situation lead-ups would be described but what actually happened wouldn't be described. I kept thinking I was missing chapters but it was just an editorial decision? Regardless, I didn't love this one. I hope you have better luck!

The Lifestyle comes out next week on June 7, 2022 and you can purchase HERE.

In the conference room, two grumpy-looking men shook their hands and introduced themselves as Kathleen's lawyers. They were white, around fifty, and carried themselves with an impatient demeanor. Those qualities were true of most lawyers Georgina met.

I could see a few generally vague connections to Emma, but really this seems to only be a very loose retelling, designed I'm sure to draw in curious Janeites who never thought about Emma and Knightley being swingers. This isn't that story, though.

This is a story about an ambitious woman who chose the safest route to meeting those ambitions. Unfortunately, that route was a husband with whom she was never in love and who was never in love with her. This book will require an open mind, not just for the sex but for the honest look at various areas of intimacy—physically, emotionally, mentally—and how, in leaving it alone, the lack of it will destroy a relationship.

There's a lot more going on here than just agreeing to swap partners at a party and I appreciate that the story didn't get seedy for seedy's sake. Even though the change-up in their sex life didn't really fix much, there's still a good point being made about couples having the guts to be vulnerable and to try to do what's best for their relationship. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

I also feel like a lot of the ideas here are pretty in line with what a couples therapist might say/condone (re: Esther Perel) and, therefore, this book could at times be challenging and thought-provoking. Interesting topic to explore in this way.

This book was spicy!! Such an interesting plot and a great read for anyone looking for an engaging read. The end came a little too quickly for me, but the book held my attention. With all the #MomTok drama going on right now, this would be a good read for folks interested in that!

Who ever approved this cover should find a new job. It's a terrible cover. It doesn't make you want to read this book at all. However, you should! This is a good beach read, and Taylor Hahn is the next Elin Hilderbrand!

There is sex, and marital drama, but the heart of the book is figuring out how each character got to this point in life, determining if they are truly happy, and if not, taking steps to get there. Don't let life just happen to you, realize your Lifestyle is in your own choices, and new choices can always be made.

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited to read this book because I thought it might be an interesting read but I really struggled to keep reading this title. Tbh, I was bored. I kept waiting for it to get better, to finally start to care about the MC but neither seemed to happen. It was the usual supposed to be shocking but actually cliche of discovering the affair and the fallout and by then my mind had checked out. I was bored by the MC, her friends and everything else. Guess this book wasn’t for me. I’d still tell others to check it out but it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

A very satisfying read! The Lifestyle was a refreshing story. The author doesn’t use the swinging lifestyle as a grotesque plot device (do not expect Fifty Shades of Grey). She’s careful to show the complexes of being an adult, married and finding one’s sense of self. I really enjoyed the book - an excellent debut novel.

This book was just not for me. I was anticipating more of an Emma retelling, which that was not at all. I couldn't connect with the main characters. I enjoy the author's writing style and would definitely try books from her in the future, this one just wasn't for me. I suppose I was anticipating something very different.

I so enjoyed the unique premise of this book!

The Lifestyle is styled as a retelling of Emma, but I didn’t see it that way. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining with some funny moments and great characters.

Georgiana is the main character, and the most interesting. She is a successful attorney living her best life, until she walks in on her cheating husband. What she decides to do about it is so unlike anything I would do, but that’s what makes this a fun read! She decides to try swinging to fix her relationship with her cheating husband.

I was really entertained by the descriptions of Georgiana and her friends’ dipping their toe in the swinging lifestyle. It was interesting to see how each of the couples dealt with the experience in a different way.

I think this is a perfect book to place on your summer reading list!

The premise for this book is fantastic and I’ve seen a lot of authors I love recommending it. Ultimately, it wasn’t for me. I didn’t like the main character and the ending of this book was too easily wrapped into a bow.

This book is about swingers hence the name Lifestyle and it was disheartening in so many ways. Georgina and Nathan were lawyers in the same firm and married to each other for seven years. Georgina finds Nathan in a very comprising situation with Meredith an associate. Georgina decides she wants to try swinging to see if she can spark her marriage. But along comes Whitaker an old boyfriend from college and the sparks fly! Georgina was great at helping everyone else with their problems or so she thought but it comes down to she needed to work on herself big time. Can the lifestyle spark their marriage?

I received this ARC from Netgalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hear that sound? It's the sound of Jane Austen turning over and over in her grave at the thought of Emma being reimagined with swinging as a solution to a troubled marriage, I tried, I really did but honestly, Georgina is so unlikable that I couldn't find a way to get past her, let alone the concept. I'm not a prude by any means but it just didn't sit well with me. Her friends Felix and Norah, and her ex Whittaker are more appealing that she is (although Nathan not so much). I'll give Hahn the writing, which echos Austen's style. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. Wasn't for me but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

The premise of this book really intrigued me. I am fascinated with other lifestyles and cultures that I will never experience in my life. With this said, there were a lot of things in this book that didn't work for me. First being that I did not like the main character, Georgina, nor did I feel any sympathy for her. Her reaction to her husband's affair and then her continued need to mentor the woman he cheated with were unauthentic and disconcerting to read. Georgina did not have one redeeming quality. I didn't even think she was a good friend, as she cared more for what she wanted for her friends than what they truly wanted. The only thing that the book taught me was that people whose lives are falling apart and are unhealthy go into swinging. I deep down don't think that this is true in the real world of swingers. I would love to read a book that shows a healthier relationship between couples who swing.

A surprising, and refreshing, remix of Jane Austen's Emma. I found it incredibly sex-positive and educational about the "swinger" lifestyle, and certainly puts a modern spin on the conceit of a "comedy of manners." The happy-ever-afters are different in this book, as is the matchmaking and the makeovers, but still rewarding and enjoyable to watch unfold. I will be specific in whom I recommend this book to, but I think it will find a passionate audience.