One of those stories that I wanted to like more than I actually did. I really liked Georgina as a character and appreciated how she lifted up other women in her life. However, she was certainly flawed, and I can't believe one meeting with someone readers barely get any warning on changes things. I would have liked to see more development with the many relationships with people in her life. I think that would have made this book more enjoyable for me. I'm stuck between a 2 and a 3. I did appreciate how the focus was more on the characters than the physical acts between them though!

Thank you to Knopf Doubleday for our ARC copy of The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn.

Rating: 4 star
Genre: Fiction/Romance

This book is a really unique, challenging one for me to review. I'm going to start by saying that this book will not be for everyone. I would encourage you to read the synopsis or message me with questions! All of that being said I would suggest you go into it with an open mind. I enjoy books that open my mind to other lifestyles (you will see the pun I did there if you read it!). This book was well written and really made me think about how love and relationships can look different for everyone.

I would encourage you to review the synopsis on this one; however, keep an open mind. I believe that this is a book that a lot of people are going to talk about! I'm also really impressed with Taylor Hahn, as this is her debut book. I'm excited to see what she writes going forward!

3.25 stars

Georgina Wagman is a 30-something partner at a law firm who catches her seemingly perfect husband, Nathan screwing a first year associate/mentee. In a desperate attempt to save her marriage with not-so-perfect-anymore husband (and by extension her sham of perfect life), she suggests they broaden their mundane lives (sex and in general) by becoming swingers and embracing “the lifestyle.”

At her first such party, she randomly runs into an ex boyfriend, Whitaker Nolan, her first love in college and whom she left to go to law school. As this is a book based on Jane Austen’s Emma, Georgina rather unhelpfully tries to matchmake, fix and meddles in all of her friends’ business. Frankly, I found Georgina annoying AF, even with the best of intentions, and she realises (thank fuck) after many, many chapters that she should really mind her own beeswax.

Overall, this was an interesting read because it offered a unique retelling of a beloved classic romcom. However, I would not rush to shelf this book in the romance section, rather Women’s Fiction with a romantic subplot. The focus of this book was Georgina’s evolving sense of self and the confidence she eventually finds in being messy, taking risks and ultimately happiness based on her own rules.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. I loved this book! This debut has it all: romance, heartache, friendship, and totally flawed characters. The story is laugh-out-loud funny and the situations are unbeatable. I totally recommend this book to readers who enjoy a spicy rom-com and love to experience a poignant yet funny story.

This modern retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma combined with a behind-the-scenes peek at the lives of New York swingers is wildly entertaining, hilarious and heartwarming.

Georgina, like Emma, doesn’t know how to mind her own business. Her endless meddling in her friends’ relationships and belief that she knows best is rather annoying, but at the same time her love for her friends and her desire for their happiness is endearing. She is a complex character like all of us, which makes her relatable even when her decisions or circumstances are not.

My favorite part of this story was seeing how the different characters approached and responded to the swinging lifestyle, and how they eventually each used the experiences to make more empowered decisions and communicate their desires more effectively.

Totally recommend to anyone looking for a quick, entertaining read with humor and heart.

This book was one of a kind and took me for a ride that I did not expect! I LOVED ever second of it.

The Lifestyle is about exactly what you may think that it is-the swinging lifestyle. However, it's a fictional story that also pays homage to Jane Austen's Emma. I was in for the ride when I heard that description lol.
Georgina has the perfect marriage with Nathan-or so she thinks. She finds him cheating with a younger associate at their law firm and is inspired be some advice from a client to pursue a swinging lifestyle to make her husband happy. Since Georgina, like Emma, likes to fix all of her friends' romantic relationships, she invites their friend group to join them as well. I really cared about all of her friends and how they would solve their individual issues, if any. Georgina was exasperating, just like Emma. Emma has never been one of my favorite literary characters just because she assumed to know what was best for everyone.
As to the swinging scenes in the story, they are both steamy and funny, depending on the moment.
Georgina is forced to confront her impressions of her friends and ultimately herself to decide what makes someone happy.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for my honest review.

“The Lifestyle” by Tyalor Hahn, new author to this reader. Did I like it? Can’t say that I enjoyed as some readers but it did have its laughable moments. I got a kick out of each character unfolding on the pages. I don’t believe this is a modern day “Emma” re-telling…quite far from it in fact. A quick read and not what I anticipated of the heroine, Georgina, as she chose to include swinging as a form to fix her marriage. That was just unrealistic for me, however anything can happen. Not big into the swinging lifestyle and fell short of its mark for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Anchor Books and NetGalley for an e-ARC of The Lifestyle, scheduled for release in June 2022. A re-telling of the classic novel Emma, the novel focuses on Georgina Wagman, a woman who has it all. A high-paying, fulfilling career at a prestigious law firm. Wonderful, close friends that she's known for ages. A happy marriage to her husband. She prides herself on living life with good intentions, convinced that her actions are helping the people around her. Eventually, one of her well-meaning objectives backfires when she walks in on her mentee having sex with her husband. With divorce not part of her five-year plan, she sets off to breathe new life into her marriage. She's decided that her and Nathan will become swingers and not only that, she's convinced some friends to come along for the ride. Georgina believes her plan is full-proof until an ex walks back into her life. When they re-connect, is saving her marriage still something she wants?

I've never read Emma so I'm not sure how the retelling would compare but there was certainly a lot to enjoy about this debut novel. I very much enjoyed the writing and felt that the writer did a good job showing the benefits and consequences about the swinging lifestyle, how each couple was able to use it to make empowering choices. The supporting characters were also enjoyable to spend time with. My quibble is with Georgina. She struck me as insufferable some of her time, mostly due to her alleged do-gooder attitude. It was clear she cared deeply about the individuals in her life but just the way she talked about them and/or described them at some instances was a little off-putting. Finally, some people could view her emotional affair with her ex as worse than Nathan's brief fling with the junior associate.

All in all, a good escapist read for the moment.

Wait, what? This is billed as an Emma re-telling? I think that is a very far stretch. Yes the book was funny at times but I did not really care for the characters. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Sorry I did not like it more.

I enjoyed The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn. There is a lot of humor in the book and it's fun watching the characters discovers things about themselves. I did have a problem though with the idea that Georgina would automatically decide that the only way to fix her marriage was by swinging. That hardly seems realistic to me but overall it was a fun read. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read this digital ARC.

This was a great story and it was written pretty well too! I would say go into this book not trying to compare it to another book. I think you will giggle quite a few times in this book. Enjoy!

This was a great book. It shows the true passion and hard work it takes to find yourself and to be happy for you. Georgina’s journey is executed wonderfully, and you can’t help but want to route for her.

The Lifestyle was my first book by Taylor Hahn but definitely won't be my last! I wasn't sure what to expect when reading a story about swinging, but it was so much more. It was super interesting to read about The Lifestyle but even more interesting was the relationship between all the characters. Lots of great characters and stories, a super fun read!

I wish that I could actually put into words how I feel….but it’s really hard right now. Um, this book was just not for me I guess. I saw that a lot of other people liked it but it just wasn’t my jam and it took me forever to even get through it

It was billed as a modern day Emma. This was nothing like Emma. One of the characters fancied herself a matchmaker... that was the only similarity and it was a stretch. I guess if you're interested in the swingers lifestyle this might be interesting. However, the characters aren't redeeming and the descriptions of romance are not even that steamy. This was a big miss for me. I don't think many of our readers will enjoy it either.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for this ARC. This is an excellent debut novel by Taylor Hahn.

Taylor draws clear delineations between all of the characters and each one has an independent and easy to follow story, with the book following the main character Georgina closely. The story quickly captivates readers after Georgina, who is attempting to surprise her husband, finds him in a compromising position with a junior associate, Meredith. As the story unfolds you find yourself quickly pulled into Georgina's world as she looks to explore the world of swingers with the hopes of saving her marriage. This book is filled with lots of great laughs and a surprising level of humanity that cannot help but keep any reader captivated. Hahn did an excellent job of bringing each of the characters to life in this fun and witty story. This book is hilarious and made me laugh out loud on more than one occasion, with one of my favorite quotes coming from Georgina - "Somewhere in the multiverse, I'm in bed watching Matthew McConaughey right now, you bitch!"

A great read you shouldn't pass up, especially if you're a Janet Jackson fan!

I didn't finish this book. I read about 25% of it. I thought the writing was stiff and the plot was uninteresting. I don't care enough about the story or characters to finish the book.

3.5 stars: This book was entertaining, and I was interested in the characters to some degree. It was an easy read. I wish some of the side characters were fleshed out a little more, as many of them felt flat. It was a slow start but later picked up & kept my interest.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Taylor for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

OH MY. O H M Y. You are definitely NOT ready for this one. I wish there were enough words to describe how I felt while reading it. Hot and bothered is a very good one. This book was hot, sweet, and it also had some sort of self growth in between. The book is super sex-positive and it navigates through the first unconscious judgemental stage of humans towards taboo topics and towards reflection and acceptance. I liked that each character got something different out of it. The writer was able to write sensual and suggestive scenes without the need of explicitly, which for me (even though I do love an explicit scene) it’s a plus.
The only reason why I took out a star was because there were too many descriptions and too little dialogues for my liking. But the rest was just *chef’s kiss*