Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka is out now. I really enjoyed the duo’s book The Roughest Draft last year, and really like that they’re a husband/wife romance writing team. I think the dynamic adds so much authenticity to their books and seriously hoping they continue writing together.

In their newest release we follow Graham and Eliza as they try to get the ‘spark’ back in their marriage during an anniversary trip. When a stranger accidentally introduces the two together, they decide to be strangers for the remainder of the trip! What could be a better way to rekindle the flame, than by flirting & re-dating each other!

This is such a fun idea of a story! I mean who hasn’t wanted to re-live a 1st date with your partner?! I thoroughly enjoyed the dual narrative & absolutely loved David as a side character.

My biggest dislikes were that I kept forgetting Eliza and Graham were in their mid-20s. They seemed much older and while I understand they married young; I think having our main characters being mid-30s would have been beneficial. That didn't deter the story though for me, and I loved that you could feel how much the two loved & were attracted to each other.

Even though David was a support character, I loved him. I loved his bubbly personality and that he was so ready and willing to throw himself into love. He really added a ton of value to the story. Eliza is cute as well and I enjoyed seeing her grow and stop avoiding the hard things in relationships. The extra side plot with her sister seemed a bit dramatic, but I also have 3 sisters and know that the 'drama' is real. Graham, I wanted to like him so much but I just found him to be entirely insecure. I don't know that he grew enough in this story for me, but therapy should be in his future.

Even with my two dislikes, this was still a fun read. The steam level isn't very high but the chemistry between our two leads completely makes up for it. This was a great reminder that even though you get married, it’s important to keep dating your spouse! Everyone changes over time & you have to keep up or risk growing apart.


Do I Know You? is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.  If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

I really enjoy reading married romance as someone who has been married almost 20 years but I am also pretty critical of married romance as someone who has been married almost 20 years! This one was easy to read, highly consumable and the audiobook was wonderful. A couple is on their 5th anniversary wedding getaway trip and decide to act like strangers for the trip and date each other as two individuals, not a married couple. Sweet and fun premise. And new friend David was my favorite character in the book! But by the middle, this felt a bit repetitive and predictable and everything just falls into place like there was some magic powder sprinkled on all the problems (including issues with family outside of their marriage issues). But overall a sweet marriage romance that would be a fantastic vacation/beach/pool read.

This book felt like a real life romance novel. Not the idolized and romanticized versions we sometimes see, but one filled with raw honesty. I love that it was written by a real husband and wife team. The dual POV, the different take on a second chance romance, and even the side characters (like David!). Definitely going to have to read more books by this duo!

Initial Thoughts:
I do love a good marriage-in-crisis romance and so far so good! Love the setting of the resort they're staying: Coastal Northern California where the pines and cliffside beach views are gorgeous! Perfect setting while finding a way back to each other!

Unfortunately, I didn't connect with the characters and their journey in this one.

Short synopsis: Eliza and Graham go to resort for their 5th wedding anniversary. when they find out there’s a mistake with the room booking they create fake identities and pretend to meet and date each other again.

My thoughts: This was such a fun concept in a book! A marriage in crisis after being married young, and celebrating their 5 year anniversary. I could feel the strain between the two in the first couple chapters, so I thought their little “experiment” would be entertaining and fun.

I thought the banter was cute as they re-learned to flirt with each other. They kind of went through the process of self discovery and re-connection with each other.

I’m a huge fan of His and Her POV and this one worked so well together. We could see on both sides how each person really wanted their marriage to work! And while there was a lot of miscommunication (which is my least favorite) they worked together to learn how to properly relay their feelings! Huge win in my opinion.

I didn’t realize the authors were married! I love that idea of creating a rom-com with your spouse!

Read if you love:
* Marriage in Crisis
* Vacations
* Learning to communicate
* Trying something new
* Finding yourself, and your spouse
* His and her POV

Thank you so much to Berkley Romance for the advanced copy of this book. Publication date was January 24, 2023 so this is out now!

Romance novels tend to follow a set of pretty rigid rules. There’s of course the requirement for a HEA (Happily Ever After) or, at the very least, a HFN (Happy For Now). The driving force of the plot must center on a romantic relationship, the focus being on these main characters (human or otherwise, 2 or more) and the journey they take to get to their eventual HEA or HFN.

Do I Know You? follows a slightly different road map. The 2 main characters, Graham and Eliza, are already married, and have been for 5 years. The book opens with the two of them driving to a very fancy resort for a week-long getaway, a stay gifted to them by Graham’s mother to celebrate their 5 year wedding anniversary.

The problem lies in the fact that Graham and Eliza have become strangers to each other in their own marriage, suddenly unable to communicate with each other with the same ease they’ve always been accustomed to. Graham, for reasons that never seem fully clear, feels unworthy of Eliza, continually shocked that such a bright and beautiful and vibrant woman like her would have ever chosen to be with him. Filled with self-doubt and a growing lack of confidence in himself, Graham is convinced that time is winding down on their marriage and that before long, Eliza will realize what he has long suspected, that she deserves better than he can give her.

Eliza, for her part, has had a big falling out with her younger sister and that emotional turmoil has bled into her marriage, causing her to pull back and ultimately away from Graham, shutting him out and increasingly diminishing the emotional intimacy between them. They are not estranged, they don’t (to my knowledge) sleep in separate bedrooms at home, but they have become strangers to each other, their marriage showing cracks of discontent and unease. It’s both a marriage on the verge of being in big trouble plus a very loose version of a second chance romance.

So these two fresh-faced babies (seriously, they are only twenty-four when they get married and so, neither one is even thirty by the start of this book) pack up their luggage along with their stilted conversations and awkward silences and make way for this fancy resort. When they get there, somehow through clerical or computer error, they learn that instead of just being in one suite, they have a double booking. It’s an odd play on the only one bed trope with two different suites (or rather, one suite and one regular room). Eliza persuades Graham that it might be good to have some separation for the duration of this trip and so Graham goes off to the fancy honeymoon suite and Eliza takes the regular room.

What I appreciated about Eliza is that despite her continued resistance to opening herself up emotionally, she understands that something has to change for this relationship to succeed. And Graham, to his credit, is unhappy with the plan but goes along with it because he too knows things need to change and furthermore, he is literally willing to do anything to make Eliza happy.

Due to certain events transpiring, Eliza, a voice actor and book narrator, hits upon this plan for the two of them to pretend to be strangers for a week. So, Eliza, a voice actor from San Diego becomes a travel planner from Boston, and Graham, the corporate lawyer, becomes a finance guy from Santa Fe. And these two spend the week leading up to their 5th wedding anniversary flirting with each other and getting to know each other all over again and dating each other and eventually sleeping with each other all under the guise of being completely different people.

It is confusing at times, for me and for Graham and occasionally for Eliza, to know what’s real and what’s fake, what’s authentically them and what’s them being in character. I think part of the problem is that when they become their alter egos, we’ve basically just met them and don’t know very much about who they really are either. However, it does work, helped by the dual POV that allows us inside both the real Eliza and Graham’s heads.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book is the male friendship that develops between Graham and David, a fellow guest at the resort. Male friendships, especially developing ones, are not all that commonly found in romance novels and I really enjoyed the one in this book, between kindergarten teacher David, a romantic at heart who is convinced he’s found his soulmate at this resort, and Graham, who is reeling from the fear that his marriage is at serious risk of dissolving. David is the perfect person to help Graham address his own personal issues in his marriage.

This was one of the most unique romance novels I’ve read in a long time. I’m going to be upfront, I don’t think this book is for everyone. And that’s ok, everyone has different tastes and likes what they like. I personally liked it enough to give it an A. I thought it was inventive, clever, and fun. It took two tropes that have been done (and done well) in various books and gave them both a fresh new twist with some unexpected plotlines. Usually, the journey in a romance novel is reading to figure out how the main characters fell in love and found their HEA. However, in this book, the romance bypasses the first question altogether, asking instead, what happens when love isn’t the thing that’s missing. Graham and Eliza are already in love, what they lack is that spark, that openness that connected them in the first place. It’s a risk to base a romance novel on that premise, but for what it’s worth, for me at least, it really worked.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧, 𝙖 𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙜𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥.

📍 Read if you like:
• Second Chance Romance
• Marriage In Trouble
• Forced Proximity
• California Coastlines

After reading The Roughest Draft last year I knew I wanted to read anything this author duo wrote. I was again not disappointed with their writing as I loved this book!

I don’t tend to read a bunch of second-chance romances, but this one was a bit different - the characters are already married but they pretend to be strangers to try and fix their marriage. I think the plotline was so unique and interesting.

Speaking of the characters, I loved them! I loved how they pretended and took different roles as strangers. Eliza and Graham’s marriage isn’t perfect, but they sure will do anything to recover the love they once had for each other, especially with it being their five-year anniversary.

On a side note, we were introduced to a side character named David - who became Graham’s best friend at this getaway. I loved his character and hope to get his own story in the future 🤞🏼

I loved everything that happened at this retreat, this contemporary romance was so beautifully written. I’m already a huge fan of this duo ~ Wibbroka ~ and will read anything they write. They’re the perfect summer reads and are full of so much fun! Such a fun love story - I would highly recommend this one!

𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘶𝘯!

I went completely blind into this story and I was not expecting it at all; it was a good surprise, it was so much fun reading it, but at the same time it had so much heart. Another great book from this duo.

Thank you Berkley Romance and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

𝗗𝗼 𝗜 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂 by Austin Siegemund-Broka and Emily Wibberley released yesterday January 24, 2023.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

Review will be posted on 1/27/23
Graham and Eliza have been married for five years and recently, their marriage has become boring and a bit rocky. They have lost some of the spark and they hope a week-long vacation to a California resort will do them some good. When they get there, there's been an error. The hotel booked them two separate rooms. What if they use this as an opportunity to get some space from one another as that might do them some good. The car ride over was less than stellar. So, they go their separate ways and when they meet up at the hotel's bar, a vacation acquaintance introduces them them to each other as this person thought they were both single. Instead of clarifying things, Eliza and Graham go with it and pretend that they don't know one another. As the days go by, they continue this role playing and in turn get to know each other again and it reignites some of the missing excitement lost in their marriage. However, the big question is will this translate to their everyday lives? Married writing team, Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka's Do I Know You? is a fun romance that fans of rom-coms will thoroughly enjoy.

Eliza is a voice actress and Graham is an attorney; they are pretty much opposites and do to this, they find their marriage in a rut. I enjoyed how Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka jumped from Eliza's perspective to Graham's with each chapter as it gave us insight into the characters and what their true feelings are. I was curious how Graham felt about a few things that occurred at the hotel and I was glad that readers are privy to his point of view, vice versa. The varying points of view were done so well and I think this is due to the fact that they are a married couple writing team. It felt plausible. I was worried it wouldn't, but they definitely pull it off. The week long role playing provides a slow burn romance and some major rom-com vibes in Do I Know You?

This winter weather has me longing for spring break and the setting of Do I Know You? filled that void for me. In fact, this would be an excellent book to bring along with you to spring break. Who couldn't use a week-long vacation at a fancy hotel right about now? Wibberley and Siegemund-Broka's descriptions of the resort, the restaurants, the bar, and the pools made me feel like I was there soaking up some rays along with them.

My only issue with Do I Know You? was the amount of role-playing. After about two days, I wanted Eliza and Graham to reconnect and let their guards down, because they obviously have major issues that need to be addressed. I wanted them to have a "real" discussion and don't get me wrong, they do, but I wanted it to happen sooner. I mean if you are having big issues at just five years into your marriage, things aren't looking good, right?

The husband and wife writing team was a lot of fun and I will definitely have my eye on their future novels. So, if you love a good rom-com, give Do I Know You? a try this winter. Let me know in the comments what you think and if you are a fan of this writing duo.

Do I Know You? provides a unique perspective on a marriage in turmoil that I never knew I needed! It offers a refreshing take on a difficult situation that is sure to captivate readers.

Things are far from perfect in Eliza and Graham Cutler’s marriage. When they take a week’s vacation to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, they hope to set things back on track. However, things take a crazy turn when due to a hotel booking mistake, they end up pretending to be strangers. They hope this could be the thing to spice up their marriage.

Of course, “real life” still tends to get in their way. The real question is, what happens when the vacation is over, and they go back to reality?

The story alternates the point of view between Eliza and Graham. This gives the reader a great insight into what each character is thinking.

This is a unique and clever take on a second chance romance storyline. It’s fun, fresh, and a little sad too. An uplifting, inspirational story of two people not willing to give up on their marriage.

I really didn’t want to put this book down and read late into the night. This author duo is new to me, but I was impressed with this book. They are on my radar now and I’ll be looking for more books by them.




Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Eliza and Graham are about to celebrate their fifth anniversary in the most unusual of ways. Indeed they are headed for a weeklong getaway at an exclusive resort, but upon arriving, they agree to take separate rooms. They also soon agree to act as if they are perfect strangers for the duration.

Graham immediately meets a friend at the resort, a likable guy looking for his one true love. When his fellow resort guest spots Eliza one night while Graham is at the hotel bar, he introduces the pair, thus the perfect stranger act ensues. Strangers? No, but maybe? Perhaps this game just might reignite the spark Eliza and Graham once shared. Not only do the couple begin to flirt with one another, they start going on dates and to some of the plant resort activities together.

Is this going to be the magic Eliza and Graham need to bring back those feelings of deep love? Passion? Friendship? Do I Really Know You? is role playing at its very best. They each have fabulous jobs and their lives keep them busy. That might be part of the reason that they grew apart. Perhaps in this one week away together - but not - will be all Eliza and Graham need to fall in love once again. What a delightful read by a wonderful writing couple. I love that this book was ultimately about love despite its flaws.

Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/t_JSOaPu9CM

In general, this book was really cute.

As someone who has been in a relationship for almost 4 years now, I could definitely relate with the premise of a fizzling relationship and two partners struggling to rekindle the passion between them. I think every long-lasting couple goes through this at some point, so it was interesting to experience a similar situation playing out with different people. It gave me some perspective on a few things I hadn’t even considered in my own relationship and even gave me some ideas.

I’m also SO happy that this book portrays a married couple that doesn’t fall into infidelity or any other cliches that I’ve read about over and over. Eliza and Graham truly love each other and are willing to try anything to save their relationship, so it felt really sweet and rewarding to experience them falling in love with each other all over again.

However, the book dragged a little bit for me in the second half. I think this is mainly due to the dual point of view which, while providing a better understanding of each character’s flaws and issues with their relationship, also meant that I had to read certain scenes twice. These redundant chapters could’ve easily been altered to focus more on the shifting dynamic between Eliza and Graham, which felt a bit clunky at times.

Regarding the relationship’s progression, I’m a bit disappointed that couple’s therapy or the dating workshops weren’t more prevalent in the storyline. One of the main issues I had with this book was its ending. I’m having a hard time believing that these characters, Eliza especially, managed to work out their big mental blockage in the short span of their vacation without much introspection or professional guidance. It felt a little bit too convenient for me. I would’ve liked a more seamless and realistic progression on that front.

Still, in the end, I enjoyed my time with this book, and it only further convinced me to read any other romance that this writing duo publishes in the future.

I absolutely loved this book. It had me hooked from chapter one. Once i started i couldnt put it down. I loved the dual pov and the fact that it's a second chance romance! I loved the characters and the plot and It also gave me Emily Henry vibes!! Perfect rom com from start to finish!

Eliza and Graham are celebrating their five year wedding anniversary with a week away at a resort in the mountains. The problem is they've become so comfortable, so complacent, that it feels more like two friends taking a vacation. A mix-up with the room gives them a chance to find the space to really explore their relationship. They decide to pretend to be perfect strangers so they can recreate and revisit those 'new crush' feelings once again. But like all vacations, this pretending has to end and the real world has to come back.

I really liked Graham's chapters. His introspection, his insecurities in how he sees himself, and his bone deep love for his wife. This was a fun read with some laugh out loud moments, wonderful supporting characters, and truly emotional writing.

Eliza and Graham go on a trip to celebrate their 5 year wedding anniversary, but because of the growing distance between them, they end up with separate rooms. While on this trip they start to pretend to be different people. People who are just meeting and getting to know each other and are flirting and having fun. While this is bringing the spark back to their relationship, it’s hard to tell what is real and what is pretend, and where their relationship will stand when they get back to reality.

Marriage in trouble is usually not a trope I enjoy, but I thought it was handled so well in this book. Rather than the trouble resulting from a major conflict or dramatic event, it was simply the result of two people who got married young and grew apart in the process. This book was written in both Graham and Eliza’s point-of-view, so as a reader you are able to know how each person is feeling right away. And while they each felt the distance in their relationship, they both were not ready to let it go. Seeing an already married couple learn to rebuild their relationship was unique for a romance novel, and I greatly appreciated it. In many ways this book felt very real.I also really enjoyed David, the man they met on their vacation, and he provided a lot of comic relief throughout the story. (I would also love for him to get his own book!)

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for the advance copy and to @berittalksbooks and @dg_reads for the buddy read!

Eliza and Graham should be celebrating their five year anniversary, but instead their relationship is slightly on the rocks. They love each other but they just can’t find a way to connect like they once did.
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As they head to a vacation to “celebrate” their anniversary, gifted to them by Graham’s parents they each struggle with what their week will look like. When a guest mistakes them for being single and then a mix up with the hotel rooms they decide to play a game. They decide to act like strangers, with rules, to try to find their way back to each other. They take on different roles as they start to date each other on their anniversary vacation.
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This was a cute one and I enjoyed the multiple POV seeing both of their sides to the story. This is written by a wife and husband team which definitely adds to the story, especially with the multiple POV.
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This one is out tomorrow!
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Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eliza and Graham have lost their spark. Married for five years, they are struggling to maintain their connection. Luckily Graham's parents have gifted them a week away for their anniversary and although they are both nervous about it, it may be just the thing they need. Upon arriving, the receptionist informs them that two rooms have accidentally been booked instead of the one suite. Eliza jumps at the chance to keep the second room to give them each a bit of space. Later, when she meets Graham for dinner, his new friend David mistakes Eliza for a guest of the singles workshop. When Graham doesn't correct him and introduce her as his wife, she plays along and makes up a whole new persona. Graham also takes the bait and they both realize they can banter like they used to when within these new roles. From here, starts a week of rediscovering each other through their new characters, while slipping in some of the issues that have lead them to where they are today. Can they reconnect and fix their relationship issues while reinventing first dates and first kisses? Can they bring this spark and ease of conversation back into their regular lives?

This was a cute quick paced read. I really enjoyed the plot and felt that this might inspire other couples who are struggling to step out of their comfort zones to reconnect. The introduction of David helped bring the story along and added in a bit of humor. I also liked that the story was told in alternating perspectives so we got to learn what each of them was feeling and why. I especially loved that Eliza and Graham still loved each other and felt their marriage was worth saving no matter how ridiculous the pretenses to do so. It was a great new way of presenting a second chance romance. Although I loved it, I would rank The Roughest Draft slightly higher. This was my second Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka read and I'm looking forward to more stories by this couple! Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Romance for my gifted eARC!

I love this duo’s writing, The Roughest Draft is a must read for non-rom-com emotionally immersive and complicated romance. But I don’t think DO I KNOW YOU? was entirely for me. It still maintains that level of relationship exploration that the authors excel at, but the details didn’t keep my interest.

It’s essentially a second-chance romance, which admittedly is not one of my favorite tropes, but with a fascinating twist. A married couple trying to reconnect. And while I appreciate the depth of discovery as they “first date again”, all I could think was, just go to couples therapy already. Seriously. It’s all seems so easy if they just communicate with a professional to guide them.

The heat kicks off in a public bathroom and that’s a no from me. I never find it sexy, especially if it’s in a stall, even in a fancy resort. Nope. Any subsequent sexual encounter after that felt contaminated because it was stuck in my head.

I loved the characters together. They’re clearly meant to be. They had issues individually that manifested into relationship problems. It’s a great exploration on confidence and communication. But I also thought it was too repetitive. It really is the same exact thoughts over and over again from beginning to end. I got bored.

So overall, I think this is a great book for someone else. It just had too many of my pet peeves written into the plot.

Do I Know You? is about Eliza and Graham, a couple celebrating their 5-year anniversary, but their marriage has gotten a little... stale. So, when a hotel guest assumes they're strangers and introduces them to one another, they go with it as a way of reconnecting with each other and spicing things up.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but the story dragged in several places and lacked memorability (as in, I finished this book three days ago and I've already forgotten the MC's names). There was an inordinate amount of set up to get to the point of action, so it was full of fits and starts. There were also a lot of moments of miscommunication and assumptions made by the characters, which is a pet peeve of mine in books and drives me bonkers--ESPECIALLY in romance. If people just communicated, a lot of the unnecessary tension wouldn't exist.

The peek into a married couple's relationship was fun and I appreciate the authors normalizing the doldrums of marriage. Because it happens! And I so loved the male friendship that Graham formed and explored throughout the book (I'll say no more to avoid spoilers). I'm also impressed by the seamlessness of the story given it's written by two authors, a wife-and-husband team (wow @ the talent in that relationship)!