I loved the premise of the book but it took me so long to finish. Reason? I wanted to DNF it for a long time. I do not shy away from an unlikeable character. In fact some times I love to read that sort of story, But the FMC is so unlikeable that I had to walk away from the book multiple times.

I will not be posting this review on goodreads as I do not want to give negative publicity.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. May be this one was not for me.

It took me a while to finish this one, and although I did take a pause from reading it, it’s wasn't because the story wasn't good—because it is. It’s just that the pacing mirrors real life in a way that can feel a little too real at times. Slow, reflective, and emotionally layered.

This story follows Emma and Rob, a couple who’ve been married for over 20 years and have simply… hit a wall. Emma wants more—more connection, more joy, more living. Rob, meanwhile, is tired. He’s been present, supportive, and steady, but from Emma’s point of view, he’s checked out. And from Rob’s perspective, well, he’s done his part. He hasn’t cheated, he raised their son, he shows up. But is that enough?

Their breaking point happens in the middle of an argument at Ikea—about a table, but also about everything but the table—and Emma blurts out the idea of taking a year apart. A marriage gap year. No contact. No visits. Just space. And so begins a quiet, complicated unraveling of their shared life.

The book then follows both Emma and Rob as they navigate this space separately. Emma gets her own apartment, then quits her job after a workplace dispute goes sideways (and ends in an impromptu hookup in a bathroom). Meanwhile, Rob moves into a model home and takes on a historical renovation project—partnering with a younger woman and her all-female team, which leads to some generational and gender-related tension that felt timely and nuanced, if a little uncomfortable.

The writing is strong, and I appreciate the honesty in how these characters are written. No one is a villain here. They’re just… tired, confused, and trying to figure it out. There’s not a lot of action or dramatic twists, but the emotional realism really stands out. It's a book about middle-aged love, burnout, missed communication, and what happens when two people stop growing in the same direction.

That said, the slower pace made it harder for me to stay locked in—I need to be in the right mood to pick this one up. But I did revisit, because I genuinely wanted to see where Emma and Rob ended up!

I had to DNF this book. I thought the premise was silly, and I just couldn't get into it. I didn't think believe the characters had chemistry at all.

I just finished reading this book. The plot was absolutely fantastic! It was quite the page turner, and I could not put the book down once I began reading it.

I was intrigued by this book's premise, but found it to be a let down. It became increasingly clear that good communication and being honest internally could have solved a lot of these problems, and so I found myself less and less invested in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Further Publishing for an advance copy of this book.

This novel follows Rob and Emma as they decide to spend a year apart to determine if they should stay married. Their son has recently moved into his dorm, and they take this chance to learn who they are without the other person and re-evaluate the life they have created together.

I think this book's premise was intriguing, and I wanted to give it a fair chance, but a lot of this book made me uncomfortable. I am glad I gave it a try because it is not something I would typically pick up, but I do not think it was for me.

While Emma tried to make an effort to change her life and explore her interests that she did not feel she had gotten the chance to, it felt like Rob was doing nothing. I enjoyed the home restoration job that Rob was working on, but aside from that, it felt like all he did was drink and feel sorry for himself. These actions made it clear why Emma felt she needed a break. Although I was initially cheering them on, thinking that they would both take this time to work on themselves, I did not see Rob as deserving of Emma as the story went on.

If you enjoy stories with similar themes, you might enjoy this, but I would not recommend it if you want to try this type of book.

Personally I loved this book. It was witty and real. It felt like I was watching this book play out in my head and I found myself feeling the feels of the FMC & MMC. It was a fast paced read for me and super enjoyable.

A nicely written book about a couple experiencing a rough patch in their marriage and decided to take a year-long break from each other. Emma and Rob started living their own separate lives for a year. The book was divided into parts with different seasons. We get to know about both of their mindsets and their thoughts on the separation. The book was slow paced but an easy read. The characters were okay, I didn't love them but didn't hate them either. Through some ups and downs ,finally they found their way back towards each other. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

A couple who have been married for 26 years and has a son just going to college decide to take one year apart in hopes they will miss each other and get back together.

The concept sounded interesting. I mean who hasn't had these "what if" thoughts when they have been side by side with their spouse for so long? I was interested in reading this in hopes of getting some inspiring thought provoking lines around the expectations and reality of marriage but what I ended up getting is two points of views of very selfish thinking, the only character I liked was their son who was just spitting facts left and right about how his parents were behaving.

Anyway, this was a book I almost dropped several times and only finished in hopes of a happy ending.

The writing was good. The opening scene was raw and thrilling for what was to come but the rest of the book just didn't deliver on my expectations.

I finished it out of spite. It was bad. The main characters were so annoying and stupid and unlikeable. Especially Emma, who, even though cheats on her husband, gets mad when she sees him in a picture with a coworker. Like?

All in all, the characters were unlikable, the plot was flat, and it baffles me that this books is in the “Romance” category.

I have to give this book 1 star out of 5.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I'm at a crossroads with how to rate this. I understand the commentary is not for me; I'm part of the generation these main characters seem to hate oh-so-much. I found both main characters tremendously unlikeable, and all of the younger people are basically caricatures of Gen-Z when most of them are actually millennials anyways. I wanted a story about a couple reinventing themselves to be more independent, but it was literally just them quietly despising each other a little bit and also hating themselves while projecting onto anyone who promoted awareness, opportunity, etc. The female building team especially was somewhat offensive; why is every woman of color treated as on the offensive against white men? While writing this review, I googled the author, and I have never been less surprised to see a man's face looking back at me. I realize this review itself is exactly what he thinks of young women apparently, but it was just a middle-aged man going unchallenged by the world yet getting angry anyways and a woman just being a hater who sleeps around--but still tremendously motherly, of course, who has to use her sexuality to feel empowered.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. There are some lovely scenes but I could not connect with the characters. I found them hard to relate to and did not think they had good chemistry together

A refreshing take on the typical 20-somethings that most RomComs feature. I always look for books that feature non-traditional characters (in this case older characters) and those that feature more than just the typical tropes. This book showed how marriage is so much more than just the union between two people... and that each of them have to love and find themselves before they can love each other.

Is a marriage gap year realistic... probably not, but it still inspires lots of thought provoking ways and efforts that can renew even a longstanding relationship.

Thank you to Net Galley for the ebook.

I really LOVED the idea of this storyline, but it fell flat to me. I just couldn't get into the characters as much as I had wanted to. Maybe it'd work better for audio but just my opinion.

Thank you for the ARC!

So while I enjoyed the concept of the story and the idea of it after being married for so long I get it…I also don’t know how I entirely feel about the book. The FMC was absolutely awful. She was so short with everyone and honestly wanted to have her cake and eat it too. She wanted everyone to do and agree with her. Her story kind of made me think of Idea Of You but she was just so judgey. I wish there would have been more to her friend Kendrys story instead of just being like oh she overdosed on drugs and is in rehab it’s fine. Of all things why did the FmC not push on this? And then to get jealous of her husband for standing with a woman in a photo yet she’s out boinking a young guy and he gets upset and she basically tells him to get over it? So much of this book weirded me out and rubbed me the wrong way

While this book was unique and had a plot line like no other book I have read, I didn't quite click with the book and the characters.

The reasons for the marriage gap year wasn't detailed and was abruptly thrown at the readers in the first few pages. I wish there was more background, or possibly flashbacks from both characters to fully understand why Emma wanted a gap year. With this, I felt like there was barely any conclusion and it was highly rushed. I enjoyed the two POV's from Emma and Rob, but Rob's story was incredibly boring. There was only one instance in his POV that he was not at work, and only reading about his job at a construction site quickly got boring.

I did, however, really enjoy the supporting characters. I felt like Emma's friends were enjoyable to read about, and I found myself getting really intrigued with Kendry's story. The sketches and drawings from Rob''s POV were really well done and really added to understanding his work.

Overall, I just felt like there was so much more potential for this book!

Thank you so much to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ARC!

I tried so hard to get into this book, I really did! So much so that I spent the second half of January, and all of February, trying. Eventually, I decided to call this what it was: dnf. It PAINS me to not finish a book, which is why I think I spent so long trying to read this one. There was nothing at all wrong with the book. The premise of this book is what drew me in. As a woman who married young, and as a result has been with their husband for half of their adult life, I truly related to the main character's struggles with complacency; however, overall, I just didn't fall in the love with any of the characters. I didn't feel like I needed, or really even wanted, to know what was going to happen next. I hope to pick it back up and try again, but the first go around was not the time for me.

Thank you to the Publisher, Yannick Thoraval, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book!

I enjoyed the overall the,e of the story. However, I thought the plot of the story was slow. As it switched back and forth between the two main characters, there wasn’t much advancement in the plot. I think there could have been several scenes deleted due to the fact that they were so repetitive to other scenes throughout the story.

The Marriage Gap Year by Yannick Thoraval is like a reality show you can’t stop watching—except with better writing and fewer dramatic rose ceremonies. Emma and Rob decide to take a “marriage gap year” and quickly realize that single life isn’t just mimosas and self-discovery. The book is hilarious, heartfelt, and occasionally feels like free therapy. Thoraval’s writing is sharp, witty, and painfully relatable. If you’ve ever questioned life, love, or your own decisions, this one’s for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.