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How To Keep A Husband for Ten Days
By: Jessica Hatch
Publication Date: February 8, 2023
Published By: Bookouture
293 pages
Find It On: Amazon | Goodreads
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About the Book
Faking a marriage… How hard can it be?!
When Lina’s oldest friends unexpectedly announce they’re coming to stay, she has to think fast. No one knows she and her husband Brown are breaking up and, if their friends find out, she knows they’ll take sides, and they’re just not ready for that. Surely they can pretend to be married for ten days?
Determined to only tell her friends when she’s figured out how she’s feeling, Lina comes up with a set of rules for her and Brown to follow:
1. Strike “couple” poses (try not to throw your back out)
2. Laugh at each other’s jokes (not so loud it sounds fake)
3. Stare into each other’s eyes (remember to blink)
4. Hold hands when walking (use a grip of steel)
5. Share a bed… (GULP)
But, despite her step-by-step guide, pretending to be married isn’t as easy as she thought. Being back in the same house with her husband – laughing together, holding hands, sharing a bed – is making her more confused than ever. And by day five, Lina is starting to realise there’s a thin line between love and hate.
And while she can try to fool her friends, she can’t fool her heart. What might have begun as faking a marriage is starting to feel like the real thing… Is this becoming more than make believe? And is it too late to find out if Brown feels the same?
My Review
This book highlights the fact that marriage isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The butterfly feelings that you had while dating, on your wedding day, and through the honeymoon period do not last. Real life sets in. Both husband and wife may work, maybe he leaves socks all over, or maybe she leaves hair on the bathroom floor. What was once adoring is now annoying. While these are not the exact scenarios between Lina and Brown, it is somewhat like this. I enjoyed reading about Lina because I saw a lot of myself in her. I was quick to say things like, “this isn’t working” until I realized that things do change. It was nice to see Lina realize that maybe she was too quick to act. Also, already knowing that these two did have a connection, and reading about how they got married, made the scenes and feelings between the two very realistic.
One issue that I had with the book is that I felt like there was too much focus around the reason Lina and Brown were having to fake their marriage – keeping their old building. I wish there was less focus on that and more focus on the relationship and the friendships. It almost felt like that was the main point of the book rather than the fake relationship. The other issue that I had is that the book is self-described as being funny and I didn’t actually find it funny.
Overall, this was a nice, easy read with a happy ending!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jessica Hatch writes hilarious, heartfelt romantic comedies for the girls who grew up rooting for the main character’s best friend. Her first novel, My Big Fake Wedding, debuted at #1 in Humorous American Fiction, and her second novel, How to Keep a Husband for Ten Days, is widely anticipated by an international readership.
She loves to develop quirky, high-concept scenarios and then drop her characters into them, escape room–style, to see what happens next. Her work spotlights characters and locales the reader can fall in love with, and aims to explore real-world issues that women and nonbinary people face.
(She also enjoys loafing around, largely ignoring her characters and binge-watching Netflix instead.)
Say hello at www.JessicaHatch.com and/or stay in touch via www.LeftRight.Substack.com.
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