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The Torn Up Marriage
Why do we hurt the ones we love, and can there ever be a way back?
“The Torn Up Marriage” is about betrayal, complacency, love and loss, and that key instinct to protect your family. But what happens when you tear that family apart? Kate and Michael are about to find out as they cope with the crushing fallout of his affair, whilst trying to protect their two young children. This powerful and poignant novel captures the explosiveness of everyday life and what it is to be human; to make mistakes.
Set in the historic town of Alnwick, Northumberland, with its stunning backdrop of castles, moorland hills and coastline, this relationship story of love and family takes you in a rollercoaster ride of emotions along with Kate and Michael.
Michael’s mother’s battle with breast cancer shatters them all, yet shows them how precious life, love and family is. Can they find a way back and fight for their battered yet enduring love?
So, what would you do if it happened to you? Could you betray? Could you forgive?
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2015
139 people are currently reading
1267 people want to read
About the author
Caroline Roberts
18 books476 followersFamily, friends, food, a glass of bubbly and, of course, a good book make me smile. I love writing emotional stories about love, loss, betrayal, and family, that explore how complex and yet beautiful love can be. I also like to write romantic comedy, letting the characters have a bit of flirty fun too! I believe in following your dreams and working hard towards them, which led me to Harper Impulse (Harper Collins) and a publishing deal (woop!) after many years of writing. Stunning Northumberland is my home – sandy beaches, castles and gorgeous countryside that have inspired my writing.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
July 3, 2025
I cried.
Stupid tears because stupid me thought I could handle reading about a cheater who leaves his wife to live with and love the ow.
About a wife and mother so shattered that her broken pieces are broken; who takes to alcohol throughout the book; who waits and waits and waits for him to change his mind and come back to her.
About a man who LOVES someone else. Makes a life with her: shopping and holding hands, laughing, intimacy, sex, cooking, sharing his kids with her; making a home for them all.
About the ow who lives without guilt and thinks she can build her happiness on someone else’s unhappiness.
There are positives.
The Hxh’s beautiful children, the love they both have for them, the flashbacks of how they came to be a couple, the closeness of the extended family, the good friends, the om with whom she at least tries to move on with.
Unfortunately, the darkness of their reality overrides any lightness I enjoyed. So much of it nullified because those things are their past and not their present nor their future.
The betrayal is well written.
He’s been with his co-worker for 2 months before the h finds out during a conversation she overhears between the ow and the H. I felt sick and shaky and like my heart was breaking.
For those who love this part of the cheater scenario, this is gold, right here.
He’s invested in a future with her and leaves the h to move into the ow’s home. Kids do the weekend visits.
The heroine is shattered and its terrible to see. Part of her pain is right here in this excerpt of a quote in the book: "The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love someone else.” Anonymous”
He stays with the ow for about 8 months before he realises that her green grass isn’t so green after all.
My 1-star rating:
The blurb is clear on the betrayal. There’s no mention of a HEA. Amazon doesn’t classify it as Romance, and I wasn’t expecting any. So, my low rating has less to do with those 2 points and more to do with 5 stars minus 4 stars:
- for him being a prick. An emo, dull as dishwater weakling who makes the choice to get involved elsewhere instead of telling his wife how their marriage isn’t quite doing it for him anymore. Then he proceeds to waffle about whether he’s making the right choice; the divorce papers are drawn up but he’s not ready to file despite telling the ow that he would. When he does leave the ow, it’s not because he needs to be with the wife but because he doesn’t need to be with the ow. Big damn difference.
- for the lukewarm feelings he has for the h compared to the depth of love she has for him, for how he thinks of her often but doesn’t instinctively think of her when he finds out his mom has cancer, nor when she’s not the first person he thinks about when he rushes their daughter to hospital and so on and so on and on and on
- for when he leaves the ow but doesn’t fight for his h, for him not groveling; for the few “I’m sorries” thrown in here and there; for his promise to not cheat again without the promise to never leave her again
- for leaving AGAIN.
- for the h LITERALLY running after him when he leaves England to scope out a possible job in New York
- for the abrupt ending where their reconciliation doesn’t match the intensity of the betrayal and its backlash. I reckon if you’re going to piece them back together at least make it as impactful as the breakup was.
Note: the title of this book in Amazon is The Torn Up Marriage
NOTE TO SELF: neaten this review
Stupid tears because stupid me thought I could handle reading about a cheater who leaves his wife to live with and love the ow.
About a wife and mother so shattered that her broken pieces are broken; who takes to alcohol throughout the book; who waits and waits and waits for him to change his mind and come back to her.
About a man who LOVES someone else. Makes a life with her: shopping and holding hands, laughing, intimacy, sex, cooking, sharing his kids with her; making a home for them all.
About the ow who lives without guilt and thinks she can build her happiness on someone else’s unhappiness.
There are positives.
The Hxh’s beautiful children, the love they both have for them, the flashbacks of how they came to be a couple, the closeness of the extended family, the good friends, the om with whom she at least tries to move on with.
Unfortunately, the darkness of their reality overrides any lightness I enjoyed. So much of it nullified because those things are their past and not their present nor their future.
The betrayal is well written.
He’s been with his co-worker for 2 months before the h finds out during a conversation she overhears between the ow and the H. I felt sick and shaky and like my heart was breaking.
For those who love this part of the cheater scenario, this is gold, right here.
He’s invested in a future with her and leaves the h to move into the ow’s home. Kids do the weekend visits.
The heroine is shattered and its terrible to see. Part of her pain is right here in this excerpt of a quote in the book: "The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love someone else.” Anonymous”
He stays with the ow for about 8 months before he realises that her green grass isn’t so green after all.
My 1-star rating:
The blurb is clear on the betrayal. There’s no mention of a HEA. Amazon doesn’t classify it as Romance, and I wasn’t expecting any. So, my low rating has less to do with those 2 points and more to do with 5 stars minus 4 stars:
- for him being a prick. An emo, dull as dishwater weakling who makes the choice to get involved elsewhere instead of telling his wife how their marriage isn’t quite doing it for him anymore. Then he proceeds to waffle about whether he’s making the right choice; the divorce papers are drawn up but he’s not ready to file despite telling the ow that he would. When he does leave the ow, it’s not because he needs to be with the wife but because he doesn’t need to be with the ow. Big damn difference.
- for the lukewarm feelings he has for the h compared to the depth of love she has for him, for how he thinks of her often but doesn’t instinctively think of her when he finds out his mom has cancer, nor when she’s not the first person he thinks about when he rushes their daughter to hospital and so on and so on and on and on
- for when he leaves the ow but doesn’t fight for his h, for him not groveling; for the few “I’m sorries” thrown in here and there; for his promise to not cheat again without the promise to never leave her again
- for leaving AGAIN.
- for the h LITERALLY running after him when he leaves England to scope out a possible job in New York
- for the abrupt ending where their reconciliation doesn’t match the intensity of the betrayal and its backlash. I reckon if you’re going to piece them back together at least make it as impactful as the breakup was.
Note: the title of this book in Amazon is The Torn Up Marriage
NOTE TO SELF: neaten this review
February 24, 2015
The subject was uncomfortable but the way Caroline Roberts wrote this story kept me engaged and reading even during the difficult moments of the book.
I think the title says it all. Kate and Michael have been married for a long time. They have two young daughters. Michael runs his own firm while Kate stays at home. Kate thought their relationship was fine until she found out that her husband was having an affair. Worse still when Michael admitted that he had fallen in love with another woman and wants a future with her.
This book deals with the aftermath of Micheal's affair. It deals with a very tough subject and how infidelity can shatter a marriage but it also deals with hope. Kate had to deal with the fallout, had to try to make things as normal for their children and moving on from the hurt and betrayal she felt. Micheal on the other hand had to deal with the guilt and uncertainty in his life. He had to come to terms with the biggest mistake in his life.
Told mostly in both Kate and Micheal's POV, The Torn Up Marriage paints a stark reality of marriage, betrayal, forgiveness and the importance of family. Yes, there were times I wanted to hit Michael in the nuts for what he did. But like I said, the author did a great job of telling this story. The pace was just perfect.
Now, I have to warn you: this isn't pure romance. You won't get swoony butterflies here. You will get upset and angry and you might wanna throw you Kindle across the room, but I have to say that it was very compelling read.
ARC provided by Harper Impulse in exchange for honest review.
I think the title says it all. Kate and Michael have been married for a long time. They have two young daughters. Michael runs his own firm while Kate stays at home. Kate thought their relationship was fine until she found out that her husband was having an affair. Worse still when Michael admitted that he had fallen in love with another woman and wants a future with her.
This book deals with the aftermath of Micheal's affair. It deals with a very tough subject and how infidelity can shatter a marriage but it also deals with hope. Kate had to deal with the fallout, had to try to make things as normal for their children and moving on from the hurt and betrayal she felt. Micheal on the other hand had to deal with the guilt and uncertainty in his life. He had to come to terms with the biggest mistake in his life.
Told mostly in both Kate and Micheal's POV, The Torn Up Marriage paints a stark reality of marriage, betrayal, forgiveness and the importance of family. Yes, there were times I wanted to hit Michael in the nuts for what he did. But like I said, the author did a great job of telling this story. The pace was just perfect.
Now, I have to warn you: this isn't pure romance. You won't get swoony butterflies here. You will get upset and angry and you might wanna throw you Kindle across the room, but I have to say that it was very compelling read.
ARC provided by Harper Impulse in exchange for honest review.
March 27, 2015
*****5 Torn Stars*****
(ARC Kindly provided by Publisher via Netgalley)
This beautiful and heart-wrenching story is the accurate portray of a marriage in trouble. Michael and Kate have been married for a long time and have two beautiful young daughters. Michael works hard and sometimes long hours to provide for his family while Kate is a stay home mom, caring for the house and the children. Everything in their household seems fine, except there's hardly any intimacy or closeness between this couple. They are doing something that is very common in a marriage and that is, that they take each other for granted; until Michael strays on his wife and makes the terrible decision to cheat on her with his secretary. Accidentally Kate finds out about the affair and that's the day her hell on earth starts.
This story talks about the reality of marriage and the painful truth of a separation and how it affects everyone in the family. The story is beautifully written, the author was very sensible and created a story that was so gripping that even thought at times my heart hurt so much and I wanted it to put it down, I just couldn't. It made me think about my own marriage and put myself in this couple's shoes and I'm not going to lie, that night I hugged my husband and kids a little tighter. The characters represented the truth about husband and wife, raw and uncensored to the realities of a long time relationship. In the end Michael realizes his mistakes and tries to fix what he's broken but will it be too late?
My heart ached for every character in this story, it just seem so real I couldn't help but feel deeply , every word in this story. There are some mistakes that can either make or brake a relationship but in the end is those painful experiences in life that teach us the most important lessons. The Torn Up Marriage is a beautiful story that I most definitely would recommend to all my friends.
My The Torn Up Marriage music playlist:
*Numb by Alanis Morissette
*Lover, You Shouldn't Come Over by Jeff Buckley
*Better in Time by Leona Lewis
*Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
*Illegal by Shakira
*If You Ever Come Back by The Script
(ARC Kindly provided by Publisher via Netgalley)
This beautiful and heart-wrenching story is the accurate portray of a marriage in trouble. Michael and Kate have been married for a long time and have two beautiful young daughters. Michael works hard and sometimes long hours to provide for his family while Kate is a stay home mom, caring for the house and the children. Everything in their household seems fine, except there's hardly any intimacy or closeness between this couple. They are doing something that is very common in a marriage and that is, that they take each other for granted; until Michael strays on his wife and makes the terrible decision to cheat on her with his secretary. Accidentally Kate finds out about the affair and that's the day her hell on earth starts.
This story talks about the reality of marriage and the painful truth of a separation and how it affects everyone in the family. The story is beautifully written, the author was very sensible and created a story that was so gripping that even thought at times my heart hurt so much and I wanted it to put it down, I just couldn't. It made me think about my own marriage and put myself in this couple's shoes and I'm not going to lie, that night I hugged my husband and kids a little tighter. The characters represented the truth about husband and wife, raw and uncensored to the realities of a long time relationship. In the end Michael realizes his mistakes and tries to fix what he's broken but will it be too late?
My heart ached for every character in this story, it just seem so real I couldn't help but feel deeply , every word in this story. There are some mistakes that can either make or brake a relationship but in the end is those painful experiences in life that teach us the most important lessons. The Torn Up Marriage is a beautiful story that I most definitely would recommend to all my friends.
My The Torn Up Marriage music playlist:
*Numb by Alanis Morissette
*Lover, You Shouldn't Come Over by Jeff Buckley
*Better in Time by Leona Lewis
*Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
*Illegal by Shakira
*If You Ever Come Back by The Script
April 30, 2019
The writing in this story is very good. The emotions involved on both sides of the fence between a couple whose marriage has been torn apart by infidelity are well-portrayed and if you like angst, this is a good fix of the pure stuff.
Kate and Michael are a thirty something married couple who have gotten caught up in the grind of kids, work and the stress of life and have lost sight of the coupledom that makes a marriage work. Michael has an affair and winds up leaving Kate and their two daughters for the new love and excitement he finds with his employee Sophie.
Common situation and everyday story, but this book gets into the day to day to struggle a betrayed wife has to adjust to after she finds she is no longer wanted. Kate still has to see her estranged husband with his new love and also keep her children sheltered from the fall out of a broken marriage plus help them adjust to Michael's new lover.
There is also the depiction of a man who isn't really bad or evil, just immature and not really able to cope with the demands of marriage and kids and family and work. Throw in Michael's mum who is facing cancer and mortality and the story becomes a vivid portrayal of the anguish, pain and agonizing decisions that have to be made to manage the break up of a family.
The emotions depicted in the story are vivid and gripping. I was moved in turn by each character and no one in the story is all good or all bad, there aren't any villains, just mixed up hurting people.
I felt for all the characters, even Michael the husband had his share of grief, remorse and trauma and the story clearly depicts his own turbulent emotional crisis even though his actions precipitated the storm.
In fact the excellent emotional vise the story puts you in is part of the problem I had with this book. This story is 299 pages long and 293 of them are deep analysis of the two main characters turmoil and how they handle it internally. There is a cover page, table of contents (the story is in four parts) and the end notes as well. That leaves two pages for the resolution and it is so abrupt, buckets of ice water being dumped over your head in zero degree weather would be easier to handle.
The story does seem to be written towards a "what would you do in this situation" goal for the reader and to be honest it has a women's fiction/chick lit body with a Harlequin romance ending that really doesn't work for me.
I know what I would do in the situation described in the book. Michael would be nursing some severe injuries inflicted by my cast iron skillet to the procreative parts of his body and the story would have ended at chapter 2 as he took years to recover and would not have time to worry about his mangled love life, only his mangled parts.
I don't need to read a story to picture that scenario, and as a devotee of cheating romances/women's fic my interest is actually aligned with what people other than myself would do. I am not addicted to either the stay together HEA or the move on to new life HEA - I am non-denominational in that regard, I just want a good story with a believable outcome that satisfies the gut wrenching low of the body of the story with a mood elevating ending that makes sense.
I did not get it here and it was because in spite of all the angst, pain, emo drama and torment depicted, the main characters just don't learn anything and don't do anything to resolve the real problems that led to the affair. Kate is not a good communicator with Michael and Michael is unable to face a tense, emotionally rocky situation, he runs off to someone or something else rather than deal with his problems.
Neither are very good at talking to each other or verbalizing their wants, needs and expectations of what they want their marriage to be.
Kate internalizes and becomes stolidly stoic in marching on with life till the bitter end when faced with problems. Michael runs away and while they obviously love each other, I did not predict any happiness going forward for either of them because they just don't have the skills necessary to make a marriage work or to become part of a marital team between themselves or new partners.
They ultimately just did not grow as characters, they tried hard, but for every step they took forward, they went three back. That is the frustration of the book, after all the emotional expenditure the two of them are still in the same spot they started from and sadly it just became a big annoyance by the end.
I wanted to like this book and for most of it I did, but that abrupt ending and the failure to resolve the internal musings of each main character with an external validation of their perspectives on love, life and marriage made me click the e-reader off with a sad sigh for people's stupidity.
Kate and Michael are a thirty something married couple who have gotten caught up in the grind of kids, work and the stress of life and have lost sight of the coupledom that makes a marriage work. Michael has an affair and winds up leaving Kate and their two daughters for the new love and excitement he finds with his employee Sophie.
Common situation and everyday story, but this book gets into the day to day to struggle a betrayed wife has to adjust to after she finds she is no longer wanted. Kate still has to see her estranged husband with his new love and also keep her children sheltered from the fall out of a broken marriage plus help them adjust to Michael's new lover.
There is also the depiction of a man who isn't really bad or evil, just immature and not really able to cope with the demands of marriage and kids and family and work. Throw in Michael's mum who is facing cancer and mortality and the story becomes a vivid portrayal of the anguish, pain and agonizing decisions that have to be made to manage the break up of a family.
The emotions depicted in the story are vivid and gripping. I was moved in turn by each character and no one in the story is all good or all bad, there aren't any villains, just mixed up hurting people.
I felt for all the characters, even Michael the husband had his share of grief, remorse and trauma and the story clearly depicts his own turbulent emotional crisis even though his actions precipitated the storm.
In fact the excellent emotional vise the story puts you in is part of the problem I had with this book. This story is 299 pages long and 293 of them are deep analysis of the two main characters turmoil and how they handle it internally. There is a cover page, table of contents (the story is in four parts) and the end notes as well. That leaves two pages for the resolution and it is so abrupt, buckets of ice water being dumped over your head in zero degree weather would be easier to handle.
The story does seem to be written towards a "what would you do in this situation" goal for the reader and to be honest it has a women's fiction/chick lit body with a Harlequin romance ending that really doesn't work for me.
I know what I would do in the situation described in the book. Michael would be nursing some severe injuries inflicted by my cast iron skillet to the procreative parts of his body and the story would have ended at chapter 2 as he took years to recover and would not have time to worry about his mangled love life, only his mangled parts.
I don't need to read a story to picture that scenario, and as a devotee of cheating romances/women's fic my interest is actually aligned with what people other than myself would do. I am not addicted to either the stay together HEA or the move on to new life HEA - I am non-denominational in that regard, I just want a good story with a believable outcome that satisfies the gut wrenching low of the body of the story with a mood elevating ending that makes sense.
I did not get it here and it was because in spite of all the angst, pain, emo drama and torment depicted, the main characters just don't learn anything and don't do anything to resolve the real problems that led to the affair. Kate is not a good communicator with Michael and Michael is unable to face a tense, emotionally rocky situation, he runs off to someone or something else rather than deal with his problems.
Neither are very good at talking to each other or verbalizing their wants, needs and expectations of what they want their marriage to be.
Kate internalizes and becomes stolidly stoic in marching on with life till the bitter end when faced with problems. Michael runs away and while they obviously love each other, I did not predict any happiness going forward for either of them because they just don't have the skills necessary to make a marriage work or to become part of a marital team between themselves or new partners.
They ultimately just did not grow as characters, they tried hard, but for every step they took forward, they went three back. That is the frustration of the book, after all the emotional expenditure the two of them are still in the same spot they started from and sadly it just became a big annoyance by the end.
I wanted to like this book and for most of it I did, but that abrupt ending and the failure to resolve the internal musings of each main character with an external validation of their perspectives on love, life and marriage made me click the e-reader off with a sad sigh for people's stupidity.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2018
2.5 Stars – Women’s fiction more than romance
A well written and fairly realistic portrayal of the pain, the sorrow, the loneliness, the anger, the selfishness (of the hero) and the regret (of the hero) caused by infidelity in marriage...well up until the rushed, anticlimatic and semi forced HEA ending. I don’t have a problem with HEA’s in cheating plotline as long as the HEA feels authentic to the tone, the pacing and the story being told. For me, that did not happen in this book. The couple’s reconciliation felt very rushed, unrealistic and haphazardly put together. It’s sad more time wasn’t given to the healing process and reconciliation of this married couple.
WARNING for die hard romance readers: The so called hero of the story thinks he’s in love with the woman he’s having an affair with and precedes to break up his family and moves in with her. The story, from his POV, is his gradual realization that what he thought was love was in fact not love (duh) but a fantasy and the reality of real life with the “other woman” wasn’t close to what he had with his wife. I personally didn’t feel the author fully redeemed his character but I do feel she did a good job at showing his utter devastation at realizing what he’s selfish behavior had done to his family. Having said that, the book’s main focus was more on the heroine and her journey through the heartbreak and eventual forgiveness of betrayal.
Personally, I dislike cheating plotlines and try to stay away from them but I was curious about this book and how the author would handle things. I also knew from reviews that it read more as Women’s Fiction than Romance, which is why I decided to give it a try. The Torn Up Marriage is not a feel good read, that’s for sure. It deals with the consequence of infidelity realistically and though there is a feeling of hope toward the end, I found it more depressing than anything else. Still, it’s a well written story (except for the rushed ending) with good characterization.
A well written and fairly realistic portrayal of the pain, the sorrow, the loneliness, the anger, the selfishness (of the hero) and the regret (of the hero) caused by infidelity in marriage...well up until the rushed, anticlimatic and semi forced HEA ending. I don’t have a problem with HEA’s in cheating plotline as long as the HEA feels authentic to the tone, the pacing and the story being told. For me, that did not happen in this book. The couple’s reconciliation felt very rushed, unrealistic and haphazardly put together. It’s sad more time wasn’t given to the healing process and reconciliation of this married couple.
WARNING for die hard romance readers: The so called hero of the story thinks he’s in love with the woman he’s having an affair with and precedes to break up his family and moves in with her. The story, from his POV, is his gradual realization that what he thought was love was in fact not love (duh) but a fantasy and the reality of real life with the “other woman” wasn’t close to what he had with his wife. I personally didn’t feel the author fully redeemed his character but I do feel she did a good job at showing his utter devastation at realizing what he’s selfish behavior had done to his family. Having said that, the book’s main focus was more on the heroine and her journey through the heartbreak and eventual forgiveness of betrayal.
Personally, I dislike cheating plotlines and try to stay away from them but I was curious about this book and how the author would handle things. I also knew from reviews that it read more as Women’s Fiction than Romance, which is why I decided to give it a try. The Torn Up Marriage is not a feel good read, that’s for sure. It deals with the consequence of infidelity realistically and though there is a feeling of hope toward the end, I found it more depressing than anything else. Still, it’s a well written story (except for the rushed ending) with good characterization.
June 18, 2017
douchebag cheater jerk moron
March 14, 2015
This guy was an idiot and I don't believe in the HEA.
March 18, 2015
This is a difficult book for me to rate. Regardless what your stance is on cheating, this book was enthralling. It had my stomach all churned up in knots and at one point, I really wanted to stop reading because I just knew what the final outcome was going to be and that I was going to be pissed off!
I won't go into the storyline as other reviewers have done that for me :) What I will do is share my reaction this book.
When Michael leaves, Kate falls apart and I was tearing up over how devastated she was. But I could also see how much they both loved their girls and were doing their best to shelter them from the worst of the situation. But what I couldn't get past was Michael's actions.
Having said all that, I can't deny this book made me feel every freakin' emotion under the sun. If I was rating this as pure romance, this would only get 1 star from me. However, it isn't romance. Not in any way, shape or form. And that is the only reason why i can rate this higher. It's a well-written story and I couldn't put the thing down, even when I really wanted to. Yes, it pissed me off. No, I wasn't happy with the way it ended. But for a book to have me up all night thinking about it well after I've finished? Well, the author has obviously don't something right.
Just remember, it's not a romance!
3.5 stars
I won't go into the storyline as other reviewers have done that for me :) What I will do is share my reaction this book.
When Michael leaves, Kate falls apart and I was tearing up over how devastated she was. But I could also see how much they both loved their girls and were doing their best to shelter them from the worst of the situation. But what I couldn't get past was Michael's actions.
Having said all that, I can't deny this book made me feel every freakin' emotion under the sun. If I was rating this as pure romance, this would only get 1 star from me. However, it isn't romance. Not in any way, shape or form. And that is the only reason why i can rate this higher. It's a well-written story and I couldn't put the thing down, even when I really wanted to. Yes, it pissed me off. No, I wasn't happy with the way it ended. But for a book to have me up all night thinking about it well after I've finished? Well, the author has obviously don't something right.
Just remember, it's not a romance!
3.5 stars
August 28, 2017
***FOUR STARS***
Pretty angsty stuff in this one. Kate was a bit too nice for my taste, but man oh man could I feel her devastation in this story. Michael got off way too easy. I really wanted Kate to get a little more involved with the sweetheart neighbor so Michael at least got jealous, realized what a total dick he had been, and had to redeem himself a bit more than he did here. Still, I enjoyed this story a lot. Kept me glued the entire time.
Pretty angsty stuff in this one. Kate was a bit too nice for my taste, but man oh man could I feel her devastation in this story. Michael got off way too easy. I really wanted Kate to get a little more involved with the sweetheart neighbor so Michael at least got jealous, realized what a total dick he had been, and had to redeem himself a bit more than he did here. Still, I enjoyed this story a lot. Kept me glued the entire time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 22, 2020
**This book has been re-released as The Desperate Wife with a new cover. I’m posting it out here because I can’t find the new book to review.**
It’s clear going in, that this is part of the “hubs cheating” trope which can be emotionally charged when done well. I found it somewhere in the middle, some things are done well, some parts fell flat. First, I guess this is a spoiler, but I do think it’s important for the reader to know that the husband leaves his wife for the OW. I can’t say I LOVED reading about Michael and Sophie having sex repeatedly, but I applaud the author for being brave enough to show all the ugly.
The book starts with Kate confronting Michael about him having an affair. The couple have been married for years, and have drifted apart with Kate focused on raising two small girls, and Michael working long hours creating a business. He has the usual regret, but lacks the desire to work things out, and decides to pursue things with the OW.
What did I like? I liked that the book is in dual POV, these books just don’t work otherwise. I liked that both MC’s had flaws. Michael’s a cheater, and also came off weak, but I liked that Kate wasn’t the perfect victim, and had her own issues after the split. I HATED that he left her, but that’s personal and has nothing to do with how the book was written. Although, I was ok with the extra layer of drama surrounding Dorothy’s illness; I felt like the “situation” with Michael’s parents was too convenient to push the book where it needed to go.
My biggest issue is that I feel like we missed an entire hunk of the book. Yes, we have some waffling from Michael, but he does a complete 180 in the last 15% of the book, and the ending is rather abrupt. I don’t just love these books for the epic grovel; I like them for the character growth as they fight to save their epic love. Too many things happened (like the birthday party and the kid visits) that were so not realistic, but should have been cause for the couple to hash some shit out. They didn't; they pretty much ignored each other the entire book, and then were thrown together quickly for a HEA. I’m bummed, this wasn’t a short book (342 pages) and there should have been plenty of time to dedicate to the reconciliation.
It’s clear going in, that this is part of the “hubs cheating” trope which can be emotionally charged when done well. I found it somewhere in the middle, some things are done well, some parts fell flat. First, I guess this is a spoiler, but I do think it’s important for the reader to know that the husband leaves his wife for the OW. I can’t say I LOVED reading about Michael and Sophie having sex repeatedly, but I applaud the author for being brave enough to show all the ugly.
The book starts with Kate confronting Michael about him having an affair. The couple have been married for years, and have drifted apart with Kate focused on raising two small girls, and Michael working long hours creating a business. He has the usual regret, but lacks the desire to work things out, and decides to pursue things with the OW.
What did I like? I liked that the book is in dual POV, these books just don’t work otherwise. I liked that both MC’s had flaws. Michael’s a cheater, and also came off weak, but I liked that Kate wasn’t the perfect victim, and had her own issues after the split. I HATED that he left her, but that’s personal and has nothing to do with how the book was written. Although, I was ok with the extra layer of drama surrounding Dorothy’s illness; I felt like the “situation” with Michael’s parents was too convenient to push the book where it needed to go.
My biggest issue is that I feel like we missed an entire hunk of the book. Yes, we have some waffling from Michael, but he does a complete 180 in the last 15% of the book, and the ending is rather abrupt. I don’t just love these books for the epic grovel; I like them for the character growth as they fight to save their epic love. Too many things happened (like the birthday party and the kid visits) that were so not realistic, but should have been cause for the couple to hash some shit out. They didn't; they pretty much ignored each other the entire book, and then were thrown together quickly for a HEA. I’m bummed, this wasn’t a short book (342 pages) and there should have been plenty of time to dedicate to the reconciliation.
March 17, 2015
3.5 to 4 stars
This book really sucked me in so 4 stars for entertaining me however
This book really sucked me in so 4 stars for entertaining me however
Read
November 27, 2019Yeah yeah, another author who thinks that it is a good idea to write about obnoxious and worthless men and pathetic women who instead of being able to move on with their life, no. They are only sabtified martyrs who must know how to forgive the loser because that is what is expected of a woman (in the nineteenth century). This has been ridiculous for a long time. A pity that some authors have not yet received the message.
June 11, 2018
There’s just something about the ending that truly leaves me unsatisfied.
August 17, 2020
I stayed up all night reading this only to be let down in the end. I agree with a lot of other reviews & found that the ending seemed rushed & entirely too unrealistic. It was a pretty big disappointment.
At least maybe including an epilogue of maybe 10 or 20 years later so we could see how things really end up, might have made the end a bit easier to swallow, but as it currently ends, I'm not a fan.
I do agree though that it's well written--hence why I stayed up all night reading, it drew me in that much and made me want to see what would happen next. It's just what happened next wasn't the greatest. Oh well, it is what it is...
March 1, 2015
I really liked this family relationship drama. There are no chills or thrills here; it is just a very well told story of a marriage that has disintegrated. When Michael walks out on his wife Kate and their two young children into the arms of another woman, Kate is left to pick up the pieces. It all felt so realistic as Kate mourned the death of her marriage whilst at the same time getting the children to school and nursery and making sure there is enough food in the fridge. We got really inside Kate’s head and were with her every step of the way over the course of the weeks and months that follow Michael’s departure. The book shows all the events that would normally follow a marriage break up; letting friends and family know, keeping in touch with the in-laws as well as the elephant in the room – the other woman whose presence cannot be ignored. We also see the effect it has on the children who not only miss their daddy but also have his new girlfriend to get to know.
It is a very simple, easy to read story that is quite touching at times, with characters whose lives you get really drawn into. There were times when I really hated Michael for what he was doing to Kate but equally there were times that I wanted to shout at Kate as well.
These are just ordinary people, there is nothing special about them, whose ordinary lives have been torn apart in a very compelling read. Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
It is a very simple, easy to read story that is quite touching at times, with characters whose lives you get really drawn into. There were times when I really hated Michael for what he was doing to Kate but equally there were times that I wanted to shout at Kate as well.
These are just ordinary people, there is nothing special about them, whose ordinary lives have been torn apart in a very compelling read. Many thanks to the publisher for the review copy.
October 2, 2016
Another unsatisfactory cheating book with a UEA (unhappily ever after). Don't bother buying this one. Would 've been great if the author had exerted herself to write a sensitive and powerful ending, one in which the wife emerges stronger, more confident, and unafraid to face a future on her own, what a marvelous model for her daughters. Miserable husband would be over the top remorseful and repenting, but too late. That would have made for a re-read. Don't waste your time on this trash.
January 6, 2017
Oh the angst, the sorrow, the brutality that can be love and life. This book had it all. Why do I love to read books like this? I often ask myself this question. I think it's the exquisite torture. It feeds my angst addiction in the most satisfying of ways. Life isn't always perfect. I guess I just sometimes like an extra challenging, hard-won, kind of happy ever after.
“How did you start the sentence that was going to change the rest of your life?”
Life can change in the blink of an eye, be it accidental, natural, or on purpose. This is the crushing reality for Kate Armstrong and her two young daughters when her Husband has an affair and then leaves them for the other woman.
Told in dual POV and in third person narrative, Caroline Roberts took me on a journey where I didn't quite know where we'd end up. How far can someone go, how much hurt can someone inflict, how much damage is allowed to be done, before you decide that enough is enough? These characters are flawed and I find that quality pretty addictive and intriguing. There were so many times where I just wanted to reach into the book and engulf Kate in a massive bear hug. Even when at her worst, she was strong and that strength is evident in every chapter I read. Her husband, Michael? I won't go into too much detail about how I felt about him. But I will say that he was a total dick. He messes up in a way that most don't come back from. However human we all are, the mistakes that we make, sometimes there are some that just seem too impossible to even think about fixing. But we sure don't know unless we try. He redeems himself with me a bit, in that regard at least.
“How could she forgive, if she couldn’t forget?”
Being a Mother and a Wife, The Torn Up Marriage tugged at my emotions in every way. This story is absolutely raw in its realness and heartbreakingly gripping in its execution. Admittedly, the dialogue felt a little stilted at times. But the story as a whole had me emotionally invested from the very first chapter and there was no way I was going to quit turning the pages.
If you've read this review and the synopsis, then it kind of goes without saying that this book may not be for everyone. Especially those who are opposed to cheating in their books.
This is a heart wrenching story about betrayal, separation, family, true love, heartbreak and forgiveness.
“How did you start the sentence that was going to change the rest of your life?”
Life can change in the blink of an eye, be it accidental, natural, or on purpose. This is the crushing reality for Kate Armstrong and her two young daughters when her Husband has an affair and then leaves them for the other woman.
Told in dual POV and in third person narrative, Caroline Roberts took me on a journey where I didn't quite know where we'd end up. How far can someone go, how much hurt can someone inflict, how much damage is allowed to be done, before you decide that enough is enough? These characters are flawed and I find that quality pretty addictive and intriguing. There were so many times where I just wanted to reach into the book and engulf Kate in a massive bear hug. Even when at her worst, she was strong and that strength is evident in every chapter I read. Her husband, Michael? I won't go into too much detail about how I felt about him. But I will say that he was a total dick. He messes up in a way that most don't come back from. However human we all are, the mistakes that we make, sometimes there are some that just seem too impossible to even think about fixing. But we sure don't know unless we try. He redeems himself with me a bit, in that regard at least.
“How could she forgive, if she couldn’t forget?”
Being a Mother and a Wife, The Torn Up Marriage tugged at my emotions in every way. This story is absolutely raw in its realness and heartbreakingly gripping in its execution. Admittedly, the dialogue felt a little stilted at times. But the story as a whole had me emotionally invested from the very first chapter and there was no way I was going to quit turning the pages.
If you've read this review and the synopsis, then it kind of goes without saying that this book may not be for everyone. Especially those who are opposed to cheating in their books.
This is a heart wrenching story about betrayal, separation, family, true love, heartbreak and forgiveness.
September 25, 2017
3.5 stars Not sure if I'm rounding yet. Still thinking. 9 highlights though. Review to come.
October 13, 2023
Re read 10\11\24 Pending review.
I shouldn't have waited a day,as I am already itching to move on...but alas,I promised myself I would keep better" records"
This author has talent, for sure.She can eek emotion from even the most evident detractors... whom even as they praise her writing, choose to rubber stamp her w the vicious one star..They do offer props, but their reviews contradict their rating.I find this unfortunate.
I did enjoy the ride,and can concur w critiques of the wild variances in pacing close to the finale.I refer to the slow burn progression throughout the book with ultimate super fast tracked reconciliation\finale .This was preceded by a sudden , ineffective and lazy plot device that cheapens his true remorse and give readers amnesia of his honest attempt at self evaluation and recurrent attempt to lay himself bare.The groveling and begging for a second chance is integral for him to do what he should have done to begin with ....which is work to repair a relationship with a woman he had always known he had never stopped loving.
Late in the tale there are admissions \explanations .She was exhausted and overwhelmed, with him slaving at the office,never home ,never helping.Resentment built and so too did further miscommunication. h rebuffed him,along w.any advances he made on the regular. He is a man that craves attention and affection,requires it as it is closely entwined with his functioning and sense of self worth.He stopped longing for things to return to the earlier passionate days of their marriage and so then boxed off his wife and to a certain extent his kids as something to be dealt with in small servings.He then nailed his coffin,giving himself permission to seek the essentials from the ow whose close.contact on the daily allowed an attraction to simmer....and then boil!.
Unfortunately we are privy here to details,the inner workings of Limerance at play.The author clearly well researched the phenomena .It is gut wrenching to intuit the transfer of his intimate self,yearnings and lust to ow,where lives all is sunshine and roses,no kids or infighting to deter the ease of the steamy!
He had no real plan,other than to leave the two compartments separate and unique, never the twine shall meet !That is,until the day he butt called his wife and it all blew up in his face...as she heard him making plans w ow! Her confrontation was entirely unexpected!
Ludicrously, he had no self preparation or sense of marital preservation. He was caught in the pinnacle of the throes of life dance w no abilty or want to conceptualize dissolution.
Although he is shocked and remorseful, he had long ago packed up his relationship,its history and any remnants of love,lust and passion in a suitcase for later travels.He tried to get her to make the choice or demand ie kick him out so it would be her responsibility. He is vaguely aware that he loves his wife still and remains aware of the passion that they used to thrive on but to him it is historical and un retrievable .He couldn't put in the work at the origin of the difficulties, so how ludicrous to consider an option now?
He further nails his coffin by admitting he will go stay w ow. He has already admitted subconsciously that he can not break the grasp of what we know to be brain chemical obsession,but he will need time to break it to his family.The family he will all to soon regret discarding! And all to soon the mechanism of Limerance will time out usually associated with the introduction of life's realities into the little bubble.
Realization dawns when Sophie wants to discard the annoyances of his children as their pain regarding their parent's separation continues to ripen making them difficult to handle. Sophie would rather deal w the problematic from their own baby and thus continues to urge his appointment with the solicitor for divorce and to sell the house out from under his family.HIS family.
Awareness is dawning for the H,Sophie isn't half the woman his wife is.The sexual pull is winding down...and he doesn't trust that she wouldn't try to trap him!
He admits that the only thing they have,is the sex...rebutting any of her recent attempts He now understands that what they have is superficial but since he had already carelessly discarded his gorgeous family,he feels stuck!!
h notices a change in him that he is more caring and attentive.He soon admits to awareness of his devastating mistake,him begging and pleading for forgiveness and a second chance! He kisses he passionately. At first she sinks in,then repels.He laments that he will do anything to win back her trust.
Ow recently accosted h in the grocery store,saying H would soon serve her w divorce papers.Clearly she feels him pulling away and is desperate!
About this same time,her MIL who is undergoing treatment for cancer admits she cheated.years ago.Again we see the ravages of limerance. It was,however, beautifully written .The couple was able to pull together. FIL offered understanding and a forgiving heart.In this instance, reconciliation was a shining beacon of possibility and success!
Concurrently, his father had a similar discussion w the H,of just how infidelity infected their marriage and how they overcame....The result? H laments the wonder that is his wife,h pictures them together in their golden years,but neither shares w the other!
h continues to rebuff his sincere grovel,understandable as her fears block what she too desires.The cherry on top of his distress,h totally disses him when he took Emily to the hospital with febrile siezure. This in concert with her denial of any attempt to reconcile results in his feeling utterly defeated.
This is where the pacing goes sonic and author uses poor judgement imo,attempting to borrow 80's ROM com drama,plot device....of cofrontation at an airport just before takeoff!
Dude said he would wait as long as it takes for her forgiveness. Yet his shakey sense of self can not handle her rebuffs and or what he interpret as her attacks upon his parenting skills .Feeling confused worthless and muddled of mind and having received no positive indicators from the h on any levels,H makes questionable decisions that distressed many readers..
I believe he saw this as a temporary excision,escape from a losing scenario. His trip was meant to be brief and transitory and was a knee jerk response! It may,fortunately have had a positive effect on the h as it may have subconsciously placed her in a position where she had to face her feelings and fears , perhaps finally setting her up for forward motion.
H had not even told her of his plans.Upon a haphazard discovery, she races to the airport, leaving a note with airport.personal advising that she still and has always loved him.
He receives note and since this is all he has wanted since his awakening... He runs to h!
Finally buried passion reignites to levels beyond prior. experience! He announces to KIDS that he is back for good.
Of course, reconciliation is what h truly wanted all along,so who are we to complain?😂
Clarification of critiques
Changes in pacing with super sonic finale and no epilogue to satisfy remaining queries\concerns
Stunning hypocrisy on the part of the H. He says he is willing to wait forever ,but within a matter of weeks is looking to make an escape to New York!
H is not evil,but rather has low self awareness ,low self esteem and is immature.
These criticisms do not change my original rating!
.
Just want to clarify my remarks.about reviewers.claiming a title is well written and yet rating one star.Of course y'all can do as you see fit,its your opinion. I just didn't understand not giving any weight\ credit for the good writing .It confuses me that the positive factor is not also reflected in the rating.🤷
I shouldn't have waited a day,as I am already itching to move on...but alas,I promised myself I would keep better" records"
This author has talent, for sure.She can eek emotion from even the most evident detractors... whom even as they praise her writing, choose to rubber stamp her w the vicious one star..They do offer props, but their reviews contradict their rating.I find this unfortunate.
I did enjoy the ride,and can concur w critiques of the wild variances in pacing close to the finale.I refer to the slow burn progression throughout the book with ultimate super fast tracked reconciliation\finale .This was preceded by a sudden , ineffective and lazy plot device that cheapens his true remorse and give readers amnesia of his honest attempt at self evaluation and recurrent attempt to lay himself bare.The groveling and begging for a second chance is integral for him to do what he should have done to begin with ....which is work to repair a relationship with a woman he had always known he had never stopped loving.
Late in the tale there are admissions \explanations .She was exhausted and overwhelmed, with him slaving at the office,never home ,never helping.Resentment built and so too did further miscommunication. h rebuffed him,along w.any advances he made on the regular. He is a man that craves attention and affection,requires it as it is closely entwined with his functioning and sense of self worth.He stopped longing for things to return to the earlier passionate days of their marriage and so then boxed off his wife and to a certain extent his kids as something to be dealt with in small servings.He then nailed his coffin,giving himself permission to seek the essentials from the ow whose close.contact on the daily allowed an attraction to simmer....and then boil!.
Unfortunately we are privy here to details,the inner workings of Limerance at play.The author clearly well researched the phenomena .It is gut wrenching to intuit the transfer of his intimate self,yearnings and lust to ow,where lives all is sunshine and roses,no kids or infighting to deter the ease of the steamy!
He had no real plan,other than to leave the two compartments separate and unique, never the twine shall meet !That is,until the day he butt called his wife and it all blew up in his face...as she heard him making plans w ow! Her confrontation was entirely unexpected!
Ludicrously, he had no self preparation or sense of marital preservation. He was caught in the pinnacle of the throes of life dance w no abilty or want to conceptualize dissolution.
Although he is shocked and remorseful, he had long ago packed up his relationship,its history and any remnants of love,lust and passion in a suitcase for later travels.He tried to get her to make the choice or demand ie kick him out so it would be her responsibility. He is vaguely aware that he loves his wife still and remains aware of the passion that they used to thrive on but to him it is historical and un retrievable .He couldn't put in the work at the origin of the difficulties, so how ludicrous to consider an option now?
He further nails his coffin by admitting he will go stay w ow. He has already admitted subconsciously that he can not break the grasp of what we know to be brain chemical obsession,but he will need time to break it to his family.The family he will all to soon regret discarding! And all to soon the mechanism of Limerance will time out usually associated with the introduction of life's realities into the little bubble.
Realization dawns when Sophie wants to discard the annoyances of his children as their pain regarding their parent's separation continues to ripen making them difficult to handle. Sophie would rather deal w the problematic from their own baby and thus continues to urge his appointment with the solicitor for divorce and to sell the house out from under his family.HIS family.
Awareness is dawning for the H,Sophie isn't half the woman his wife is.The sexual pull is winding down...and he doesn't trust that she wouldn't try to trap him!
He admits that the only thing they have,is the sex...rebutting any of her recent attempts He now understands that what they have is superficial but since he had already carelessly discarded his gorgeous family,he feels stuck!!
h notices a change in him that he is more caring and attentive.He soon admits to awareness of his devastating mistake,him begging and pleading for forgiveness and a second chance! He kisses he passionately. At first she sinks in,then repels.He laments that he will do anything to win back her trust.
Ow recently accosted h in the grocery store,saying H would soon serve her w divorce papers.Clearly she feels him pulling away and is desperate!
About this same time,her MIL who is undergoing treatment for cancer admits she cheated.years ago.Again we see the ravages of limerance. It was,however, beautifully written .The couple was able to pull together. FIL offered understanding and a forgiving heart.In this instance, reconciliation was a shining beacon of possibility and success!
Concurrently, his father had a similar discussion w the H,of just how infidelity infected their marriage and how they overcame....The result? H laments the wonder that is his wife,h pictures them together in their golden years,but neither shares w the other!
h continues to rebuff his sincere grovel,understandable as her fears block what she too desires.The cherry on top of his distress,h totally disses him when he took Emily to the hospital with febrile siezure. This in concert with her denial of any attempt to reconcile results in his feeling utterly defeated.
This is where the pacing goes sonic and author uses poor judgement imo,attempting to borrow 80's ROM com drama,plot device....of cofrontation at an airport just before takeoff!
Dude said he would wait as long as it takes for her forgiveness. Yet his shakey sense of self can not handle her rebuffs and or what he interpret as her attacks upon his parenting skills .Feeling confused worthless and muddled of mind and having received no positive indicators from the h on any levels,H makes questionable decisions that distressed many readers..
I believe he saw this as a temporary excision,escape from a losing scenario. His trip was meant to be brief and transitory and was a knee jerk response! It may,fortunately have had a positive effect on the h as it may have subconsciously placed her in a position where she had to face her feelings and fears , perhaps finally setting her up for forward motion.
H had not even told her of his plans.Upon a haphazard discovery, she races to the airport, leaving a note with airport.personal advising that she still and has always loved him.
He receives note and since this is all he has wanted since his awakening... He runs to h!
Finally buried passion reignites to levels beyond prior. experience! He announces to KIDS that he is back for good.
Of course, reconciliation is what h truly wanted all along,so who are we to complain?😂
Clarification of critiques
Changes in pacing with super sonic finale and no epilogue to satisfy remaining queries\concerns
Stunning hypocrisy on the part of the H. He says he is willing to wait forever ,but within a matter of weeks is looking to make an escape to New York!
H is not evil,but rather has low self awareness ,low self esteem and is immature.
These criticisms do not change my original rating!
.
Just want to clarify my remarks.about reviewers.claiming a title is well written and yet rating one star.Of course y'all can do as you see fit,its your opinion. I just didn't understand not giving any weight\ credit for the good writing .It confuses me that the positive factor is not also reflected in the rating.🤷
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2016
Here's my problem with this book: it just wasn't enough. There wasn't enough recompense. I think I'm quite vindictive when it comes to cheating books. I want him to suffer. Now, he definitely suffered in this one, but not enough. He went behind her back and then when she found out, he chose the other woman. Lived with her for months. Introduced his daughters to her. Took her to family birthday parties. Introduced her to his parents. That is beyond betrayal: that is cutting all ties with his wife. It can't just be a few scenes of him crying and realising how dumb he was. It has to be more. Also, he was just so damn weak. I understand that most cheaters are weak - that's the whole problem usually - but he was such a wet fop of a Hero. I did love how firm the h was up until nearly the end, how unforgiving - because how could you ever forgive that. But then she fell victim to the emotional blackmail of him leaving the country and caved. Far too soon IMO. There is no way I'd believe in this guy's fidelity. A few years down the line, he'll be doing it again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2024
This book gave me a real headache🙂 but it was worth it😅🌚, books about cheating and second chances are not my type and I avoid them at best i can 🥲✌️ but here I felt all the feelings, I hated Michael and still i don't see any justification for what he did 🙄😤 But the feelings the book gave it to me overcame my hatred 😭😭😭so Igive it 5 🥹🫣❤️
July 7, 2016
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
July 31, 2023
I've been on a cheating book binge recently. I never thought I would be drawn to stories based on infidelity but I guess the older I get, the more I wonder; what would I do if it happened to me? How would I react if my long term partner or husband came home and told me he'd been with another woman? I can't even imagine it. Ever since I was young, I always swore to myself that cheating was a dealbreaker. I'm not a very forgiving person. I can hold a grudge. If you hurt me, I'm not one to give second chances. But I know there are different women and men out there who are bigger people than I am. I know sometimes marriages/relationships can overcome the betrayal. And build a stronger foundation for it. And that's what I am interested in reading about. The repair of a love destroyed.
It's incredibly hard, emotional and heartbreaking to read about cheating. You see your characters fall apart and have to pull themselves together again. It's really tough. As a reader you get pulled through the wringer along with these characters.
In this case in The Desperate Wife, it's told from both the POV of Kate and Michael. They've in their 3o's, been married for years and have two girls together. Their marriage has struggled with being dragged down with the every day going on's of routine. Life just getting in the way of romance. Michael works too much and Kate is a stay at home mother. They haven't spent time together focusing on their relationship and the strains are there between them. Then things get worse. Kate overhears a phone conversation of her husband with another woman. When she confronts him, he not only confirms her suspicions of an affair but that he's in love with Sophie. Then he has the audacity to say he needs time to figure out how he really feels so chooses to stay with Sophie while taking a time out from his wife?? That would be the moment I tell him to get out, never come back and have the locks changed.
After a few days apart, Michael confirms it's Sophie he really wants and moves out to be with her permanently. So Kate and Michael separate.
Kate is obviously heartbroken, hurt beyond belief and shocked to her core. She wanted Michael to fight for her, for their family, for them as a couple but he chooses his mistress over his own wife and daughters. Now she has to share/split her time with her kids with her husband and her husband's live in mistress. It's a tricky, complicated situation.
They both try their best to put the kids first and make things as easy as they can. It's clear that both Michael and Kate love their girls. That was about the only part of the book that I could relate too. When you have children with someone, that person is in your life regardless of if the relationship lasts or not. And if it ends as badly as Kate/Michael's marriage... you have to put aside your pain and suffering to make sure the kids are settled and okay. Your children always come first.
But what bothered me about this book is Kate doesn't improve at all. She doesn't make ANY changes to her life. She says she's going too but instead she just crawls under the duvet a lot or drinks copious amounts of wine the entire book. And I understood why. She was grieving her marriage. But at some point I wanted to shake her to pull herself together. My heart broke for her. I understood her struggle between betrayed wife and supportive mother. But at some point I wanted to see her shake off her painful marriage and at least try to move on. Instead she just wallows in her lost love for Michael. It was like she just waited for Michael to come to his senses and come back to her once he's finished sleeping with another woman, getting it out of his system. That is not a healthy way to look at things.
There were moments I cheered for Kate; when she packed up all of Michael's shit. When she had a one night stand with Graeme, her nice wonderful neighbour who I wished she had given a real chance. But after their night together, she says it's too soon since Michael???? Michael is screwing another woman Kate!!!!! You can be with whoever you want!!!! Whenever she sees Michael again, she's back to crying over him all over again. Any time she made strides she'd take so many steps back. I guess I just wanted to see her stand on her own. To be independent. Even content on her own. Instead she lives off Michael's money, they never make any boundaries or anything official... he still has keys to the house and let's himself in!??? NO WAY!! They never even talk about officially separating or divorcing?? Nothing written down in stone about visitation/rights with the kids. Not even trying marriage counseling before throwing in the towel.
I didn't even really like Kate's friendship with Mel. Mel tried to be there for her but Kate was just living in denial and pretending so it was hard to feel anything real in their friendship. She just pushed everyone away to keep having her own pity parties.
What can I say about Michael. What a fucking idiot. I cannot believe he thought his relationship with Sophie would be better. Once the newness wore off, it was always going to become like how his relationship with Kate became. Leaving your wife and kids for another woman is a huge commitment. Your telling her you want to build a life with her. How could he not think that maybe Sophie would want more from him? Her own house, marriage and kids with him?? He was so fucking blind and stupid. Everyone told him that Sophie was a fantasy and that Kate was reality but he couldn't be told. The man couldn't tell the difference between lust and love. The only time I liked him was when he was with his little girls. And I could see that he took stock in the terrible things he'd done. He owned it. But it didn't stop him from hurting everyone with his choices. And my issue is, he never did anything to change it until it was wayyyyy too late. He's with Sophie for over 9 months before he finally realises what he made the biggest mistake of his life and moves out into his own apartment. It takes Michael seeing Kate being there for his mother battling cancer and 3 days of living on his own to finally profess his love for Kate. By then, I was hoping she wouldn't take him back. I could understand forgiving a brief affair or random one night stand but he LEFT Kate and his daughters for Sophie. He moved in with her. He chose another woman over his own wife and kids. And when Kate doesn't take him back right away, he considers moving overseas to another job? WHAT THE HELL!!! What about fighting for your family? What about your frigging kids? How do you ever hope to win back your wife if your not around? Wasn't that the problem in your marriage in the first place? Distance? Jesus Christ!
And I wasn't a fan of his attitude towards his failing marriage. Instead of trying to fix things before ending them... Michael was just like "Oh it's too hard with Kate but Sophie makes me feel better."??? He just gave up. How about before sleeping with another woman, trying to reconnect and bring your marriage back from the brink. How about leaving work early to put your kids in bed and spend time with your wife? How about the hours you spent screwing Sophie, spend them with Kate?? The man just gives up way too easily when shit gets real or complicated. If that's the case I don't know if marriage is for him!
And then towards the end of the novel, it's not Michael chasing Kate through the airport.... it's her chasing him and declaring her love!! I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!
I just felt like Michael got his own way about everything. Kate was more than generous with him. She let his mistress be in the lives of her kids when apparently he wasn't even that serious about her. Kate even let Sophie come to her daughter's birthday party at own her house!!! When Michael begs for more time with the kids on Kate's weekend, eventually a work thing comes up on Saturday, Kate bends over backwards to accommodate him??
In the end Kate takes Michael back without any wooing or grovelling on his part. It just felt too easy. I just... I was hoping she'd choose herself and her daughters not Michael. He made his choices. I wish Kate had held him to those consequences. To show her daughters that how Daddy treats Mummy is not okay. That sometimes respect for yourself if just as important as love for others.
Or I might have been alright if they got back together but not straight away. Taking their time. I wish it had an epilogue of them a few months down the track in marriage counselling working on their relationship. I think that made more sense for this story than a Harlequin-esque airport scene that just hadn't been earned, Michael didn't deserve and didn't suit this particular relationship.
Most of the time I am rooting for the couples to make up and get back together but here, I honestly really had trouble looking past what Michael had done. I didn't think he really did enough to redeem himself in Kate's nor my eyes.
It's incredibly hard, emotional and heartbreaking to read about cheating. You see your characters fall apart and have to pull themselves together again. It's really tough. As a reader you get pulled through the wringer along with these characters.
In this case in The Desperate Wife, it's told from both the POV of Kate and Michael. They've in their 3o's, been married for years and have two girls together. Their marriage has struggled with being dragged down with the every day going on's of routine. Life just getting in the way of romance. Michael works too much and Kate is a stay at home mother. They haven't spent time together focusing on their relationship and the strains are there between them. Then things get worse. Kate overhears a phone conversation of her husband with another woman. When she confronts him, he not only confirms her suspicions of an affair but that he's in love with Sophie. Then he has the audacity to say he needs time to figure out how he really feels so chooses to stay with Sophie while taking a time out from his wife?? That would be the moment I tell him to get out, never come back and have the locks changed.
After a few days apart, Michael confirms it's Sophie he really wants and moves out to be with her permanently. So Kate and Michael separate.
Kate is obviously heartbroken, hurt beyond belief and shocked to her core. She wanted Michael to fight for her, for their family, for them as a couple but he chooses his mistress over his own wife and daughters. Now she has to share/split her time with her kids with her husband and her husband's live in mistress. It's a tricky, complicated situation.
They both try their best to put the kids first and make things as easy as they can. It's clear that both Michael and Kate love their girls. That was about the only part of the book that I could relate too. When you have children with someone, that person is in your life regardless of if the relationship lasts or not. And if it ends as badly as Kate/Michael's marriage... you have to put aside your pain and suffering to make sure the kids are settled and okay. Your children always come first.
But what bothered me about this book is Kate doesn't improve at all. She doesn't make ANY changes to her life. She says she's going too but instead she just crawls under the duvet a lot or drinks copious amounts of wine the entire book. And I understood why. She was grieving her marriage. But at some point I wanted to shake her to pull herself together. My heart broke for her. I understood her struggle between betrayed wife and supportive mother. But at some point I wanted to see her shake off her painful marriage and at least try to move on. Instead she just wallows in her lost love for Michael. It was like she just waited for Michael to come to his senses and come back to her once he's finished sleeping with another woman, getting it out of his system. That is not a healthy way to look at things.
There were moments I cheered for Kate; when she packed up all of Michael's shit. When she had a one night stand with Graeme, her nice wonderful neighbour who I wished she had given a real chance. But after their night together, she says it's too soon since Michael???? Michael is screwing another woman Kate!!!!! You can be with whoever you want!!!! Whenever she sees Michael again, she's back to crying over him all over again. Any time she made strides she'd take so many steps back. I guess I just wanted to see her stand on her own. To be independent. Even content on her own. Instead she lives off Michael's money, they never make any boundaries or anything official... he still has keys to the house and let's himself in!??? NO WAY!! They never even talk about officially separating or divorcing?? Nothing written down in stone about visitation/rights with the kids. Not even trying marriage counseling before throwing in the towel.
I didn't even really like Kate's friendship with Mel. Mel tried to be there for her but Kate was just living in denial and pretending so it was hard to feel anything real in their friendship. She just pushed everyone away to keep having her own pity parties.
What can I say about Michael. What a fucking idiot. I cannot believe he thought his relationship with Sophie would be better. Once the newness wore off, it was always going to become like how his relationship with Kate became. Leaving your wife and kids for another woman is a huge commitment. Your telling her you want to build a life with her. How could he not think that maybe Sophie would want more from him? Her own house, marriage and kids with him?? He was so fucking blind and stupid. Everyone told him that Sophie was a fantasy and that Kate was reality but he couldn't be told. The man couldn't tell the difference between lust and love. The only time I liked him was when he was with his little girls. And I could see that he took stock in the terrible things he'd done. He owned it. But it didn't stop him from hurting everyone with his choices. And my issue is, he never did anything to change it until it was wayyyyy too late. He's with Sophie for over 9 months before he finally realises what he made the biggest mistake of his life and moves out into his own apartment. It takes Michael seeing Kate being there for his mother battling cancer and 3 days of living on his own to finally profess his love for Kate. By then, I was hoping she wouldn't take him back. I could understand forgiving a brief affair or random one night stand but he LEFT Kate and his daughters for Sophie. He moved in with her. He chose another woman over his own wife and kids. And when Kate doesn't take him back right away, he considers moving overseas to another job? WHAT THE HELL!!! What about fighting for your family? What about your frigging kids? How do you ever hope to win back your wife if your not around? Wasn't that the problem in your marriage in the first place? Distance? Jesus Christ!
And I wasn't a fan of his attitude towards his failing marriage. Instead of trying to fix things before ending them... Michael was just like "Oh it's too hard with Kate but Sophie makes me feel better."??? He just gave up. How about before sleeping with another woman, trying to reconnect and bring your marriage back from the brink. How about leaving work early to put your kids in bed and spend time with your wife? How about the hours you spent screwing Sophie, spend them with Kate?? The man just gives up way too easily when shit gets real or complicated. If that's the case I don't know if marriage is for him!
And then towards the end of the novel, it's not Michael chasing Kate through the airport.... it's her chasing him and declaring her love!! I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!
I just felt like Michael got his own way about everything. Kate was more than generous with him. She let his mistress be in the lives of her kids when apparently he wasn't even that serious about her. Kate even let Sophie come to her daughter's birthday party at own her house!!! When Michael begs for more time with the kids on Kate's weekend, eventually a work thing comes up on Saturday, Kate bends over backwards to accommodate him??
In the end Kate takes Michael back without any wooing or grovelling on his part. It just felt too easy. I just... I was hoping she'd choose herself and her daughters not Michael. He made his choices. I wish Kate had held him to those consequences. To show her daughters that how Daddy treats Mummy is not okay. That sometimes respect for yourself if just as important as love for others.
Or I might have been alright if they got back together but not straight away. Taking their time. I wish it had an epilogue of them a few months down the track in marriage counselling working on their relationship. I think that made more sense for this story than a Harlequin-esque airport scene that just hadn't been earned, Michael didn't deserve and didn't suit this particular relationship.
Most of the time I am rooting for the couples to make up and get back together but here, I honestly really had trouble looking past what Michael had done. I didn't think he really did enough to redeem himself in Kate's nor my eyes.
Read
March 31, 2015DNF at 70%. Just not for me :/
January 12, 2021
Could've been so good
I'm sorry but this was so drawn out and boring. Hard to stay interest. Had full chapters that didn't even need to be in the book.
I'm sorry but this was so drawn out and boring. Hard to stay interest. Had full chapters that didn't even need to be in the book.
avoid
September 26, 2021Only a doormat author could write a book as nasty as this and give the Fucking cheater H a HEA with the loser wife/h.
April 3, 2021
This was such a fantastic story. Absolutely raw and heartbreaking at times. I wanted to punch the H in the face. I admired the h so much.
December 27, 2015
Originally reviewed on Becca's Books.
There are so many words fluttering about in my mind, words to describe this novel with, it's hard for me to choose just one. Painful. Raw. Agonising. Heartbreaking. But then at the other end of the spectrum, hopeful, promising and golden-centred. The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts was a stunning dissection of a break-down of a previously sturdily-built marriage. Not shy of the uncomfortable, the story of Kate, Michael, and their beautiful daughters was a powerful one, displaying to it's readers how deep, painful and gutting a betrayal within a marriage can be.
I was involved within Kate and Michael's story from the get-go. Punchy and unwavering, the focus on marriage and intimacy within this book absolutely took my breath away. From beginning to end, I was completely immersed within the new circumstances Kate had somehow managed to find herself in. Reading, I felt the tone of Caroline Roberts' writing was almost overwhelming but at the same time, I couldn't bear to look away. Every single line of Kate's thoughts and dialogue hit the spot perfectly, displaying her distraught, heartbroken emotions as clear as day. There were moments where I felt that it was almost too painful to read, and couldn't even imagine being in Kate's shoes. Flashbacks to a once-perfect past only intensified this hopeless feeling and I couldn't really believe that things had turned out in the way they had. Written in three separate parts, Caroline Roberts truly does take her reader on a journey through every single emotion that is available to her as the author. From disbelief to sadness, heartbreak and denial, it was a memorable journey I won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Adding in the factors of children, friendship and family, not only does Caroline have her reader hoping and praying for the best outcome, but she had me guessing right until the very last page too. I was never quite sure of whether I'd be handed the happy ending or the separation. I won't say which as I wouldn't want to spoil it for any other potential readers out there, but the fact that I really couldn't have guessed made this novel all the more exciting for me. Not only are we handed a displaced jigsaw puzzle of a marriage, but we're witness to the lasting effect of what something so devastating can do to a previously happy unit of four. From chapter and chapter, Caroline Roberts tugged me further and deeper into this novel, so much so that I felt I was only able to come up for air once I'd turned the final page.
Another aspect of The Torn Up Marriage I loved was the switching of the narrative. Not only is the reader able to hear Kate's side of the story, but the author provides us with Michael's too, allowing an insight into both Kate and Michael's innermost thoughts. Being privy to each character's most secret thoughts provided a more intimacy to this novel, and there were times where I felt I was going behind Kate's back as Michael's reasoning behind what he did began to surface. As the novel progressed, I remained hooked to the story unfolding and was desperate to see where Caroline would allow her characters' journey to end. Throughout the ordeal, many themes were touched upon by Caroline, themes that only added to the power of this novel. It broke my heart a thousand times over, and I felt like I was waiting the entirety of the book for it to be put back together again.
I loved The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts. Every single aspect of this novel was dealt with beautifully, every emotion described faultlessly, and I was wholly dedicated to the characters within. Real, raw, and stunningly captured, this book not only follows the fallout of a 'torn up marriage', but the consequences too, in the most flawless way. Becca's Books is awarding The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts with five gorgeous cupcakes. My only annoyance is that I left it untouched on my Kindle for such a long amount of time, but now, having read it, I can say that it was definitely worth the wait.
There are so many words fluttering about in my mind, words to describe this novel with, it's hard for me to choose just one. Painful. Raw. Agonising. Heartbreaking. But then at the other end of the spectrum, hopeful, promising and golden-centred. The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts was a stunning dissection of a break-down of a previously sturdily-built marriage. Not shy of the uncomfortable, the story of Kate, Michael, and their beautiful daughters was a powerful one, displaying to it's readers how deep, painful and gutting a betrayal within a marriage can be.
I was involved within Kate and Michael's story from the get-go. Punchy and unwavering, the focus on marriage and intimacy within this book absolutely took my breath away. From beginning to end, I was completely immersed within the new circumstances Kate had somehow managed to find herself in. Reading, I felt the tone of Caroline Roberts' writing was almost overwhelming but at the same time, I couldn't bear to look away. Every single line of Kate's thoughts and dialogue hit the spot perfectly, displaying her distraught, heartbroken emotions as clear as day. There were moments where I felt that it was almost too painful to read, and couldn't even imagine being in Kate's shoes. Flashbacks to a once-perfect past only intensified this hopeless feeling and I couldn't really believe that things had turned out in the way they had. Written in three separate parts, Caroline Roberts truly does take her reader on a journey through every single emotion that is available to her as the author. From disbelief to sadness, heartbreak and denial, it was a memorable journey I won't be forgetting in a hurry.
Adding in the factors of children, friendship and family, not only does Caroline have her reader hoping and praying for the best outcome, but she had me guessing right until the very last page too. I was never quite sure of whether I'd be handed the happy ending or the separation. I won't say which as I wouldn't want to spoil it for any other potential readers out there, but the fact that I really couldn't have guessed made this novel all the more exciting for me. Not only are we handed a displaced jigsaw puzzle of a marriage, but we're witness to the lasting effect of what something so devastating can do to a previously happy unit of four. From chapter and chapter, Caroline Roberts tugged me further and deeper into this novel, so much so that I felt I was only able to come up for air once I'd turned the final page.
Another aspect of The Torn Up Marriage I loved was the switching of the narrative. Not only is the reader able to hear Kate's side of the story, but the author provides us with Michael's too, allowing an insight into both Kate and Michael's innermost thoughts. Being privy to each character's most secret thoughts provided a more intimacy to this novel, and there were times where I felt I was going behind Kate's back as Michael's reasoning behind what he did began to surface. As the novel progressed, I remained hooked to the story unfolding and was desperate to see where Caroline would allow her characters' journey to end. Throughout the ordeal, many themes were touched upon by Caroline, themes that only added to the power of this novel. It broke my heart a thousand times over, and I felt like I was waiting the entirety of the book for it to be put back together again.
I loved The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts. Every single aspect of this novel was dealt with beautifully, every emotion described faultlessly, and I was wholly dedicated to the characters within. Real, raw, and stunningly captured, this book not only follows the fallout of a 'torn up marriage', but the consequences too, in the most flawless way. Becca's Books is awarding The Torn Up Marriage by Caroline Roberts with five gorgeous cupcakes. My only annoyance is that I left it untouched on my Kindle for such a long amount of time, but now, having read it, I can say that it was definitely worth the wait.
February 23, 2018
This is about the break-up of a marriage.
It deals with things in a realistic way up until the ending.
I am not saying that a relationship cannot survive cheating, people do and have forgiven but my issue with the Hero was the length of time he was with the O/W. He moves in with her, its not a few days, weeks or a one off, for me I would have struggled to trust him again.
I also wasn't keen on scenes with the O/W, I don't mind conversations but in bed, No, not if he is going to go back to the heroine. These scenes weren't detailed but you got the idea.
I thought it was unique and brave that the heroine, the wronged wife tried to start something with another man, so many books have the woman pinning for her husband while he's off with someone else, I am not saying she didn't pine or miss him but she did try to move on.
It deals with things in a realistic way up until the ending.
I am not saying that a relationship cannot survive cheating, people do and have forgiven but my issue with the Hero was the length of time he was with the O/W. He moves in with her, its not a few days, weeks or a one off, for me I would have struggled to trust him again.
I also wasn't keen on scenes with the O/W, I don't mind conversations but in bed, No, not if he is going to go back to the heroine. These scenes weren't detailed but you got the idea.
I thought it was unique and brave that the heroine, the wronged wife tried to start something with another man, so many books have the woman pinning for her husband while he's off with someone else, I am not saying she didn't pine or miss him but she did try to move on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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