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Other People's Marriages
As I stood at my own birthday party, listening to my husband’s speech about me, I could no longer silence the thought that had started as a low-level hum five years ago and built until I could no longer ignore it… did I want to leave him?
Steph has spent decades building a family with her husband Mal, and putting that family first. She is the glue that holds them all together and she has convinced herself that she’s been happy… most of the time. But as she stands at her birthday party watching her husband talking about a wonderful marriage she doesn’t fully recognise, the doubts that she has been pushing down for so long begin to grow…
After the party, as Steph tries to gather her courage to leave Mal, she receives a letter from her old friend Evie. Steph hasn’t spoken to Evie since a sunny weekend on a holiday beach twenty years earlier, when the two friends said things to each other that could never be unsaid. And now, Evie is seeking a reunion and a way to repair the friendship. But this reunion threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy two families.
Other People’s Marriages is an absolutely unputdownable and heartbreaking read about the lies we tell to keep our loved ones close. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
Steph has spent decades building a family with her husband Mal, and putting that family first. She is the glue that holds them all together and she has convinced herself that she’s been happy… most of the time. But as she stands at her birthday party watching her husband talking about a wonderful marriage she doesn’t fully recognise, the doubts that she has been pushing down for so long begin to grow…
After the party, as Steph tries to gather her courage to leave Mal, she receives a letter from her old friend Evie. Steph hasn’t spoken to Evie since a sunny weekend on a holiday beach twenty years earlier, when the two friends said things to each other that could never be unsaid. And now, Evie is seeking a reunion and a way to repair the friendship. But this reunion threatens to reveal a secret that could destroy two families.
Other People’s Marriages is an absolutely unputdownable and heartbreaking read about the lies we tell to keep our loved ones close. Perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Diane Chamberlain.
260 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2021
667 people are currently reading
843 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
June 6, 2021
This is exactly as it says ‘on the tin’! It’s May 2018 and as Steph’s 60th birthday approaches she’s feeling rebellious as she mulls over life’s lost opportunities, the live wire woman she was when young and the fact that husband Mal is now very dull. Steph meets Teresa (married to Paul) and Evie (to Neil) in 1984 at a mother and toddler coffee morning and her joie de vivre attracts both women. In 1995 Steph has a major falling out with Evie and Neil while on holiday in Norfolk and they haven’t spoken since. Steph realises how much she has missed Evie - can they reconnect? The story is told by the three women and alternates between 2018/19 and the years from 1984.
One of the greatest strengths of this fascinating novel is the characterisation, which is very strong. All of them are well developed, acutely observed and easy to visualise. They aren’t all likeable especially the men with the exception of Paul and you feel you have a fly on the wall view of their marriages, their relationships with their children and their friendship. They’re all very different personalities and it’s especially interesting to see how Evie and Steph have flipped personalities over the years. What happened to you Steph??? Where did you go??! I enjoy how it all comes to a head in 1995 and we the follow the ramifications of the friendship split with Teresa as the piggy in the middle. This is a very reflective book on how people change as they grow older, hit bumps in the road which reveals the fragility of life and relationships built on sand. The women come to the realisation that they are each other’s people, age and wisdom and all that jazz though not so much they can’t still have fun! The novel is punctuated with some really good humorous statements especially from Steph who hangs the whole thing together. I want these women as my friends!!!
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, it’s very well written and makes for a compelling read.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bookouture for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
One of the greatest strengths of this fascinating novel is the characterisation, which is very strong. All of them are well developed, acutely observed and easy to visualise. They aren’t all likeable especially the men with the exception of Paul and you feel you have a fly on the wall view of their marriages, their relationships with their children and their friendship. They’re all very different personalities and it’s especially interesting to see how Evie and Steph have flipped personalities over the years. What happened to you Steph??? Where did you go??! I enjoy how it all comes to a head in 1995 and we the follow the ramifications of the friendship split with Teresa as the piggy in the middle. This is a very reflective book on how people change as they grow older, hit bumps in the road which reveals the fragility of life and relationships built on sand. The women come to the realisation that they are each other’s people, age and wisdom and all that jazz though not so much they can’t still have fun! The novel is punctuated with some really good humorous statements especially from Steph who hangs the whole thing together. I want these women as my friends!!!
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel, it’s very well written and makes for a compelling read.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bookouture for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
July 8, 2021
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Kerry Fisher knows how to tell a story, not only that, how to make it real.
I’m in my 60’s so it was great to meet ladies my age in life.
Life isn’t always a bunch of roses. And these women who have been long term friends have had problems of their own. Married to men that they weren’t fully happy with.
Showing that relationships can break down at any age, it’s not just the young.
Friendship also can break down, but can the ties ever completely be severed?
Other People’s Marriages.
We can be disillusioned that others marriages are much better than your own can’t we, and even those with “perfect” soulmates there are flaws. But some flaws are wearable in some marriages and some can break one.
Finding out secrets of your spouse is another.
I loved this in the book
as we get older we make different choices, simply because we know more. I wanted to believe they were wiser choices, but, sometimes I thought they were just different , not better, just from a long-lived perspective
Life is tough, folk let you down in life, whether that’s on purpose or accident, but, at the end of the day….joy is there.
A lovely book. A lovely story. People who have your back don’t always make the right decisions, or maybe knowledge is lacking.
I loved this book.
July 19, 2021
Favorite Quotes:
I didn’t want him to spend his life feeling that everyone else had cracked the code to their place in the world but he’d scribbled his on the back of an envelope he’d lost before he’d memorised it.
Gemma was so charming that even when she was sending someone to hell, she did it in such a way that they enjoyed the journey.
I both admired Teresa for being able to keep a secret and could have shaken her out of frustration. But that was Teresa all over. She was like one of those money boxes that you had to smash open to retrieve the cash.
Paul looked so disgusted with Wendy that, for a second, I had a brief flicker of fear that he’d divorce me just for being related to her.
I’d frequently found myself wondering how so much water could make its way to the eyes, puzzling as I cried into Gladys’s neck about where the liquid came from, imagining a little reservoir tucked behind my jaw like the one in my Mini for windscreen wiper fluid.
I was a woman to whom detail was everything – mainly, if I was honest, so I could store it and use it against people at a later date.
My Review:
Kerry Fisher's latest offering was brilliantly insightful and so perceptive that the characters’ realizations and inner musings often stung as she was poking at some of my own failings and secret resentments that seemed to be fighting their way to the surface and had me nodding in emphatically agreement during perusal. This wily scribbler bravely dug deep and rooted around among the secret longings, self-doubts, and resentful sacrifices of marriage and motherhood with surgical precision and cunning, while maintaining a perfect balance of painful awareness and craftily amusing and snarky observations. She also held a bright light on those thoughts and impressions we women tend to keep privately stashed away and don’t dare speak of for fear of being banned from the sisterhood and flogged in the public square. What guile!
The storylines and family issues were varied yet highly relatable with narratives that flowed smoothly and sucked me in with cleverly astute and wry wit along with a keenly discerning eye and brutal honesty for warts and all disclosures of the nitty-gritty as well as the damage of long-held secrets. She had my rapt attention and I loved her deeply flawed characters as they were so real to me I could hear them breathing. I bonded and identified the most with the bombastic and colorful Steph, as gasp, I saw far too much of myself under her skin. So much so, I had to wonder if Ms. Fisher was actually someone who knows me all too well and using a pen name. Perish the thought!
I didn’t want him to spend his life feeling that everyone else had cracked the code to their place in the world but he’d scribbled his on the back of an envelope he’d lost before he’d memorised it.
Gemma was so charming that even when she was sending someone to hell, she did it in such a way that they enjoyed the journey.
I both admired Teresa for being able to keep a secret and could have shaken her out of frustration. But that was Teresa all over. She was like one of those money boxes that you had to smash open to retrieve the cash.
Paul looked so disgusted with Wendy that, for a second, I had a brief flicker of fear that he’d divorce me just for being related to her.
I’d frequently found myself wondering how so much water could make its way to the eyes, puzzling as I cried into Gladys’s neck about where the liquid came from, imagining a little reservoir tucked behind my jaw like the one in my Mini for windscreen wiper fluid.
I was a woman to whom detail was everything – mainly, if I was honest, so I could store it and use it against people at a later date.
My Review:
Kerry Fisher's latest offering was brilliantly insightful and so perceptive that the characters’ realizations and inner musings often stung as she was poking at some of my own failings and secret resentments that seemed to be fighting their way to the surface and had me nodding in emphatically agreement during perusal. This wily scribbler bravely dug deep and rooted around among the secret longings, self-doubts, and resentful sacrifices of marriage and motherhood with surgical precision and cunning, while maintaining a perfect balance of painful awareness and craftily amusing and snarky observations. She also held a bright light on those thoughts and impressions we women tend to keep privately stashed away and don’t dare speak of for fear of being banned from the sisterhood and flogged in the public square. What guile!
The storylines and family issues were varied yet highly relatable with narratives that flowed smoothly and sucked me in with cleverly astute and wry wit along with a keenly discerning eye and brutal honesty for warts and all disclosures of the nitty-gritty as well as the damage of long-held secrets. She had my rapt attention and I loved her deeply flawed characters as they were so real to me I could hear them breathing. I bonded and identified the most with the bombastic and colorful Steph, as gasp, I saw far too much of myself under her skin. So much so, I had to wonder if Ms. Fisher was actually someone who knows me all too well and using a pen name. Perish the thought!
July 10, 2021
Who doesn't want to know about what goes on in other people's marriages?
Kerry Fisher introduces us to three different women who have been the best of friends and flicks between past and present. Steph is the main character and the strongest in personality. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters better. Their marriages are very different and was interesting to see how the women were with their husbands and when they were just with their friends.
This story will have you questioning what you would do in these women's situations. It is very much a story about trust, relationships, friendships and lies. I felt so many emotions whilst reading as I was caught up in these characters lives. By the end all three felt like close friends that I didn't want to leave. The author has written such a heartfelt novel that had me engrossed from beginning to end and one that I didn't want to put down.
Kerry Fisher introduces us to three different women who have been the best of friends and flicks between past and present. Steph is the main character and the strongest in personality. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters better. Their marriages are very different and was interesting to see how the women were with their husbands and when they were just with their friends.
This story will have you questioning what you would do in these women's situations. It is very much a story about trust, relationships, friendships and lies. I felt so many emotions whilst reading as I was caught up in these characters lives. By the end all three felt like close friends that I didn't want to leave. The author has written such a heartfelt novel that had me engrossed from beginning to end and one that I didn't want to put down.
July 8, 2021
This introspective read has given me a lof of thought. Married nearly four decades I felt like this book was forcing me to look at my relationship and that of others in my family. Is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence, or is it completely wilted?
Steph and Mal have been married for decades, Steph is no longer certain she wishes to remain married. Her husband waxes poetic at her 60th birthday party, but she doesn't feel anything he is going on about.
Hearing from her old friend Evie after twenty years gives Steph pause. Why does Evie want to get back together, especially as the two formerly close friends parted on bad terms? Then there is Steph's friend Teresa. She definitely has an impact in this story.
While this book was sometimes painful to read I am glad I did and even more glad that I am completely happy in my marriage! Some of the things in this story hit quite close to home for me (same age as Steph, etc.), but I love how Kerry Fisher presented events that happen in real marriages and how people are sometimes forced to make very difficult decisions in their lives.
There was definitely heartbreak in this story, but it was done remarkably well as the past, differences in personalities, marital difficulties, fidelity and more were part and parcel in this well-written and satisfying story.
Many thanks to Bookoutue and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Steph and Mal have been married for decades, Steph is no longer certain she wishes to remain married. Her husband waxes poetic at her 60th birthday party, but she doesn't feel anything he is going on about.
Hearing from her old friend Evie after twenty years gives Steph pause. Why does Evie want to get back together, especially as the two formerly close friends parted on bad terms? Then there is Steph's friend Teresa. She definitely has an impact in this story.
While this book was sometimes painful to read I am glad I did and even more glad that I am completely happy in my marriage! Some of the things in this story hit quite close to home for me (same age as Steph, etc.), but I love how Kerry Fisher presented events that happen in real marriages and how people are sometimes forced to make very difficult decisions in their lives.
There was definitely heartbreak in this story, but it was done remarkably well as the past, differences in personalities, marital difficulties, fidelity and more were part and parcel in this well-written and satisfying story.
Many thanks to Bookoutue and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
July 12, 2021
3.5 stars rounded up to 4
Steph has spent decades building a family with her husband, Mal and putting that family first. She is the glue that holds them all together and she has convinced herself that she's been happy most of the time. But as she stands at her birthday party watching her husband talking about a wonderful marriage she doesn't really recognise, the doubts she's been pushing down for so long begin to grow.
after the party as Steph tries to gather the courage to leave Mal, she receives a letter from her old friend Evie who she hasn't spoken to for over twenty years. Evie is looking for a reunion and way to repair the damage done all those years ago.
This is a story of loss, betrayals and misunderstandings. With relatable characters and and true friendships that have spanned over twenty years. I told from the perspectives of Steph, Teresa and Evie. When the rift between Steph and Evie has healed, long hidden truths begin to surface. All the women have sons the same age. The story is told from back when they went on that fateful holiday and the present day. Overall, this is quite a decent read.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #KerryFisher for my ARC of #OtherPeoplesMarriages in exchange for an honest review.
Steph has spent decades building a family with her husband, Mal and putting that family first. She is the glue that holds them all together and she has convinced herself that she's been happy most of the time. But as she stands at her birthday party watching her husband talking about a wonderful marriage she doesn't really recognise, the doubts she's been pushing down for so long begin to grow.
after the party as Steph tries to gather the courage to leave Mal, she receives a letter from her old friend Evie who she hasn't spoken to for over twenty years. Evie is looking for a reunion and way to repair the damage done all those years ago.
This is a story of loss, betrayals and misunderstandings. With relatable characters and and true friendships that have spanned over twenty years. I told from the perspectives of Steph, Teresa and Evie. When the rift between Steph and Evie has healed, long hidden truths begin to surface. All the women have sons the same age. The story is told from back when they went on that fateful holiday and the present day. Overall, this is quite a decent read.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #KerryFisher for my ARC of #OtherPeoplesMarriages in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2021
Easy read, but not much meat and I kept waiting for something to happen.
November 22, 2025
A really great book about friendship and marriage.
July 15, 2021
Blog tour: https://lianareadshome.wordpress.com/...
This book is something very different from my usual reads. I enjoyed it more that I thought I would to be honest.
It’s well written and the characters grow so much on me I couldn’t stop reading until I found out where everything was going in the end.
I wish I had friends like that. I felt sad for Steph and for what happened back in 1995, but I’m happy that she reconnected with her lost friends, Evie and Teresa.
I’ll be honest, I’ve left my birth place many years ago and while living in three different European countries, I’ve lost so much over the years and especially lots of friendships. This book surely made me stop and think about everything. Life choices and past decisions that could’ve changed the course of nowadays life, but while I’m happy where I am now (including my marriage), I miss that lost connection.
I’m happy that I had the chance to read this book because it fulfilled my heart with so much love and gratefulness.
4.5 stars
Arc review from the publisher and netgalley
This book is something very different from my usual reads. I enjoyed it more that I thought I would to be honest.
It’s well written and the characters grow so much on me I couldn’t stop reading until I found out where everything was going in the end.
I wish I had friends like that. I felt sad for Steph and for what happened back in 1995, but I’m happy that she reconnected with her lost friends, Evie and Teresa.
I’ll be honest, I’ve left my birth place many years ago and while living in three different European countries, I’ve lost so much over the years and especially lots of friendships. This book surely made me stop and think about everything. Life choices and past decisions that could’ve changed the course of nowadays life, but while I’m happy where I am now (including my marriage), I miss that lost connection.
I’m happy that I had the chance to read this book because it fulfilled my heart with so much love and gratefulness.
4.5 stars
Arc review from the publisher and netgalley
June 27, 2021
https://book-bucket.com/2021/06/27/ot...
Steph, Evie and Teresa become fast friends from the moment they meet at a playgroup with their small sons. The story opens as Steph is celebrating her 60th birthday and reminiscing about her life and friendships. We learn that Evie is no longer one of the circle to Steph's great regret, and the story begins from there.
The story is about marriages and what makes and breaks them or holds them together. But it is also about friendships, the decisions friends make to protect each other, and sometimes having to decide where a line is or at what point someone might have crossed it. And what is forgivable.
I really liked Stepha, Teresa and Evie, and the honesty of feelings and emotions that each woman has and which I would say most women can relate to. And I also really liked that a good part of the book takes place when the three friends are in their 60's so that we see how individual life events have altered their perspectives and objectivity.
I love Kerry Fisher's books but this one has jumped to be my new favourite.
Steph, Evie and Teresa become fast friends from the moment they meet at a playgroup with their small sons. The story opens as Steph is celebrating her 60th birthday and reminiscing about her life and friendships. We learn that Evie is no longer one of the circle to Steph's great regret, and the story begins from there.
The story is about marriages and what makes and breaks them or holds them together. But it is also about friendships, the decisions friends make to protect each other, and sometimes having to decide where a line is or at what point someone might have crossed it. And what is forgivable.
I really liked Stepha, Teresa and Evie, and the honesty of feelings and emotions that each woman has and which I would say most women can relate to. And I also really liked that a good part of the book takes place when the three friends are in their 60's so that we see how individual life events have altered their perspectives and objectivity.
I love Kerry Fisher's books but this one has jumped to be my new favourite.
November 21, 2022
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Liked it!
==================
Mal, our Zero, takes the trophy for the worst human being on the face of the earth.
The silence of so-called friends cost our heroine years of her life, which she could have rebuilt her life with someone else.
==================
Mal, our Zero, takes the trophy for the worst human being on the face of the earth.
The silence of so-called friends cost our heroine years of her life, which she could have rebuilt her life with someone else.
December 26, 2021
3 women who were best of friends but had secrets bubbling away between them. This was their story where I stood on the by-lanes and enjoyed reading about them. Fun times
November 2, 2025
The multi-perspective narrative offered several parts we’ll all recognize, I think. The boho-free-spirit who gets cowed by life & marriage; the responsible career mom whose rule-following offers stability but less “fun”; the “good” friend with a shitty, slutty sister (lol), and the waxing & waning of long, deep, enduring friendships. I’m a bit younger than the protagonists, and God, how I wish I lived in England instead of the U.S. right now, but I found this extremely relatable & authentic. Do you have a friend going through cancer treatments? Divorce? Death of a spouse? This story felt like a preview for the next stage—especially since my kids are now fledgling adults who need me less. I’ve definitely been asking who I married at the stage. I deeply appreciated the candor, truth, and respect this author has for her characters. It made me want to reach out, in earnest, to my friend her lost her mom a few months back. She’s grieving in ways she can’t say. It’s so important to squeeze her hand, even if I can’t physically do it. Support from my friends comes in so many different forms, and this story underlined how generative and life-affirming my dear friends are to me, as we soldier through life together, even as we are apart. Great read. Will definitely check out more works by this author.
June 22, 2021
Today is Publication Day for Kerry Fisher for another well written and relatable story that follows the lives of 3 best friends over several decades. Kerry explores the honest portrayal of love and loss, marriages, family, career and of course our best female friends. And I promise you will be able to relate to one if not all the main characters of this novel as we go through their joys, triumphs, disappointments and heartaches of life. Told from the point of view of Steph, Teresa and Evie over the years and the present, upon the novel’s conclusion you will want to plan a girls get together soon or at the very least give your best friends a call. The ones who know you; the good, the bad and the ugly. Another hit for Kerry Fisher. Special thanks to Netgalley and Bookoutre for this terrific ARC!
August 5, 2021
Oh what a gem! This is a story of friendship between 3 women; it starts when their boys are toddlers and well into their sixties. In any group of friends, there are some you prefer, some you can’t stand and you cope with their significant ones. Now what happens when faith let’s you discover a secret that may hurt one of your friend? Do you tell or keep and hope for the best? This book deals with the ramifications of life through different personalities, conflict, loss and betrayal.
I enjoy when I have no expectations at all and discover such a rich story.. I loved these women, loved to read about their difficulties and their decisions and how it impacted the rest of their life’s.
I do recommend this one and I am now interested in reading other Kerry Fisher novels. Many seem very captivating and I will look for them, but my To be a read pile is very long…..
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me with a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoy when I have no expectations at all and discover such a rich story.. I loved these women, loved to read about their difficulties and their decisions and how it impacted the rest of their life’s.
I do recommend this one and I am now interested in reading other Kerry Fisher novels. Many seem very captivating and I will look for them, but my To be a read pile is very long…..
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me with a complimentary e-arc in exchange for my honest review.
October 29, 2025
“Every marriage is a mystery, even to the people in it.”
📚 Quick Summary (Spoiler-Free)
Other People’s Marriages by Kerry Fisher follows three women—Steph, Evie, and Teresa—whose long friendship begins to crack under the weight of secrets, shifting loyalties, and the quiet heartbreak of midlife. Set in a charming English village, it’s a story that peels back the glossy surface of marriage and friendship to reveal the complicated, beautiful mess beneath.
⸻
💖 What I Loved
• I’ll be honest: I nearly gave up halfway through. It felt a little slow, but something made me keep going—and I’m so glad I did. The second half is glorious.
• The way the relationships intertwine, collide, and then slowly piece themselves together is just beautiful.
• Fisher captures the truth of how we look at other people’s marriages—thinking they’re perfect or falling apart—when in reality, we never really know what’s happening behind closed doors.
• It’s a quietly profound book about forgiveness, loyalty, and the stories we tell ourselves about love.
⸻
🌀 What I Struggled With
The pacing in the first half wobbled a little for me, but it ultimately made the emotional payoff in the second half even more powerful.
⸻
💫 Favourite Line or Moment
“Sometimes it’s not the lies that break you, but the things you never dared to say.”
⸻
🎯 Who Should Read It
For anyone who loves emotionally intelligent fiction about friendship, marriage, and the quiet resilience of women. Fans of Jojo Moyes or Liane Moriarty will feel right at home here.
⸻
🧠 Final Thoughts
A tender, honest exploration of how messy, fragile, and utterly human our relationships really are—and how, in the end, love is found not in perfection but in persistence.
📚 Quick Summary (Spoiler-Free)
Other People’s Marriages by Kerry Fisher follows three women—Steph, Evie, and Teresa—whose long friendship begins to crack under the weight of secrets, shifting loyalties, and the quiet heartbreak of midlife. Set in a charming English village, it’s a story that peels back the glossy surface of marriage and friendship to reveal the complicated, beautiful mess beneath.
⸻
💖 What I Loved
• I’ll be honest: I nearly gave up halfway through. It felt a little slow, but something made me keep going—and I’m so glad I did. The second half is glorious.
• The way the relationships intertwine, collide, and then slowly piece themselves together is just beautiful.
• Fisher captures the truth of how we look at other people’s marriages—thinking they’re perfect or falling apart—when in reality, we never really know what’s happening behind closed doors.
• It’s a quietly profound book about forgiveness, loyalty, and the stories we tell ourselves about love.
⸻
🌀 What I Struggled With
The pacing in the first half wobbled a little for me, but it ultimately made the emotional payoff in the second half even more powerful.
⸻
💫 Favourite Line or Moment
“Sometimes it’s not the lies that break you, but the things you never dared to say.”
⸻
🎯 Who Should Read It
For anyone who loves emotionally intelligent fiction about friendship, marriage, and the quiet resilience of women. Fans of Jojo Moyes or Liane Moriarty will feel right at home here.
⸻
🧠 Final Thoughts
A tender, honest exploration of how messy, fragile, and utterly human our relationships really are—and how, in the end, love is found not in perfection but in persistence.
July 11, 2021
⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars
Steph’s 60th Birthday is approaching. She is thinking about her past and the fun friendships she had when she was young.
Steph, Theresa, and Evie met as young mothers in 1980 at a coffee they attended with their preschool sons. Each are narrators in the story.
The women are very different and their marriages as well as their parenting styles are different.
The three couples: Steph/ Mal, Theresa/Paul, and Evie/Neil became best friends and vacation together. However, one trip Steph and Evie had some disagreement which ended their close friendship.
They both regret staying away from each other and are pulled back together.
Story alternates through the ages. It is basically about their friendship but also how one never really knows what it going on in someone else marriage/relationship.
I always enjoy reading the author’s note and acknowledgements. In this case Author, Kerry Fisher writes a letter to her readers and tells us about her inspiration in writing this story.
She states that she hopes we love this novel.
At this point, I feel perhaps I need to reread as I didn’t love this story. 🤔It wasn't a Big Wow for me. Doesn’t mean it isn’t good. In fact, the history between these three is interesting. I am positive many readers will see these characters different and just love it.
Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 16, 2021.
Steph’s 60th Birthday is approaching. She is thinking about her past and the fun friendships she had when she was young.
Steph, Theresa, and Evie met as young mothers in 1980 at a coffee they attended with their preschool sons. Each are narrators in the story.
The women are very different and their marriages as well as their parenting styles are different.
The three couples: Steph/ Mal, Theresa/Paul, and Evie/Neil became best friends and vacation together. However, one trip Steph and Evie had some disagreement which ended their close friendship.
They both regret staying away from each other and are pulled back together.
Story alternates through the ages. It is basically about their friendship but also how one never really knows what it going on in someone else marriage/relationship.
I always enjoy reading the author’s note and acknowledgements. In this case Author, Kerry Fisher writes a letter to her readers and tells us about her inspiration in writing this story.
She states that she hopes we love this novel.
At this point, I feel perhaps I need to reread as I didn’t love this story. 🤔It wasn't a Big Wow for me. Doesn’t mean it isn’t good. In fact, the history between these three is interesting. I am positive many readers will see these characters different and just love it.
Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for my professional opinion.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 16, 2021.
July 5, 2021
This is my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it, the story line, characters, and how the story developed. The three narrators of this story are Steph, Teresa and Evie. They meet at a Mother and Toddlers group and bond over their chatting and their boys, who also become friends. Eventually these close knit friends used to holiday together in rentals. Although this novel is ostensibly about marriage and how you never truly know the innermost workings of someone else’s relationship, the decades-spanning friendship is the star of the story. It’s a treat to see women’s friendship so beautifully written. Kerry Fisher is very skillful at characterization, and “Other People’s Marriages” is no exception. The three women feel real and relatable, and you’ll wish you could be friends with them too. You’ll feel drawn to Steph’s free spirit just as much as Teresa and Evie were back in 1985. Definitely enjoyed the characters as well as the story line, it makes one think of how on the surface everything looks so wonderful but if you dig deeper there is always a story to tell. The story line was realistic as well as showed the strength of friendships and belief in one's self.
Available July 16, 2021.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to review this book.
Available July 16, 2021.
Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to review this book.
November 29, 2021
A beautiful, very real story, of three friends over the years. They meet as young mothers. They have children in common, bringing them together, but that's about it. Each sees something in the other that they perhaps are a bit envious of, or maybe they look down upon it - but that only proves the age old saying that we really don't know the challenges of what anyone else is facing. Here we have Steph, the outgoing one, the woman who seems to have it all, the one who makes no apologies and has confidence pouring out of her. Then we have Evie somewhere in the middle. But Evie lives her life managing her husband's moods, often walking on eggshells, a bit afraid to grab what she wants in life. On the other end of the spectrum is quiet Teresa, who isn't brimming with confidence or exuberance, but she has a pretty wonderful marriage to a man who is truly her soulmate. Things are never really as they seem though. A lot happens over the years, relationships are tested and broken, secrets and truths come to light, bridges are burnt and some are built. It's just an insightful depiction of how life truly happens.
June 15, 2021
“Other People’s Marriages” opens with Steph’s 60th birthday, an occasion where she finds herself musing over the state of her life, her dull marriage, and her friendships. Although Steph, Teresa, and Evie are as different as can be when they meet as young mothers in 1980, the three women forge a strong friendship. The story alternates between present day and past instances that highlight the ups and downs of their relationships and the evolution of the women themselves.
Although this novel is ostensibly about marriage and how you never truly know the innermost workings of someone else’s relationship, the decades-spanning friendship is the star of the story. It’s a treat to see women’s friendship so beautifully written. Kerry Fisher is very skillful at characterization, and “Other People’s Marriages” is no exception. The three women feel real and relatable, and you’ll wish you could be friends with them too. You’ll feel drawn to Steph’s free spirit just as much as Teresa and Evie were back in 1985.
I really enjoyed this book, which shares plenty of life lessons on life, love, and forgiveness. It’s a compelling read that packs an emotional punch.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Although this novel is ostensibly about marriage and how you never truly know the innermost workings of someone else’s relationship, the decades-spanning friendship is the star of the story. It’s a treat to see women’s friendship so beautifully written. Kerry Fisher is very skillful at characterization, and “Other People’s Marriages” is no exception. The three women feel real and relatable, and you’ll wish you could be friends with them too. You’ll feel drawn to Steph’s free spirit just as much as Teresa and Evie were back in 1985.
I really enjoyed this book, which shares plenty of life lessons on life, love, and forgiveness. It’s a compelling read that packs an emotional punch.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 7, 2021
I loved The Woman I Was Before but this author and really enjoyed this one too!
This author writes thought provoking stories, ones that many can relate to, I think. The characters are well developed and their actions and dialogues are realistic and organic. In thrillers this day that’s a rarity! I enjoyed the journey and would recommend this story and author!
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review
This author writes thought provoking stories, ones that many can relate to, I think. The characters are well developed and their actions and dialogues are realistic and organic. In thrillers this day that’s a rarity! I enjoyed the journey and would recommend this story and author!
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review
December 13, 2022
The book starts off at Steph's 60th birthday party (at this point I thought I'd chosen the wrong book :-D). It's told like a series of vignettes, Steph looking back on her life from 1984 when she makes friends at a toddler group, on to the present day and the trials and tribulations of life - friendships, marriage, parenting, work.
As with other Kerry Fisher books, the character development is really good, and once you start reading you have to keep going to the end!.
As with other Kerry Fisher books, the character development is really good, and once you start reading you have to keep going to the end!.
August 13, 2021
“… the realization seeping in that some friends were great company, some were wonderful listeners but very few were friends of the deep heart, the ones whose lives you didn’t just hear about but felt along with them.”
Loved this book and the friendship theme in it! So well written and so many facets of friendship articulated. It’s my first time to read this author and I loved how she brought her characters out… could see aspects of myself and my friends in them. I’ll definitely be picking up another book by her.
Loved this book and the friendship theme in it! So well written and so many facets of friendship articulated. It’s my first time to read this author and I loved how she brought her characters out… could see aspects of myself and my friends in them. I’ll definitely be picking up another book by her.
February 23, 2025
good story, but a bit long and draggy for no reason, I loved the start and the end but the middle was a bit boring for me
March 28, 2024
3.5 stars
June 25, 2021
Steph is at her birthday party, listening to her husband Mal give a speech. For a while now, Steph has been thinking that she will leave Mal, yet the timing never quite seems to be right. Shortly after the party, Steph receives a letter from her old friend Evie, who she hasn't spoken to for nearly 20 years, after a disastrous couples weekend. But there are other people who don't wish to see Steph and Evie reunited for the truth of that weekend could destroy even more than expected.
What a ride! I expected this book to be the standard middle-aged woman leaves her husband starts over story, but that's not what this was at all. Going back and forth from that weekend away to current time, we also see the events from various character POVs. I thought the way the characters saw themselves compared to how the others saw them was well-done and really interesting to me. I had a little bit of a hard time keeping everyone's husbands straight at the beginning, but everything fell into place soon enough and it was not an issue for me for very long. I did not expect this to go the direction it did, but really enjoyed it for sure.
Available July 16, 2021.
I recevied this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What a ride! I expected this book to be the standard middle-aged woman leaves her husband starts over story, but that's not what this was at all. Going back and forth from that weekend away to current time, we also see the events from various character POVs. I thought the way the characters saw themselves compared to how the others saw them was well-done and really interesting to me. I had a little bit of a hard time keeping everyone's husbands straight at the beginning, but everything fell into place soon enough and it was not an issue for me for very long. I did not expect this to go the direction it did, but really enjoyed it for sure.
Available July 16, 2021.
I recevied this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 24, 2021
Absolutely awful. I wanted to grab Evie and tell her to get a grip!! I tried to persevere but I just couldn't.
June 22, 2024
Great Story about women’s friendships
May 29, 2021
I love Kerry Fisher’s books, which always deal with really believable characters and situations to which, as in real life, there are often no easy answers.
The story follows three women, now in their sixties - Steph, Teresa and Evie - both in the past and present. When a rift many years earlier between Steph and Evie is finally healed, long hidden truths begin to come to light.
All the women are married, with sons of the same age - they first meet at a baby group in the ‘80s - and it did take me a while to remember which husband and child belonged to which woman.
Steph is the woman we see most of and I really liked her character - gregarious and unapologetic about living life her own way and pursuing her career. Nevertheless, Steph in her sixties feels trapped by an unfulfilling marriage.
I’m not sure I enjoyed it quite as much as some of Kerry’s other books, but nonetheless it was a really good read. Many thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
The story follows three women, now in their sixties - Steph, Teresa and Evie - both in the past and present. When a rift many years earlier between Steph and Evie is finally healed, long hidden truths begin to come to light.
All the women are married, with sons of the same age - they first meet at a baby group in the ‘80s - and it did take me a while to remember which husband and child belonged to which woman.
Steph is the woman we see most of and I really liked her character - gregarious and unapologetic about living life her own way and pursuing her career. Nevertheless, Steph in her sixties feels trapped by an unfulfilling marriage.
I’m not sure I enjoyed it quite as much as some of Kerry’s other books, but nonetheless it was a really good read. Many thanks for the opportunity to read an advance copy.
June 30, 2021
At the end of the day, it isn't always your marriage, your relationship with your spouse, that gets you through the day, the years. It's those women - those friends who knew you at each stage of you.
When you were crazy, tired and just done while raising young children.
The you struggling with work commitments, trying to revive your marriage, school parents who shunned your attempts at conversation while waiting for children.
The you single again after so many years.
The you enjoying the empty nest, new time for your spouse.
The women who remind us of who we are as ourselves, that part that always seems to disappear - desperate to be remembered.
Three friends reminisce over their lives - meeting, weekends away, tension. Even lost years, too afraid to connect.
And a secret. I had to close my book and give it a rest - shocking.
When you were crazy, tired and just done while raising young children.
The you struggling with work commitments, trying to revive your marriage, school parents who shunned your attempts at conversation while waiting for children.
The you single again after so many years.
The you enjoying the empty nest, new time for your spouse.
The women who remind us of who we are as ourselves, that part that always seems to disappear - desperate to be remembered.
Three friends reminisce over their lives - meeting, weekends away, tension. Even lost years, too afraid to connect.
And a secret. I had to close my book and give it a rest - shocking.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews