Marrying Myself

by Christine Melanie Benson

It's a fairy tale come true for Julia Jones, a stalled artist living in Boston's Old World Italian neighborhood, the North End. She's engaged to marry the impossibly wonderful (and impossibly wealthy) Asher Bartlett - in a Swiss castle, no less. And after the wedding, she'll get to ditch her dead-end job and go from being a sometime painter to a full-time artist.

But when the wedding plans take a turn for the worse, in a flash, Julia's life goes from fairy tale to second-rate soap opera. Determined as she is not to again lose track of her art, she's got to pay the rent - and deal with her diabolical coworker. She does her best to hold it together as brief flickers of romantic hope are followed by repeated rejection. All the while, she's haunted by the biggest mystery of all: what went wrong with Asher?

Looking for a fun, often funny read with substance and a jolt of self-love? Pick up Marrying Myself and fall in love with Julia, with Boston - and, most of all, with yourself.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance

342 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2022

Reviews

[Ellen Horan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out as a fairytale romance with all the trappings, including a castle. Dreams seem to be coming true for Julia, a single, vegan, yoga-practioner living in contemporary Boston. But the fairytale falls apart when modern life intrudes, breaking down traditional conventions. The writing is always clever and engaging, like the characters. In the end, (without giving spoilers) we are cheering for Julia, who finds true (self) love.

[Lynette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marrying Myself might be subtitled “An anti-romance love story.” Christine Melanie Benson’s debut novel is a savvy combination of satire, insightful characterization, and a genre-bending approach to the search for a meaningful relationship. The central character is Julia Jones, who runs a nonprofit agency that provides travel experiences for disadvantaged teens in Boston. As the book opens, Julia receives a marriage proposal from the man of her dreams: Asher Bartlett, described as “handsome, charismatic, and successful,” from a wealthy, influential family. Julia can’t believe her good fortune and begins to make plans, which include a destination wedding in the family’s castle in Switzerland. Then, a few minutes before the ceremony is set to begin, she gets a breakup text from Asher.

When Julia tries to recover, and to figure out why her prince suddenly turned into a frog, some readers will probably expect a few genre-typical plot devices: Asher proves to be an irresponsible jerk with a secret life; the breakup plunges Julia into a pit of self-pity and self-doubt; Julia will be rescued by one of two appealing male characters vying for her affections. Fortunately, the writer has rejected these predictable options and turns the romantic fiction formula on its head with unexpected narrative twists, surprising character revelations, and smart choices. By the time the mystery of the runaway groom is solved, the conflicts, including a sabotage plot against Julia’s business by an enemy hiding in plain sight, have propelled the story beyond the tropes of the romance genre. The result is a clever and refreshing novel that illustrates the distinction between romance and love.

[Dino Queen · Rating 2 out of 5]

i'm very clearly in the minority here that there wasn't much about this story that i enjoyed. i stuck it out and read the entire book even though i really didn't want to finish quite a few times.

here's what i didn't enjoy:
•there were several LGBT characters in this book and they were all portrayed as sabotaging and cheaters so automatically -1⭐
•there were several characters (without giving spoilers) who cheated on their monogamous partners so that was another -1⭐
•i didn't have any connection to any character in this book. i didn't root for either FMC Julia or MMC Asher. her friends and coworkers weren't supportive or in her corner which made it hard for me to want to be in her corner -1⭐

here's what i did enjoy:
•lots of scenes around Boston and the greater Boston area
•vegan/vegetarian representation.. though admittedly not the greatest representation
•an interesting overall concept
•easy to read (though i did have a hard time with the cheating, miscommunication, and the LGBT representation but that's beside the point)

[Corrine Ardoin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Julia Jones is about to marry the perfect man. Unfortunately, she misses the signs he is not so perfect for her. On their wedding day, she receives a text from him saying that he can't go through with the wedding. Devastated, Julia further loses track of herself as she half-heartedly takes up painting again. Eventually, her artist-self steps to the foreground and begins to create the life Julia truly needs to be living, the life honoring her real self.

A fun and meaningful idea, marrying herself, she is lucky enough to have met a priest willing to perform the ceremony, complete with all her friends and family to witness her accept the beautiful vows he has created for her.

Note: Some readers may object to the profanity and crude language appearing throughout the story.

[Loopslauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! The characters were written so vividly, I felt like I knew them and, by the end, I felt they were my friends. The story has so many threads that weave together perfectly, and once I started, I couldn't put this book down. I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a funny, romantic, and uplifting story!

[Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up there with What’s Up Doc (the movie)

A compelling and classy work of sophistication, humor and intrigue as the protagonist Julia must go through the incredible circumstances of this outer journey, in order to reach the essence of her inner journey. Without all of these dynamics and conflicting feelings, she would never find her true self.

Ms. Benson’s truly elegant and artistic richness, combined with her very obviously high level of emotional intelligence, fashions the most charming characters as they compete to define themselves through life’s uncertainty, emotional high stakes, living out both their inner and outer journeys, in her very own original, and loveable style.

A marvelous portrayal of Dr. Scott M. Peck’s definition of love “The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s personal growth.”

In my opinion, “Marrying Myself” should turn out to be required reading for aspiring screen play writers within the near future.

[Lisa Padden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marrying Myself is a fun yet meaningful romp through an impactful stage of Julia Jones’s life. The book kept me interested throughout - I laughed at the witty banter amongst the characters, the pace was perfect, and the plot twists kept surprising me. Most of all, I enjoyed watching Julia evolve throughout the book – finally valuing herself, setting solid boundaries, and reveling in her talents.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fall in love with this book!
As a Boston dweller, I've walked the same paths and sat in the same cafés as the protagonist in this novel. Julia's journey was a wonderful weave of laugh-out-loud and touching moments.
I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this insightful, heartening and funny read!

[Laureen Granger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not your average Romance novel

Very entertaining, but also thought-provoking and good for the soul. I highly recommend this one if you want a light read, with more substance than you might expect.

[Motria Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you watch Julia and Asher fall in love, it looks as if they’re the classic “happily ever after” story. She’s a vegan, and her food choices are unusual, but you know when you taste it, the food will exceed your expectations. The atmosphere of Boston permeates the narrative, and it draws you into the local coffee shops, making you thirst for a soy latte. As Julia overcomes one obstacle over another -some self made, I kept rooting for her to marry her beloved Asher and start enjoying her new life with him in their castle-wow! Life in a castle in Switzerland!. But after a shocking twist , Julia learns that life isn’t straightforward, and you sometimes have to roll with the punches. With the help of a very unorthodox but kindly priest, Julia is able to harness her self reliance and emerge on top of the heap of her former life. What a story: sad, funny, ecstatic, educational - take your pick! It’s all in there. And the “happily ever after” can still turn into a real happily ever after you never imagined. I highly recommend this read, and can’t wait for the next one from this author.

[Tamara Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Marrying Myself” is a fiction romance novel focusing on thirty-four-year-old Julia Jones who experiences a year of unexpected personal and professional changes while living in Boston.

The novel consists of a prologue, and forty-four chapters divided into four parts.

The prologue begins by transporting the reader to just before midnight at a hotel in Florence, Italy where main character Julia Jones is getting proposed to by her boyfriend of two years Asher Bartlett. Although Julia feels she is moderately attractive, she is honored that the wealthy Asher chose to marry her. The prologue ends with Julia saying yes to Asher’s proposal and basking being newly engaged as well as newly celebrating her thirty-fourth birthday.

Part one, “Engaged,” begins with Julia calling her sister Jolene and best friend Kat to share the news of her recent engagement. As part one progresses, the reader learns that Julia’s mother died in a plane crash when she was eleven, graduated with a degree in painting and philosophy, has been vegan since she was eleven, lives in Boston, and works for a non-profit at a travel agency while Asher is second-in-command at his family’s global communications company called BartTech.

It is revealed that Julia and Asher were set up by interior designer and friend David Meadows who was working on his house. Upon returning from Italy, Asher and Julia plan a wedding date for Sunday, December seventh in a Switzerland castle owned by Asher’s family. During a conversation with Kay shared her with self-doubt when she learns that through a family trust, Asher will be gifted the castle they are getting married in leading her to question his sincere love for her to which tells her to either trust Asher’s love or doubt his love forever.

Julia runs into a former high school classmate/crush named Sean Harris in her yoga class and is surprised when he asks her out for coffee after class. Despite feeling attracted to Sean, Julia’s attraction wanes when he brings up her old high school boyfriend and after walking Julia home, Sean kisses her. Racked with guilt over their kiss, Julia goes to church to confess her sin to a priest and runs into David. During her conversation with David, Julia is horrified when after she confides in David about her kiss with Sean, he suggests they have sex and she immediately reject David’s suggestion.

At work, Julia feels overwhelmed with a project and hires an intern to help which has disastrous results since the intern soon becomes a paid part-time employee. Part one ends with wedding dress and bridal party fittings a week before Julia and Asher’s wedding.

Part two, “(Almost) Married begins with Julia and her bridal party preparing for her wedding day at the Switzerland castle. As Julia prepares to walk down the aisle with her father, she is shocked when she receives a text message from Asher saying he loves her but can’t marry her. Julia handles being stood up at the wedding by informing the guests of the change of plans while privately questioning what went wrong between her and Asher. As part two progresses, Julia’s family consoles her, while Asher’s parents express anger at their son but tell Julia she can still be part of their family. Part two ends with Julia reluctantly taking a ten-day honeymoon to Hawaii with Kat.

Part three, “The Honeymoon,” begins with Julia and Kat arriving in Honolulu, Hawaii with Julia still working through the grief of her cancelled wedding. As part two progresses, Julia begins to recover from being jilted by Asher only to be surprised with an ambush from David planned by Kat. Over the course of ten-days, Julia attempts to get over Asher by having sex with another man while Kat questioning possible romantic feelings towards David. Part three ends with Julia and Kat returning from Hawaii to Boston while Kat admits to having sex with David.

Part four, “Marrying Myself,” begins with Julia returning to her apartment in Boston and finding inspiration to start painting again. In addition to painting, Julia adds running and yoga to her daily routine to cope with work and life stress. As part two progresses, Julia finds herself becoming a pet owner, Kat admitting to being in a relationship with David, confronting Asher about leaving her at the altar, and resuming her art career. Part four ends with Julia having a commitment ceremony with her closet friends attendance and after a year of sadness discovers self-love and self-worth.

As I finished the novel, I felt early on that Julia suffers from low self-esteem which is evident in how she viewed herself as inferior to Asher since he came from a wealthy family and moderately attractive/intelligent. Although the novel begin with a realistic scenario of a women getting engaged, there were several aspects of the novel that were unrealistic and outlandish to me such as the odds that Julia would run into a high school crush Boston being such a small town that Julia accidently run into someone from decades ago in a yoga class. For all of Julia’s self-pitying behavior and as a vegan for sixteen years, I did appreciate that the author wrote Julia as a vegan character, provided a touching story leading to her lifestyle change, and that most of those in her family and friend groups either support her vegan lifestyle or are open to trying vegan food.

[Tom Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll start by acknowledging that like Julia, the central character of "Marrying Myself," and others in her orbit, I'm a vegan. So of course it's great to see veganism portrayed amply and sympathetically in a work of fiction. A vegan protagonist, no less!

But even absent this bias, I'm sure the book would have won me over thanks to Benson's strength as a writer, psychological insights and skill in weaving together different elements of the plot. She also does a good job of appealing to social and moral concerns without preaching or losing the current of the story. It doesn't hurt that the novel's descriptive passages have a welcoming personal feel. (The main setting is Boston, where the author lived at one time.) Those closest to Julia are memorably drawn and given room to grow and evolve along with her.

Throughout this unconventional tale, a kind and complex heroine struggles with the ups and downs of romance, compounded by self-doubt, workplace conflicts, personal guilt, creative longing, ghosts of the past and more. You can't help rooting for her to win--even when the terms of victory appear to be unsettled.

[Alana White · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book! From the catchy title to the engaging story, this debut novel has it all. The characters are original and well-drawn, funny, vulnerable, strong--not the least of whom is the protagonist Julia Jones, an artist of modest means engaged to the man of her dreams, who also happens to be rich, rich, rich. When Asher proposes and plans fall into place for a posh wedding at his family's castle in Switzerland, life seems like a fairy tale. Are things too good to last? Read the book and see! The author's wit shines through--Julia's dry observations about her yoga class, with which she has a love-hate ( mostly hate) relationship made me laugh out loud. And there is nothing like a high school crush showing up for that extra bit of spice--especially when Julia's princess-like wedding plans take a turn for the worse. Sometimes, love is where you find it--and perhaps not in the first place you looked.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book and it has left me giddy with delight! I have difficulty sticking with fiction— aside from a few authors or styles, I can find it hard to get hooked enough by the characters or story to justify spending the time to complete the book instead of learning with a nonfiction book. But I’m so glad I stuck with this one!

While the protagonist being vegan was certainly not central the the story (so non-vegans shouldn’t find that element distracting), as a vegan I really appreciated a rare opportunity to see my values reflected in a character.

Overall, the story was fun and heartwarming, and I loved the characters. Highly recommend spending a weekend curled up with this book!

[Kate McKinney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An artist anticipates her wedding to a millionaire, which she hopes will free her to do her art & fulfill her dreams; until things mess up! Love the concept of this book, which is about loving & honoring yourself; however it has an occasionally strange writing-style which takes a little time to adjust to (& requires a forgiving reader since there are syntax errors at times), but it still manages to be quite readable. Interesting plot w/a variety of detours (especially w/men), that keep the reader intrigued & engaged. A little cornball sometimes; but the basic message is nice & worth the reminder.

[june e sipkens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

I understand that this is the author's first novel. She hit a homerun. The story is very positive, a ray of light in today's too often dark world. The first part of the book is like a delightful fairy tale. Next the fairy take calls apart. Then the heroine pulls herself out of her misery, moved on, and learns a vital life lesson. I hope this author produces many more fun and uplifting novels.

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just not the audience for this. This is the least favourite genre of mine as I often, and indeed in this case, find it predictable, full of cliches and very Sex and the City Movie number Two (it wasn't good). The only positive was that it was very easy/simple to read so I was able to get through it quickly!

[Phyllis Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

4 stars for Marrying Myself. When the man of your dreams ask you to marry him that means life is perfect...right? Wrong! This is a journey of self discovery that has some fun moments and serious moments.

[Lauren Markham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love learning about Julia. Feel like I can relate to her a lot—excited to see where this journey takes her.

[Karen Ruymann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I loved all the Boston references and setting this was only OK.
Not a very engaging narrative. The best moment was the crisis, but the rest was quite deadening. The ending left me empty.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

great light read, not too raunchy or overly sweet

I loved the vegan bend. The story flows quite well, I was able to read through pretty effortlessly.

Thank you

[Beverly A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Too good to be true" turns out to be just that. I liked the vows that the priest prepared.

[Pamela Caye · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dated language, concept and references, uninteresting characters.

[Jane litherland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great original story ,really enjoyed the angst in the telling and the twists and turns
I received a free advance copy of this book and my review is voluntary and my own musings

[Jack-Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't understand why he couldn't just tell her he fell in love with a man and realized he was gay. A whole book based on lack of communication.