You Guys Did What? (The Intermission Review)

TITLE: The Intermissiom
AUTHOR: Elyssa Friedland
PUBLISHER: Berkley Books
PUBLISHING DATE: July 3, 2018

FROM GOODREADS: Have you ever had a secret so gut-wrenching you couldn't share it with anyone, not even the person who shares your bed? Told from the alternating perspectives of a husband and wife who both have something to hide, this incisive novel pulls back the curtain on a seemingly-happy marriage, posing the question: how much do we really know--and how much should we want to know--about the people we love the most?

After six years of marriage, the unshakeable confidence Cass felt on her wedding day is decidedly gone. Jonathan, on the other hand, is still smitten with Cass. It's true that the personality quirks he once found charming in his wife--her complexity, her high standards, her refusal to clean the dishes--are beginning to grate. But for him, these are minor challenges in an otherwise healthy relationship. So it comes as a complete shock to Jonathan when Cass suddenly requests a marital 'intermission': a six-month separation during which they'll figure out if the comfortable life they've built together is, in fact, the one they both want.

After Cass and Jonathan devise an absurd and jet lag-inducing plan to swap custody of their beloved dog every thirty days, they decide that (aside from their monthly canine exchange) the intermission will be a time for self-reflection--and not a time for talking. But, as the months pass, Cass and Jonathan begin to see that the very worst of their problems are rooted in just these kinds of calculated silences--and in a delicate web of blistering secrets they may never be ready to share 

MY THOUGHTS IN A NUTSHELL:  These two idiots, with more baggage than someone their ages should have,  should never reconcile and Puddles the pup needs new owners!

MY OVERALL THOUGHTS:  Every once in a while I like to read different genres and let's be honest, I was super curious about the pup on the cover, do I decided to give "The Intermission" a chance.  Cass and Jonathon have been married 5 years. They live in NY and to be honest, come across as a very posh, upscale couple.  However, neither have been quite honest with each other.  So one day, when Jonathan thinks they are finally going to try to start to conceive a family, Cass instead tells him she wants a break.  She proposes they take a 6 month "intermission" from their marriage to make sure they are compatible before bringing a new life into the world.

I think one of my main issues with this book is I didn't really like Jonathon or Cass.  Now once they took the intermission, I saw some glimmer of hope regarding liking Jonathon, but it never lasted long.  The both acted so immature and when Cass moves to California, they even exchange their poor dog Puddles, every month so they can each have their turn.  I felt they both did things during the intermission which should have indicated to them they should not be together, and which to be honest, in my opinion, could never be forgiven (and I can be pretty forgiving at time - I know, shocker!).

There was nothing wrong with the writing in this book, but overall, I just felt "meh" about reading it.  I don't read a lot of contemporary and in the end, Puddles just wasn't in the book enough for me to find it enjoyable.  I'm sure there are lots of people out there who will enjoy this book and I do think it was fall into the category of an enjoyable "summer read."  I just couldn't deal with stupid people and at one point I remember telling my BFF that I was seriously cheering on them divorcing, and I don't think that was the point the author was trying to make.

I received this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.

RATING: 3 PAWS