The Lifestyle by Taylor Hahn

Georgina Wagman has it all—a great marriage, a great job at a prestigious law firm, and great friends. She’s living the life she always wanted, and everything is perfect. Until, that is, she walks in on her husband Nathan in a compromising position with a junior associate. Georgina has a moment of crisis. But divorce is not a part of the five-year plan, so she comes up with an idea to save her marriage and recapture the spark. She and Nathan are going to become swingers.

Georgina isn’t going to embark on this adventure alone, though. Her friends Felix and Norah and their respective partners decide to tag along for the ride. They’ve got relationship woes of their own that swinging just might fix. Georgina, convinced Felix and Norah belong together, is thrilled. What better place to reignite romance between two people destined to be together than a swingers’ party? Her plan is foolproof, until she runs into a college ex at the first party. When they reconnect, Georgina will find herself torn between her head and her heart, with her very happiness hanging in the balance.

I can never resist a Jane Austen retelling. Loosely based on Emma, The Lifestyle has all the of the spirit and charm of Emma but remains its own unique story. Like Emma, Georgina thinks she knows best. She’s knows which of her friends should be together (despite already having partners) and she knows exactly what it will take to save her marriage after catching her husband cheating with a junior associate. Swinging seems to be the answer to everyone’s problems and a misguided but well-intentioned Georgina takes everyone along for the ride.

I didn’t agree with many of Georgina’s decisions and “the lifestyle” certainly isn’t for me, but I began the story with an open mind and found it an entertaining read. The writing is engaging and I enjoyed Georgina’s journey of self-discovery. For a book about swinging, the lifestyle aspect of the story was much tamer and had a much smaller focus than I expected. The relationship dynamics of Georgia and all of the secondary characters was the biggest draw, and If you can get past Georgina’s many questionable choices, I think you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you @booksparks for this gifted copy.

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