After I Do

I'll tell you what; I had to get through several dense reads to get to my next easygoing romance by Taylor Jenkins Reid. When After I Do popped up on my Libby shelf, I was here for it!

Goodreads Stats

Why I Read This Book/How I Heard About It

This is the fourth Taylor Jenkins Reid book in my inexplicable quest to read every single book she has ever written before I try to watch the show or movie on streaming. I love reading the book beforehand so I can either marvel at how closely the plot and characters match the book or bitch about how the director botched it. Both are just as fun for me.

Basic Summary

This is a story about Lauren and Ryan, who meet in college and fall in love, then get married. After some years, the marriage feels stale and Lauren and Ryan come up with a crazy plan to separate for an entire year, then come back together at the end of it to decide if the marriage is worth saving or if it should end in divorce. But, unlike the codependent couples of today, who are tethered non-stop by text messages and social media, Lauren and Ryan decide not to have any contact in their year off. They go off and separately live their lives to see if the grass is greener on the other side.

The story is told from Lauren's point of view, so we get to listen in on her thoughts as she explores her new single life and wrestles with the long history she and Ryan have built together.

First Impressions

This is the first Taylor Jenkins Reid that isn't in the fictional Hollywood world of Mick and Nina Riva and Carrie Soto, etc. No little cameos in this one. But, there was something sort of refreshing about that. Totally new characters. Totally different feel and vibe.

Plus, the main character Lauren and her sister are ridiculously similar to me and my sister, Rachel...even down to the sister working at a university (which is where I work). The sisterly talks they had where they told it to each other straight and gave each other advice were a little too familiar. Did someone spy on our text threads, Rachel?

The writing was fast-paced and interesting. There were several fights that Lauren and Ryan had that made me laugh out loud, because they were just so real and relatable. All the feelings that both Ryan and Lauren have after many years of marriage are familiar to me. I appreciate that TJR can write lasting romance and love just as well as she can pen a meet cute and new blossoming love between twenty-somethings. I saw a new side to her in this book.

Final Thoughts

If you watch any TV at all, this storyline seems a bit like a trope. But I was super impressed by the down-to-earth style and the way Taylor captured the essence of a partnership in every different light. The story just flowed and was enjoyable all the way through. I am not sure I need to see a movie or TV version of this, as I've been married for a decade so I've been there, done that on both sides in terms of marital bliss and arguments and I don't really need to watch it. But color me impressed, TJR.

Rating on Goodreads

I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars.

My rating method:

• I rarely rate books 5 stars. I save this for the absolute best books I've read. You know the ones...the ones that you can't get out of your head, even after you've finished them. The ones you think about for weeks afterwards.

• If a book is really, really good, I'll give it 4 stars. If you see a 4-star rating from me, I'd definitely recommend it to you to read.

• If it's just OK, it gets 3 stars. Basically, it means I could take it or leave it. I'd probably read it again because it wasn't terrible. But not like a favorite or anything.

• If I rate it 1 or 2 stars, I would not recommend anyone read it. It either didn't hold my interest or I couldn't relate to the characters/plot.