After I Do - Taylor Jenkins Reid

When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for? (link)

Review: 2/5

I hate to say it, but once again, I am left dissatisfied by a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. I don’t know what it is about her writing style, but the two books I have read by her (this and Daisy Jones and the Six) have left me feeling like there wasn’t a resolution. Maybe that’s due to the fact that these books lead you around, up, and down on a wild goose chase thinking somethings gonna happen, something so crazy and people will learn from it… But then nothing really comes of it?

Sure, in Daisy Jones and the Six, the characters are showing their morality and the hard-core ethical battles that each one of them faces. Honestly, I liked Daisy Jones because I am a big, huge Fleetwood Mac enthusiast, so it kind of gave me a fantasy version of something that could happen in that kind of world while not demeaning or degrading any of the original Fleetwood Mac members. But again, after reading that book, I kind of sat there and I thought “why is everyone so obsessed with this?” I just did not feel fulfilled. And I’m just now realizing that I’m really talking about Daisy Jones a lot more than I’m talking about After I do. My bad, I get easily sidetracked (but I don’t have ADHD?!) ((Side note, DON’T WATCH THE DAISY JONES TV SHOW IF YOU LIKED THE BOOK. I’ll elaborate at another time.))

I understand that these characters are supposed to be relatable, like “we all go through hard relationships where you lose your love, or you’re just so fed up by them,” or being in a relationship where it seems your partner just doesn’t care about you anymore. However, the excuse for near abuse was immediately off putting. Also it just seemed like one of those books that 1 million things happen in the timeline but none of it means anything. Yada yada yada, oh everything is a learning experience, yada yada yada. But what did they learn? That they should not have broken up in the first place? That they gave up too easily on each other? Also, the trope of the grandma giving shitty relationship advice is SO overdone to me. I think if I were in my 30’s and struggling in my marriage, this would be a great book to pick up to make me realize that not everything has gone to shit. But, you guessed it, that’s not my scenario!

Also, the whole thing with emails? I feel like as current as this book was, that mode of communication was so outdated. And I didn’t really understand the use of it and the relevance of them using that as a form of communication towards each other. As soon as she started reading his emails, I immediately knew that he was going to be reading hers. This book was just, on all accounts, predictable yet unfulfilling. I really wish I could get into the TJR hype and be a big fan of hers. I mean, I’ve read a few of her books, there’s potential in the story lines! Still, I’m honestly having a hard time from the two books that I’ve read. Do I have to read someone’s entire discography or published works to be able to be a fan? Name five TJR books?? Just joking.

This book was a millennial divorcee’s wet dream. And so is this playlist!

Spotify: LINK