A happily married couple. A dance with a stranger at a bar.
One night—one seemingly insignificant choice—can change everything.
Jessica and Jake Snyder love each other, and their life together. Successful in their chosen careers, they reside in the picturesque, though at times stifling, Seattle suburb of Queens Ridge as they parent teenagers Ella and Tucker.
As so often happens in marriage, their romantic life falls casualty to busy schedules and repetitive routine, until one night, a stranger asks Jessica to dance. On a whim, Jake urges her to say yes, saying that he wants to watch this other man touch her, something that surprises Jessica by arousing her like never before. A door opens for them then, into a realm of exploration neither of them knew existed.
They create rules to protect their marriage, and are thrilled when their relationship is strengthened and enriched by deeper levels of communication and trust brought about by this exciting, but taboo behavior. That is, until Jessica keeps a secret from Jake and embarks on a tryst with an intriguing man from her past, who, when she tries to end things between them, decides to seek revenge.
What happens after that will threaten to destroy their world—and them.
Jessica, our first-person narrator in Tell Me Everything, boldly opens her story of sexual experimentation as part of her marriage, giving the reader a somewhat shocking introduction to their reasons for these choices, while keeping us intrigued throughout. As I got to know the characters and their history, all of which led to these outlets for them, I had that niggling sense that nothing would end well for them. Not because of their nontraditional choices, but because the scene was set early on for everything to unravel.
The story did veer off into unexpected places, and the effects on Jessica, Jake, and their family led to a closer scrutiny of their choices. In the end, they had the opportunity to work on their issues.
An interesting look at how social media can exacerbate the challenges in relationships brought another layer to the story. 4.5 stars.
Sounds quite different and interesting. I can see how it would bring spice to their life but seems like it veered and went off track for them. However I note there seems to be hope for them out of the melée.
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Thanks, Kathryn, I was worried about the path they were on, but happy that they found a way to get back on track.
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