Fiction | Book Chatter

The Ten Year Affair
By Erin Somers
Simon & Schuster, October 2025, 304pp.

The Short of It:

Compelling and thoughtful.

The Rest of It:

When Cora meets Sam at a baby group in their small town, the chemistry between them is undeniable. Both are happily married young parents with two kids, and neither sees themselves as the type to engage in an affair. Yet their connection grows stronger, and as their lives continue to intertwine, the romantic tension between them becomes all-consuming—until their worlds unravel into two parallel timelines. In one, they pursue their feelings. In the other, they resist. ~ from the publisher

I saw The Ten Year Affair on the Tournament of Books 2026 shortlist and was immediately intrigued. Luckily, I found it quickly on Libby and blew through it. It’s an amazing read in that you absolutely feel the conflict between these characters as well as the temptation. Oh boy, the temptation.

Cora is happily married to her husband. But is she really happy? Things have gotten rather safe. Her husband spends a lot of time smoking weed on the balcony while the kids sleep. The weed, well, it affects things in the bedroom. He’s struggling at work and she’s just miserable doing the same thing over and over both at work and at home.

Sam, is the dad of dads. His wife is an overachiever and very successful. He holds down the fort but is this his life now? Going to daddy and me classes and running the kids back and forth?

Sam and Cora end up at one of those baby and me classes and there is an instant attraction. Sam listens to Cora in the way that her husband does not. The two forge an immediate bond. Friendly, sweet. They decide to bring their significant others into the mix, signifying a platonic friendship, just looking for a little parental support.

That’s how it starts out.

Then, Cora begins to imagine an alternate reality. In that timeline, she and Sam are seeing each other. In the real world she refrains, they both do, but in that other timeline, things get serious pretty fast. The story bounces back and forth between the imagined timeline and what is actually happening until the two blur together and then there is only one timeline.

This is an intense read. Sam and Cora’s “relationship” spans ten years. Ten years of wishing, and hoping and then pulling the trigger. How does such a relationship affect these two families. How is it right, when two marriages are at stake? But it FEELS right. That’s the conflict. Erin Somers writes a story that has you going one way and then the other. Cora isn’t in the wrong. She’s not getting the attention she needs. And then, how could Cora do that? How could they start something while still fully involved with their spouses?

I would hazard to guess that anyone who has been married for say 15+ years or more, has experienced some of these feelings. Somers has created real, flawed, characters but ones that you root for even though what you are rooting for is potentially a marriage break-up. That’s conflict to the highest degree. If I had to assign a song to this book, it would be Depeche’s A Question of Lust.

Highly recommend. I went digging around to see what else she’s written and I see one other book, Stay Up with Hugo Best and I will for sure find a copy.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

Beautiful Ugly
By Alice Feeney
Flatiron Books, Jan 2025, 320pp.

*No Spoilers*

The Short of It:

Not at all what I expected, but in a good way.

The Rest of It:

Grady calls his wife to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes, get out of the car, then nothing. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge the headlights are on, the driver door is open, her phone is still there. . . but his wife has disappeared. ~ the publisher

I was in bed, late one night trying to find something to read and happened upon Beautiful Ugly. It’s been on my list for awhile. I had no idea what it was about. I just knew that many have read it and it had pretty good reviews so I borrowed it from Libby and dove in.

I am not sure what I thought the story would be about but I didn’t expect suspense, or a whodunit. I was pleasantly surprised and yes, a tad confused. Grady’s life is upended when his wife goes missing on that fateful night. It was supposed to be a night to celebrate. He had just made the bestseller list and as a writer, there isn’t much that’s better than that.

But Abby, goes missing. The love of his life. On the phone one minute and then gone. Vanished. Some time passes. Grady is floundering. The success of his novel was satisfying but now he has to come up with a second novel and the ideas just aren’t there. His agent, a long time friend offers him a cabin on a small, Scottish island and encourages him to get away. A change of scenery will do wonders.

Grady isn’t so sure but his options are few. He’s down to his last few bucks and even his beloved black lab, Columbo looks at him questioningly. Like, dude, is this our life now? No, not if he can help it.

He heads to the island. It’s a whole production. There’s a ferry but it only heads in twice a week and the timetable seems to be made-up half the time and non-existent other times. He loads up his belongings and heads out. Then, he sees her. A woman in a red coat, just like Abby’s. Is it Abby? Could it be her after all this time?

When he arrives at the island. People are friendly enough but reserved and odd. Only 25 people on the entire island so he is definitely the main attraction as he forages for food and supplies. No internet. No phone lines. Remote. Isolated. Trapped.

Here, I tread carefully. The island is not what it seems but Grady can’t put his finger on why. He’s been drinking more and sleeping less. Imagination and truth become intermingled. As a writer, he can easily convince himself that something is amiss. I mean, he is a storyteller and looks for these kinds of clues all the time. Nothing makes sense. Who can he trust while on this island? Anyone?

I was successfully led by the hand through this story. It’s a page turner and will leave you scratching your head. What the heck is going on?? Is Grady losing his mind? Is he dreaming? I was surprised at the end. I didn’t see that coming. As the story unravels, it becomes a tad less believable but you won’t notice because you will be racing through it to figure it out.

Recommend.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

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