Results May Vary by Bethany Chase (Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads)Also by this author: The One That Got Away
Published by Random House Publishing Group on August 9th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, Contemporary Women, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 336
Format: ARC
She never saw it coming. Without even a shiver of suspicion to warn her, Caroline Hammond discovers that her husband is having an affair with a man—a revelation that forces her to question their entire history together, from their early days as high school sweethearts through their ten years as a happily married couple. In her now upside-down world, Caroline begins envisioning her life without the relationship that has defined it: the loneliness of being an “I” instead of a “we”; the rekindled yet tenuous closeness with her younger sister; and the unexpected—and potentially disastrous—attraction she can’t get off her mind. Caroline always thought she knew her own love story, but as her husband’s other secrets emerge, she must decide whether that story’s ending will mean forgiving the man she’s loved for half her life, or facing her future without him.
I knew going into this book that it was going to be hard to read, but I definitely love challenging myself with atypical reads. I tend to find those challenges when I pick up books that fall into the “women’s fiction’ category. Last year I read The One That Got Away by Chase and immediately fell in love with her writing style. She has a way of telling a story that will just hook you, keep you riveted and this is no exception.
Caroline Hammond never saw it coming… the unthinkable happens and she finds that the man she’s known for most of her life… the man that she’s been married to for 10 years has had an affair. With a man. Results May Vary is the story of the aftermath of her world being turned upside down. It really explores the idea that we can really only know the things about the people in our lives that they are willing to share. As the story unravels and we learn all the ways that Adam has betrayed Caroline, I couldn’t help but cheer her on as she makes strides to understand and move forward, but also feel the urge to hug her when she experienced setbacks.
But this book is also about finding yourself and learning who you are, and I think that might have been my favorite part. Caroline and Adam had been together since she was 17 so she’s always been a ‘we’ and watching her learn just who she is as an ‘I’ was just amazing.
I think my only hang up with the story and this was totally personal, as that Adam for all everyone raved about him, came off as kind of smarmy to me… the indecision on his part, the way he talked to Caroline, the things he expected of her… it all just felt so disrespectful at times. The only time I truly felt how much the situation had hurt him was when he showed up at the house near the end. It may just be the woman in me, but I truly wanted to see his suffering a bit more after what he did. I know, I’m terrible LOL. I will say this… Caroline is a bigger person than I could ever be, but I love how this story wrapped up. I won’t say anything about it, but it felt honest and true and that’s all I needed.
If you’re a fan of smart, complicated and sometimes messy stories that are filled with love, heartbreak, family and most of all hope and happiness you’re going to want to pick up Results May Vary when it arrives.
Thank you to the author and publisher for a review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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