The Couples

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The Couples

By: Lauren Mackenzie

Narrated by: Emer Heatley

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About this listen

Three couples, one night. And the life that follows...

Eva looked out of the window of the charmingly crumbling guest house and thought she might be sick. She could see Frank lying on the grass in last night's clothes - it wasn't clear whether he was conscious or not. Her husband, Shay, was in bed. She loved him, of course she did, just right now the person she most wanted to see was Connor. She didn't want to think about what had happened to Bea or how Lizzie was feeling...

Frank's birthday had given them an excuse for a night away. The three couples, caught between caring for the children and worrying about their parents, were ready to have a good time. The drink flowed, Dublin felt a long way away and when Frank proposed they swap partners for the night, they forgot they were stressed about their finances and exhausted by their responsibilities. In the heat of the moment, it's deliciously reckless, and makes them all feel young again. The women text the man of their choice.

One night. No obligations. No expectations. No falling in love. The only rule? No falling in love.

But life doesn't follow the rules.

Family Life

Fiction

Friendship

Genre Fiction

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Critic reviews

"Devilishly delicious...about six fascinating and flawed people and their imperfect relationships, their vulnerabilities and betrayals. Empathetic, entertaining and enthralling." (Liz Nugent)

"I adored The Couples! A nuanced and entertaining novel of keenly observed relationships that gripped me from start to finish. Stunning!" (Danielle McLaughlin, author of The Art of Falling)

"A witty, sharply observed tale of modern relationships... Mackenzie's novel is both funny and devastating in turn. A brilliant exploration of love, sex, friendship and ambition in contemporary Ireland." (Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy on My Little Pain)

Most relevant

I nearly gave up on this book, but stuck with it, and I did enjoy the second half more than the first half.
It starts off to quickly - flitting from person to person without giving much background information on the characters, which I think is why some reviews say its confusing/hard to follow.
Also, I had assumed that the story would include the no-questions-asked night, but it doesn't, which I was disappointed about. Bits are revealed as the book goes on, but it would have been more enjoyable if this had been a bigger part of the book - it is the whole point of it, after all.

Second half is better than the first half

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I agree with the other reviewer, who was confused by who was with who, which was frustrating and made it difficult to follow and get fully immersed. Is that something that should have been attended to in the editing? I think the characters and their backgrounds needed more clarification much earlier in the book. The narration helped me to persevere and it did get easier in the second half.

Promising but needs more clarity

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Loved this book . Excellent narration , well developed characters with a very believable story . Delves into relationships and the impact and the reasons for infidelity…. while keeping you hooked with the overlapping stories . I could have read this in one sitting but forced myself to savour it as I didn’t want it to end …. Looking forward to her next offering

Wonderful engrossing read

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I had to make notes re who went with who and who was married to who. Tried to keep up but gave up in the end. A wasted credit:(

Too confusing! Too samey samey.

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