Book review #20 The arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

 

The arrangement by Kiersten Modglin

 

About the book

The arrangement was just meant to fix their marriage.
No one was supposed to get hurt.
But when the rules of this open marriage are broken, the consequences are sinister.

Ainsley Greenburg is a fixer.
It's what she prides herself on.

So, when she realizes her marriage is at its breaking point, she makes a decision to repair it, no matter the cost. Approaching her husband to propose the arrangement is supposed to be the hard part, but Peter agrees to the salacious plan almost immediately.

The rules are simple:

·       They will each date someone new once a week.

·       They will never discuss what happens on the dates.

Soon, though, the rules are broken, turning terrible mistakes into unspeakable consequences.
When the only person they can count on to keep their darkest secret is each other, new questions and deceits surface. Can they truly trust the person they share a life with, or will the vicious lies that have mounted over the years destroy everything they've built?

Once, Peter and Ainsley vowed to stand together forever, but as they push boundaries of deception, suspicion, and temptation, each begins to wonder if 'til death do us part may come sooner than they'd intended

 

My take

This book initially seemed like a book about a husband and wife, going through a midlife crisis, who mutually agreed upon polygamy as the last resort that will save their marriage, and ignite the spark that once existed between them, but in no time, it turned into the most twisted story ever.

Ainsley and Peter, both get their own weekdays to go out and have one night of fun while the other stays at home and looks after their three kids. To avoid complications, they make certain rules, one of which, is not to date anyone known, and to use a separate dating app, under different names, so that no one can trace them.

So Ainsley meets Stefan and Peter meets Mallory. And for a while, it seems the plan is working. Both begin looking at each other like they never have in years.

But both are hiding secrets. And when the man Ainsley met begins to get obsessed about her, follows her to her house, the secrets begin tumbling out.

The book was slow paced initially, and I felt like it was going to be more on the lines of a domestic story with infidelity being the highest twist. But soon a murder happens, and thereafter, the story is extremely fast paced, every other chapter revealing something that blows the mind. None of the characters are what we think them to be, and the author keeps us guessing right till the end.

The story is told from the POV of Ainsley and Peter alternately, and that helps shape the story in a certain way. The flow is lucid and easy, and the incidences keep us hooked to know what happens next.

I personally loved the cover page design, which is suggestive, aesthetic and at the same time mysterious. I rate the book 4.5 stars.