“… she was waiting in line at the Gourmet Garage when she overheard a woman in front of her talking into her phone.
‘I don’t know, really,’ the woman had said. ‘I just want something juicy in my life.’
Lucy remembered it like it was yesterday. Juicy? Who thinks things like that? Who has the luxury of juicy?” (p. 49)
In between the “choring,” the career and the chaos of life, if you want something “juicy” in your life, I highly recommend Sarah Dunn’s The Arrangement. It is so good and so juicy, in fact, that I read it in only two days.
The arrangement in The Arrangement is that married couple Lucy and Owen, curious for change, decide to give each other a hall pass. Now I know what you’re thinking but I promise this novel isn’t romance smut or gossipy trash, The Arrangement offers a glimpse behind closed doors in the Beekman community and shows that not everything is what it seems from the outside. If you are a fan of Liane Moriarty’s novel Big Little Lies, I highly recommend you add The Arrangement to your TBR as the tone and content reminds me of Moriarty’s hit.
Lucy and Owen have comfortably been living in Beekman for a while now with their young son and the 17 chickens they bought on an impulse online buy. Owen is unsatisfied at work and tired of his wife assigning him chores, and Lucy is overwhelmed by her son and wishes she had the time or inclination to get gussied up. When they hear from friends about open marriage, Lucy is intrigued and decides to do an experiment: she and Owen have six months to enjoy a marriage Rumspringa.
And while it’s interesting to see how this idea unfolds, what I love is that this book offers so much more. It delves into the Beekman community, including the rich old millionaire and his young wife, who he is trying to trick into signing a post-nup; the transgender teacher fighting for her job; Sunny Bang, the nosy friend and confidant who means well, and more. There is an interesting story around every corner in Beekman.
A part of me wishes they would’ve marketed The Arrangement around more than just Lucy and Owen’s open marriage agreement because the book has way more to it than just that. It reminds me quite a bit of one of my favourite page-turners, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, so if you’re a fan of that novel then I highly recommend you give this one a try.
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