Just the Two of Us

by Jo Wilde

Overview

A couple on the brink of divorce after 35 years of marriage gets a second chance to rediscover their love now that a pandemic lockdown has forced them to spend more time together.


Julie and Michael Marshall have stayed together through thick and thin, through better and worse — and, for the last few years, it has mostly been worse. As their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary approaches, Julie realizes something: she doesn't want to pretend anymore.


Divorce papers at the ready, she's just about to have The Talk with Michael when everything changes. Lockdown begins and Julie and Michael face the greatest terror they can imagine: uninterrupted time with each other. But, when stripped of all distraction and forced to meet eyes across the dinner table, could it be that Julie and Michael might find a way back to where they first began?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538755068
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	04/12/2022
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	1,070,790
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jo Wilde wanted to be an author from the moment she could pick up a pen and was writing boarding-school novels by the age of nine. She studied English literature at Cambridge University, but made the early mistake of thinking she ought to get a 'proper job', rather than write, and went into Factory Planning — a career that gave her some wonderful experiences, amazing friends and even a husband, but didn't offer much creative scope. When Jo had children she began writing in the brief gaps provided by sleeps, playschools and obliging grandparents, and she published short stories and serials in all the women's magazines.
 
Jo has now published a range of fiction novels, including historical novels as Joanna Courtney and contemporary fiction as Anna Stuart.

Editorial Reviews

02/07/2022

Love rekindles during quarantine in this timely romance from Wilde (the Angel series). Julie and Michael Marshall have been married for nearly 35 years, but they’ve been drifting apart ever since their children grew up and moved out, to the point where now they live separate lives. When Julie has had enough, she meets with a divorce lawyer and prepares to have the Talk with Michael. Then Covid hits and the pandemic lockdown begins. Stuck together with no distractions, they have the time to look back on their relationship, figure out where it went wrong, and determine whether it can be fixed. Will they be able to rediscover what made them fall in love, or will they be doomed to drift apart? Wilde is precise in her placement of flashbacks to the couple’s early relationship, showing both characters’ perspectives and enhancing the slow but constant burn of the pair’s redeveloping chemistry in the present. This emotional second-chance tale promises both tears and smiles. Agent: Kate Shaw, Shaw Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

This emotional second-chance tale promises both tears and smiles.—Publishers Weekly

"Exactly the sort of witty, insightful and heart-warming book for these solitary times."—Culture Fly

"A hilarious and uplifting story about what happens after 'happy ever after'."—Chat Magazine

"A brilliantly warm story for our times."—People's Friend

"This book transcends the story of the recent pandemic to become the heartbreaking story of two warm, lovely people who have forgotten how to communicate . . . A gentle, touching story that's very pertinent to our times."—NFOP Magazine

"If you like emotionally intelligent books with a dash of reality, don't miss Just the Two of Us. It hooked me from the start."—Sue Moorcroft, author of Summer on a Sunny Island

"Must-read."—Bella

From the Publisher

04/01/2022

Shortly before the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Julie Marshall filed for divorce. Now stuck at home with her husband, Michael, she hasn't been able to summon the courage to face him with the news, especially as their 35th wedding anniversary is looming. The story unfolds with a shifting narrative from present to past, going back to when they first met outside a cafe in Budapest and bonded over Michael's bike, a gift from his late father; raising three children who are now adults; celebrating the opening of Julie's floral shop; the heartbreak of losing her mom unexpectedly and the regret she harbors but has never shared with Michael; and the inevitable changes in a marriage that brought Julie to her breaking point. The virus forces the couple to face what they fear the most, which ultimately becomes just the cure their love needs. VERDICT This is a refreshing change of pace from the usual contemporary fare, as Wilde (paranormal romance series "The Angel") sets up her middle-aged characters to face their failing marriage during the current pandemic that is no stranger to any of us. This heartwarming tale will appeal to fans of Jasmine Guillory's Royal Holiday, minus the steaminess.—Kara Kohn

Library Journal

09/01/2022

After nearly 35 years of marriage, empty nesters Michael and Julie find themselves in a relationship lacking passion and purpose. Leaving her lawyer's office with a sheaf of divorce papers, Julie knows something big is on the horizon, but she never imagined it would be something as momentous as a pandemic lockdown. With no one but each other for company, will they slowly drive each other mad, or will a little social distancing be the thing that brings them back together? Author Wilde makes her debut with a character-driven, contemporary romance falling in love with it. As the alternating timeline reveals details of their relationship, listeners will be moved by the funny and flirtatious couple; they'll root for them to be reunited. Narrators Harriet Fraser and Alex Hyde-White bring life to the dual perspectives of this humorous and heartwarming tale. Both are perfectly matched to the amusing, emotional tone of their respective characters. VERDICT This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a laugh-out-loud account of renewed love in lockdown; recommended for fans of Emily Henry, Christina Lauren, and Emily Giffin.—Lauren Hackert

Library Journal - Audio