Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman | Review

Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Release Date: March 17, 2020
Length: 288 pages
Amazon

{A Bit of Backstory}

Single Sentence Summary

Funny story of a couple, surrounded by divorced friends, who devise an unconventional plan to save their own marriage.

From the Publisher

“The Core Four have been friends since college: four men, four women, four couples. They got married around the same time, had kids around the same time, and now, fifteen years later, they’ve started getting divorced around the same time, too. With three of the Core Four unions crumbling to dust around them, Jessica and Mitch Butler take a long, hard look at their own marriage. Can it be saved? Or is divorce, like some fortysomething zombie virus, simply inescapable?”

The Draw

• The premise sounded like it could be a lot of fun.
• I’ve experienced divorce after divorce in a group of friends.
• Promoted as “equal-parts funny and heartwarming.”

{My Thoughts}

Last Couple Standing tell the story of Jessica and Mitch Butler, who met each other and their inner circle of friends while attending Johns Hopkins. After graduation, one-by-one, couples married, moved to the suburbs and began having kids. As their 40’s approached, they also started getting divorced until Jessica and Mitch were the only couple left standing. Both saddened and a little panicked, Jessica came to Mitch with a plan to save their marriage by adding some excitement in the form of one night stands. (This happens early, so it’s not a spoiler.) They set up some very serious, but incredibly funny “rules” for engagement. Matthew Norman took a humorous approach to his entire story which makes it perfect for right now.

“What they were agreeing to were dalliances: little breaks from their daily reality. Anything more than once would be an affair, and affairs were the hideous cliches of middle age. Affairs were ugly and required lies and guilt, and they ruined lives.”

I divorced around 40, as did two close friends. We all jumped into the world of dating apps, so I can attest to the accuracy of Norman’s hilarious take on what you get when you first go that route! That and many other parts had me laughing-out-loud. I particularly loved a bit that ran through the book on E.T. Mitch had made the mistake of showing the movie to his 9 and 7-year old children and they’d been terrified of their closets ever since, making his and Jessica’s nights a nightmare.

Norman’s cast of supporting characters was strong, from the two kids, to Mitch’s high school students, to Jessica’s clients, to their rather pathetic group fo friends. I truly enjoyed my time with Last Couple Standing. It made for fabulous, easy reading and would be outstanding as a mini-series. I read this one, but can guarantee that it would be great on audio. (I almost wish I’d listened to it.) No matter the format, get in line now for Last Couple Standing! Grade:  A-

“Sure, the metal box in which he kept the image of her with another guy had sprung open a few times this week and melted his face off, like the last ark in the first Indiana Jones movie. But honestly, isn’t that adulthood in a summary? Constant feelings of pure, overwhelming dread?”

If you liked this book you might also enjoy:

• Very Nice by Marcy Dermansky – Another book with a slightly twisted cast of characters that would make a very fun mini-series. (my review)
• Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson – The surprisingly poignant story of kids who burst into flames and the woman tasked with caring for them. (my review)

Note: I received a copy of this book from Ballantine Books (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.