The Couples by Lauren Mackenzie is a very accomplished and involving debut.
It's the tale of how a night of experimentation shatters the stable lives of 3 middle-aged couples as memories , confessions and ramifications emerge both in the immediate aftermath or in the passing of years.
The 6 close friends stay overnight in a guest house to celebrate the 48th birthday of one of their number,Frank. The heavy session in a nearby pub isn't unusual. the Ecstasy bought from a local dealer certainly is, followed by more heavy drinking during which Frank suggests they all swap partners. The next morning some of the group are in denial.others don't remember anything but what they all have in common is that their lives will never be the same again.
With all of the families lives revolving not just around their friendship but the school their children attend as well things get very sticky indeed.
I really enjoyed this book,not least the author's insight into her characters thoughts and the differing consequences of their seemingly ever-changing relationships. Some seem unfairly penalised,others like the quite awful Frank get away quite lightly,despite him being the instigator of so much.
A great story,and one that just screams out "Netflix mini-series".

I really enjoyed The Couples. The concept was great and the issues the characters were going through were very real. It was nice to read a novel where the characters weren't in their twenties figuring it out, it gave a fresh feel to the novel.

I'm all about a slow burn but at points you just wanted to knock some of the characters' heads together. I did feel that there could have a bit more context setting at the beginning but it absolutely did not take away from the story.

I'll definitely be recommending this one to friends.

A quiet and moving contemporary novel about the fallout from a 48th birthday party after it is suggested that the three couples husband swap for one night. All you have to do is text the husband you’re interested in. What can go wrong? But there’s no rule: no falling in love.
This had a good premise and I was intrigued to see where the story would go. Ultimately I found it too much of a slow burn and insular. It is set in Ireland, the couples are white and heterosexual. This wasn’t quite a satire or a comedy nor was it thriller. It’s a quiet story that explores the messiness of lives and regrets people have in their 40s. A few of the marriages are already on the rocks so the sleeping with other husbands just push those broken relationship over the cliff and we see how the characters navigate their lives. After the party things get complicated as some couples have children. If you’re looking for a literary novel with older characters but that Sally Rooney vibes this might be the book for you.

I initially thought to describe this as a fun-filled read, but it isn’t and that’s kind of the point I think. What would seem like a bit of a laugh and a dare of swapping partners inevitably ends up having dire consequences. But that’s not all, these couples have enough going on in their lives - step-parenting teens full of hormones, mental health issues, caring responsibilities and just plain being broke. I couldn’t understand why they were all friends with each other to be honest - they all seemed so different and, frankly, not that nice. That doesn’t detract from it being an enjoyable read, however. It’s a well written tale - it was easy to imagine the scenes presented to me playing out on TV.

I was intrigued by the stunning cover and the premise of this novel however the style just didn’t work for me and I think this was a case of right book but the wrong reader. My taste in books is more genre geared and commercial whereas the execution of this novel is very literary.
This is a slow burning read following Frank who is celebrating his birthday in a fancy, posh house his friends have rented for the weekend. One night they decide to partner swap. One rule - the woman texts the husband she is interested and the rule is no falling in love. The next morning they all wake up unsure as to what happened the night before but their lives are indefinitely changed as marriages that were already on the rocks start to crumble and people start to fall in love.
I think my expectations were that this would be a hilarious, satirical read about privileged people in the style of Liane Moriarty or Herman Koch. Unfortunately it wasn’t. It’s a very slow read following three heterosexual couples. To be honest I found the beginning slow and confusing, in terms of who is married to who. Also I just couldn’t relate to the characters and the story. I think I’m the wrong reader for this. But thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A slice of life romance contemporary fiction read following three couples, middle-aged, who go to a house to celebrate Frank’s birthday. The story opens with the morning after as the characters try to figure out what happened the night before, which involves drinks, drugs and partner swapping.
This is more of a quiet novel that sneaks up on you. It’s not a romcom genre read like Emily Henry or Jane Fallon. This is very Irish and more literary about the messiness and disappointments in life that hits like a pile of rocks when you get close to fifty. A gently unravelling book that’s more than just sex and romance.

The titular couples of Lauren Mackenzie’s accomplished debut have hired a rundown mansion to celebrate Frank’s forty-eighth birthday. After supper, they walk to the local pub, score some ecstasy and raid the honesty bar back at Harwood House where a partner-swapping game is proposed: the three women are to text the man of their choice. The morning after, no one is quite sure what their partners did, or who they did it with. These are couples whose lives are closely interwoven: their children are at school together, they have weekly pizza nights, they confide in each other. They’re at that stage in life where childcare must be balanced with work, worries about parents’ health are appearing on the horizon, and for some finances are under strain. The night of Frank’s birthday throws many of those cards up into the air, changing the dynamics of a friendship that feels as close as family.

Mackenzie’s narrative shifts from character to character in a perceptive portrayal of six people whose lives are not quite what they had hoped for at this stage. All are in midlife crisis territory when Frank proposes his game. So far, so cliched you might think, but Mackenzie deftly weaves their lives together, engaging our sympathy for characters, easily recognisable at the school gate, supermarket, or wine bar, in a novel which has a very pleasing narrative arc with a nicely ambivalent ending. I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very classy piece of summer reading.