The Codes of Love

This book was very thought provoking and I liked the way it was written. The themes explored were universal and easy to relate to.

The Codes of Love is a real page-turner, a gripping chart of relationships which I didn't want to put down. The abrupt ending resulted in my thinking it over for a long afterwards - and the loose ends have made me wish for a sequel. I loved the unpredictability of events and not knowing who would end up where.

The Codes of Love is a wonderfully dark, twisty foray into one couple's open marriage. Trust, betrayal, love, and loneliness, this novel is a tale of modern marriage at its best and worst. Beautifully written, incredibly immersive, I couldn't put it down.

Outwardly, Emily and Ryan have the perfect marriage whilst so many of their circle of friends are breaking up.

Emily is now in her early forties with a husband and two teenage sons; her life appears to be working out exactly as she had planned. Her belief in the open relationship she shares with Ryan since they married some years ago is still strong but is it wise to allow herself to get so close to one of her students?

Meanwhile award-winning architect Ryan becomes increasingly absent from the family as he is besotted with colleague Ada and their new property project in Wales under the ever-watchful eyes of the locals.

This is a story of emotions, betrayal, relationships and keeping up appearances. I particularly enjoyed remote location in Wales, getting to know the characters and watching them develop.

I don’t think I’ve read any book quite like this one. The Codes of Love is a unique story with a very different kind of trope. The story is based around Ryan and his wife Emily and their marriage. Each chapter is named with the rule of an open marriage. Some chapters are long and some are short and snappy. Ryan and Emily have an open marriage and while it was difficult to understand this topic it certainly made for an interesting read. It seemed to me that it was Emily who was in charge of the story and I did feel Ryan was dragged along with her. Neither of the two characters were particularly likeable and I did at times find it hard to connect with them. More characters are introduced and they bring even more tension to the tense storyline. The writing of this book is superb I can’t fault it. Even though I didn’t like the characters that much I wanted to continue reading and seeing how the drama unfolded. It’s definitely a good book and I can’t wait to read more from this author. Can we also take a minute to appreciate the magnificent front cover. Thank you next galley for this fascinating read.

Review also sent to Goodreads, Amazon and Waterstones

This was an enjoyable read that I found myself well and truly invested in to the very end. The characters are well developed and each have fantastic, detailed personalities,
The storyline is well paced, and has plenty happening throughout to really capture and hold the readers interest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The Codes of Love opens with Ryan and Ada in the Welsh countryside, exploring the hills as they dream about their future together, contemplating buying a run down cottage together as their joint sanctuary. It seems we are about to watch the couple fall deeper in love. When Ryan’s wife, Emily, is introduced in chapter two, it’s clear that this story will be much different than the first chapter suggests.

Emily and Ryan have great jobs, a beautiful house, two teenage sons, and an open marriage. It was Emily’s idea that they live polygamously and there are rules that the couple agreed on when they first married. Their unconventional partnership seems to have served them well as many of their friends around them have wed and divorced over the years. Perhaps they are proud that their arrangement has allowed their union to remain so strong. But when Ada comes into their lives and transfixes them both, it is the beginning of the end of Ryan and Emily’s now complicated marriage.

It’s hard to tell that this is Persaud’s debut novel as it is so well done. I’m really impressed by this book and would recommend to anyone wanting to explore work on the topic of marriage, particularly unconventional marriages. There were a lot of thought provoking issues within relationships discussed in this novel which left me thinking about things I had never even contemplated before.

Persaud’s writing is well-paced and her characters are completely fleshed out. I was hooked from the beginning and The Codes of Love was full of intrigue – I couldn’t put this down.