I was hoping the first DNF of the year would be postponed until a bit further into 2026 but alas, here we are with the second book I have attempted this year.

The main reason I am dropping this book is simply because I found myself not interested in the plot or the characters. This was also my first shot at listening to the audio book version and even listening to somebody else read was not helping my complete disinterest.

From the first chapter in which the husband Charles just decided to come clean to his wife about his yearlong affair with a strapping younger MALE from his work, I felt disconnected from the characters. The level of selfishness from Charles is insane and unreal. Him and his wife Oona were way beyond planning for their 25th anniversary trip to Paris when he finally thought to tell her that he was going to be moving in with his man toy for the next 6 months at least…Oh, and by the way, Oona and Charles have two children together. They are adults at this point but imagine having your entire family fall apart like this while visiting for Christmas! I will say, the reactions from the daughter were completely justified. She was quite upset and even started harboring some hate for her father. The reaction from Oona herself was a bit ridiculous in my opinion. She was not sure if she was going to divorce him or not, while mentally shunning him for his selfish behavior. Charles was keeping that door open in case he decided being gay was not for him. I did not understand that at all.

All of this was before Oona made it to Paris and COVID just so happened to hit. I for one, am not a fan of reading of the pandemic as it feels cheap and highly political when I am not reading for political reasons.

I pushed through almost three hours of repetition and more repetition of the same facts and thoughts about Charles, the careers of her two children, the stupid history of the Chateau she was staying in, etc.

By the time I called it quits, Oona still had not met the romantic interest in the story and was now stuck in Paris per the pandemic. I just did not care or have any sympathy lol

Per some of the reviews I read, the book gets interesting at about fifty or so pages left, but honestly, I am not in tune enough to stick to it.

Synopsis

Oona Kelly Webster has much to be grateful for. A striking woman with red hair and green eyes, she has a loving family and a job she adores, editing a prestigious line of books. To celebrate their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, she and her husband, Charles, have planned a visit to France.

But then Charles drops a bombshell. He has been living a lie—hiding an affair for a year—and he is leaving Oona for a younger male lover.

Although devastated, Oona decides to travel to France without Charles. She arrives in a charming village an hour outside of Paris, and settles into the house she has rented, called La Belle Florence—named after the king’s mistress for whom it was built. But just as she’s catching her breath, she’s dealt another blow: Her company’s merger will eliminate her job.

In the space of a few months, everything she nurtured for decades has slipped through her fingers. The only silver lining is that she can remain in France, where the simple life in beautiful surroundings slowly begins to heal her, as does the little white dog she rescues, and her friendly neighbor hailing from Trinidad, who delights her with his openness and warmth.

Though she does not recognize him at first, she soon realizes her neighbor is a well-known actor. As their feelings for each other begin to deepen, Oona wrestles with the risks of opening her heart again—especially to a younger, very famous man.

(via Amazon)