Bethany Chase

It is easy to fall for the convenient illusion of love in a relationship. Particularly when the other person's mask fits so well, it is conceived as authentic. How can one differentiate between an actor and a true lover? In Bethany Chase's book, Results May Vary, this very question comes to light and radically changes the course of several lives. It may even leave you, the reader, asking: Do you love your significant other, or just the idea of them?

Caroline Hammond is an art curator on her show more way to an art showing of the latest up-and-coming photographer. She does not expect to know the subject of the photos intimately. She does not expect her husband to be in the photos. Neither she nor her husband expect his affair to be revealed.

The resulting chapters illustrate the challenges and loneliness of a rift in what was thought to be a solid marriage: the difficult questions that cannot be answered quickly or openly; the betrayals of not only the affair, but also the mask that she was not aware that her husband was having either; the fear of who to turn to or rely on when you have been a partner to someone for so long. Caroline must face all of these unexpectedly, along with discovering secrets that others had as well. She must discover how to trust others and how to be on her own.

Quite frankly, Caroline needs to grow up. She calls her former spouse to argue, she calls the gentleman who had an affair with her husband (at said gentleman's job) to get answers that she is trying to get from her former husband, she kisses her (male) best friend because he was there for her and she was "upset", she is mad at her former husband for hiding work accomplishments from her when they were married because she "should have known" and "she would have been supportive". Perhaps if she had been focused on others, rather than herself, these other characters would not have felt the need to hide things from her. The point is: it is all about Caroline.

To further this point, there are several spots in the book where other characters are overly praising Caroline. A few examples are: when a co-worker compliments her several times so that she may get a donor for the museum that she went to high school with, when the "tension" between her and said former classmate was because the former classmate was jealous of Caroline, when her sister says she was jealous of Caroline growing up, when her former husband compliments her at the beginning of each conversation. It was redundant and irritating, in my opinion. Furthermore, other characters avoided telling Caroline about things and events, seemingly out of respect for her emotions. It was not a story of Caroline overcoming the obstacles of betrayal and finding herself after hitting rock bottom. Nor was it a story about finding a way to work through the divorce with your former spouse. It was a story of how Caroline's fairy tale did not end up the way she wanted and so she had temper tantrums, rebounds, marijuana, and just plain greed until she found something that worked. As a reader, it just did not work for me.

For those who may be sensitive: there are scenes with sexual content, foul language, mild drug use, alcohol use, extramarital affairs, and divorce.

Please note: a copy of this book was generously provided by LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. show less

I picked up this book because I came a brief review of it and though I usually try to avoid books with blatant infidelity as a plot point, something in the review grabbed my interest. What I found was a very thoughtful, well told story of how one can react, can grow, when faced with the sure knowledge that what was held true is false. The power of secrets can be mighty, and the author pitted that fierce strength against the equally bold, often underplayed, power of self. But what I think I show more really liked the best was how the author incorporated quotes of love and relationships, by writers, artists, philosophers, as chapter headings. Sometimes the quotes, so eloquent and evocative, were sheer beauty in their own, sometimes they were foreshadowing for that chapter, sometimes both, but for me, they were always that little chocolate candy, wrapped up in glittery paper, to savor along with a well told tale.

So yes, this is the story of a woman who finds out her husband, who was her high school sweetheart and only love, has been unfaithful with another man, and then goes on to discover even deeper betrayals, but it also is a story of survival, and reshaping your life when you thought it perfectly shaped. It's not a "stages of grief" novel, but there is movement and growth. It also reminded me quite clearly that I am several decades older than the characters in this novel, but it didn't put me off their lives and world.

One of my favorite quotes for the book, comes from the mouth of a local folk artist the main character knows.
"And there you go. Honey, aside from love, art is the most subjective thing there is. You're never gonna have a predictable result."

To that I'd add since writing is a form of art, books, and thoughts on books are highly subjective, too.

Tags: 2016-read, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, i-liked-it, made-me-think, read, read-on-recommendation, sometimes-fluff-is-good, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-provoking show less

The One That Got Away is a delightfully charming debut novel by Bethany Chase. It is a sweet, funny and poignant story that I absolutely LOVED and highly recommend to fans of contemporary romances.

At long last, Sarina Mahler has her life together. Her architect business is beginning to taking off and she is almost engaged to her boyfriend of four years, Noah, who is a lawyer currently working on a project in Argentina. She is finally ready to face her roommate's best friend Eamon Roy for the show more first time since he walked out her without explanation after a brief fling seven years earlier. Although she wants to limit contact with the man who broke her heart, she agrees to work for him when he needs an architect to renovate his fixer upper. Sarina is dismayed to discover she is still drawn to Eamon, but with picture perfect Noah ready to take their relationship to the next level, which man will she choose?

Sarina is a vivacious, witty thirty something who has a lot going for her. She has a great network of friends who are supportive while at the same time, they are brutally honest with her when she needs advice. Although her mom passed away years earlier, she is still very close to her stepfather. Sarina's relationship with Noah is comfortable and safe but they are beginning to feel the strain of their yearlong separation. Sarina is a little surprised at how easily and quickly she and Eamon pick up their friendship despite the hurt feelings she still nurses from their abrupt break up. The spend a lot more time together than she planned, but she enjoys his company too much to give up. When her relationship with Noah hits a major snag, she is torn between staying with the safe choice or risking her heart again.

In Eamon's defense, he was young and still in college when he unceremoniously dumped Sarina. He was intensely focused on his training for the Olympics and he had some tough choices to make about his future. During the intervening years, Eamon matured, overcame a horrific accident and achieved his dream of becoming a gold medal Olympic swimmer. He is now retired and beginning the next phase of his life and he is ready to put down roots. He is rather enigmatic about what he wants from Sarina so it is understandable that she has doubts about his intentions. He tries to be patient as she sorts through her options, but Eamon also pushes her to get off the fence about what (and who) she wants.

The relationship between Eamon and Sarina is slow building but there is no denying the chemistry between them. They both respect Sarina's relationship with Noah but Eamon and Sarina definitely enjoy one another's company. They eventually sort out what went wrong the first time they dated but Sarina remains committed to Noah despite the doubts that are starting to creep in about her future with him. Sarina comes to a crossroads after a tragic loss and while this clarifies what she needs to do next, she still has doubts about following through with her decision. This leads to a misunderstanding that could have been avoided if she had been more honest.

The One That Got Away is an engaging novel with a wonderful cast of likable characters. Bethany Chase puts a unique and refreshing spin on a familiar plot and the resulting story is absolutely marvelous. An overall warm and witty debut that leaves me impatiently awaiting her next release! show less

Not sure why but it took me a little while to warm up to Caroline but then I became fascinated with how much she was telling to whom....to me, the reader? To some extent she is writing all this to herself to try and explain how her life seemed to become so complicated---was it her fault? And that's really the basis for the story....where did all of this come from and what's left at the end. There are so many twists and turns in Caroline's story that it stays interesting. It seemed somewhat show more agonizingly long in the beginning but then, it sped up, and I was hooked. show less