The Lifestyle

March 21, 2022
Hahn’s zany, high-energy debut recasts Jane Austen’s meddlesome heroine Emma as a 30-something New York City lawyer, and her plan for solving everyone’s relationship issues is a foray into the swinger scene. After Georgina Wagman discovers her coworker and husband, Nathan, cavorting in his office with Georgina’s legal mentee, she takes a client’s advice and offers Nathan the bonding experience of attending swinger parties as a solution. She suggests her friends Felix and Norah (and their respective partners) join the experiment as well, ostensibly as moral support but actually in the hopes that the two of them will leave their relationships to rekindle their college romance with one another. Hahn keeps the story firmly centered on Georgina’s narrow and self-centered perspective, and her well-meaning but overinvolved tone is hilariously on-point. The swinger scene is depicted with playfulness and heart, though none of the characters fully embrace it. Georgina’s romance arc—a contrived re-meet-cute with her ex Whitaker—makes sense with the concept of fated love Hahn imports from Austen, but their monogamous happy ending feels distinctly less fun than the swinging that precedes it. Still, Hahn’s plot stands well enough on its own for those unfamiliar with Emma to enjoy, and readers who love contemporary resettings of the classics will be especially tickled.

July 15, 2022
Georgina Wagman and her husband, Nathan, are partners at a large New York City law firm. On an unplanned visit to Nathan's office, Georgina finds Meredith, the junior associate she's been mentoring, and her husband having sex on his desk. Seeking comfort from friends and learning that none of them seem truly happy, Georgina decides to fix things for everyone. First step, try out the partner-swapping lifestyle for increased romantic excitement and the chance to pair friends with partners she sees as more suitable. First-time novelist Hahn posits her protagonist as a very open-minded variation on Jane Austen's Emma in her well-meaning but misguided meddling in the relationships of people close to her. While all the characters undergo significant life changes inspired by Georgina's actions, her support of Meredith is notable for encouraging Meredith not to take on the full negative burden of the affair, and to consider her own career and reputation. Readers will be educated on the swinging lifestyle, including the difference between a soft swap and full swap; they will also experience a brief sex-club experience, and follow the characters' discussions of the range of reasons this lifestyle appeals to some people. A spicy tale with varying degrees of sexually graphic descriptions, this may please fans of Christina Lauren and Emily Henry.

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