Tracey Garvis Graves, the New York Times bestselling author of On the Island, returns.
What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?
Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire's concern that time apart could be the one thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.
Local police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending hours together.
Claire loves the way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means their relationship will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.
After absolutely loving The Island, I was super excited to give Covet a read. Sadly, it wasn't what I was hoping for at all. Claire and Chris have grown distant in their marriage. After pulling through some financial hardships, Chris is back to work, but he's never home. And when he is, he's locked in his office, making no time for his wife and children. Claire is extremely lonely until she strikes up a friendship with a super handsome police officer. Claire is convinced that she and Daniel can be just friends, but that's not what he wants.
Covet was a weird one for me. I know that I don't care about marital problems. At all. But Claire possibly straying from her marriage intrigued me. However, the focus really is on Chris and Claire's failing marriage rather than her developing relationship with Daniel. The first part is super boring, because we get a run down of every little thing that has ever happened between Chris and Claire. There's also an odd amount of detail about what everyone in the neighborhood looks like, as well as their houses. It was slow going for sure.
I also didn't like how Covet alternated between Claire, Chris, and Daniel. The vast majority of the story is from Claire's perspective, which makes sense because she's the center of this love triangle. Daniel's chapters add absolutely nothing, and they're all just one or two pages each. Chris's chapters just show us that he's not a jerk, really does miss his family, but doesn't want to lose this job that he hates. I guess that was to draw sympathy from the reader, and possibly condemn Claire's actions. I don't think that was necessary, because Claire's feelings and decisions are her own.
Covet was just not the book for me. Marital issues bore me to tears, as do adult problems. If you're interested in that kind of stuff, then maybe this book will be for you. If you're hesitant about the cheating plot thread, don't be. There's not much going on in regards to that, and I think characters grossly overreact. I hate this idea that men and women can't be just friends. Of course they can! Although I do agree that you can't help who you're attracted to or fall in love with.
