Now that I’ve read the second romance by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, I have to go back and read their first one, The Roughest Draft. They handled the relationship beautifully in Do I Know You?

Graham and Eliza Cutler have been married five years. They still love each other, but they can’t seem to communicate any longer. When Graham’s parents give them an anniversary gift of a stay at a romantic luxury resort, the seven hour car ride is long and uncomfortable. It’s so uncomfortable that when they arrive and learn there were accidentally two rooms reserved, the honeymoon suite and another room, Eliza impulsively says she’ll take the key to the other room. They have seven days to decide what happens next.

That night in the bar, Graham’s new friend David doesn’t realize Graham and Eliza are married, and he introduces them to each other. Again, it’s Eliza that grabs that opportunity, and creates a new person named Eliza, a woman who lives in Boston and has a business with her sisters. Graham plays along, and tells her he’s an investment broker from Santa Fe instead of a lawyer from California. Eliza and Graham agree to be strangers for seven days, to date each other, and to get to know each other all over again as if they were strangers.

Graham has a harder time with the role-playing than Eliza does. Eliza is actually a voice actress, so she plays different people all the time. But, Graham has a hard time striking a balance of being real and surprising Eliza. And, he worries that Eliza is falling for the pretend Graham, not her husband. At the same time, Eliza is enjoying this escape from the reality of the problems with her sister and her parents before her sister’s upcoming wedding. When those issues start to interfere, Graham insists Eliza doesn’t trust him enough to let him know what it bothering her.

Do I Know You? is a romantic story of a married couple who have lost touch, but they’re desperate to find each other again. Both characters get to tell their stories, to express their feelings. The novel works as these two people love each other enough to try to keep their marriage together. They’re interesting characters, and Graham’s friend, David, just adds to the story. He’s necessary to continue to offer support to both of them.

Do I Know You? puts a different slant on a romance. And, it works.

The authors’ website is https://www.emilyandaustinwrite.com/

Do I Know You? by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegemund-Broka. Berkley, 2023. ISBN 9780593201954 (paperback), 352p.

FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher allowed me to read a galley through NetGalley, with only an agreement for an honest review.