The Marriage Narrative, Claire Kann (Review by Skylar Wetzel)

Rating: 4.8/5 Stars

Wow! The Marriage Narrative by Claire Kann was a whirlwind of a book, and I couldn’t put it down. Zinnia is a strong, smart, successful business partner with two of her closest friends and roommates. When she suspects an unspoken romantic interest budding between the two, she decides it’s time to find a partner of her own. Zinnia doesn’t need to spend time loving or working on herself to find her other half; she knows who she is and plans to find her partner like a business acquisition. Plans are disrupted when Jordan shows up to the introductory background business meeting needing a bride of his own to join his family’s reality TV show for the season. The only problem, they need to appear in love on camera, but not in real life.

For full transparency, I enjoy a good reality TV show, and if you are in the same boat as me, you will devour this book. It was like lifting the curtain and peaking behind the scenes to see what really goes on. Add in Zinnia being a regular everyday woman, and you get the perspective of an outsider looking into a family that knows nothing else but building story lines of their life. This creates an interesting conflict between Zinnia, who just wants to be a supportive wife, upholding their contract, and Jordan, who is trying to bring her into the fold with his family. I loved that throughout their time filming, Zinnia was able to stay rooted in reality and bring Jordan back to that place with her. It created a sweet dynamic between them, and I found myself rooting for and hoping they could find a way to have a real relationship. Of course, you will have to read to see if that becomes a possibility.

Kann created a book that has a lot of character conflict and growth, and some side humor. I don’t think this work can be shoved into one category, so if you’re looking for a little of everything, you will love this romance that never has a dull moment.