The Art of Scandal by Regina Black

Welcome Back, Booklovers! I had been meaning to read The Art of Scandal since last fall but I was waiting to be in the right mood for it. I decided January would be a good time to finish books I carried over into the new year. You can buy The Art of Scandal here. 

The Art of Scandal follows Rachel who receives a nude text from her husband on the night of his fortieth birthday and instantly realizes it wasn't meant for her. But since she's dedicated so much of her life to being his wife and has built nothing on her own she can't just walk away without having to start all over. Matt is a white politician who has higher political aspirations and is willing to pay her off to keep of the facade of a happy couple. While Rachel is regretting her life, she meets Nathan Vasquez, a struggling artist in his mid 20s who makes her feel alive again. 

I was pleasantly surprised by The Art of Scandal. It starts off with a bang jumping right into the major of scandal of the story. I enjoy when stories get into the action on page one because with so many books out there to read I want to be immediately drawn in. While Regina Black writes a believable politician in Matt and gives insight into what he's campaigning on she doesn't get caught up in the specifics. This is Rachel and Nathan's story and the focus remains on them. Rachel is older, she has a daughter in college and so much of her life has been wrapped up in being the perfect politician's wife that's she's not even sure who she is anymore. Nathan has grown up privileged but he's also lost and struggling to find his purpose in life. His older brother is somewhat of the golden child who has always been seen as the successful one. While Nate is running a laundromat passed on to him and doing fanart while he ignores his true calling. 

The book is steamy and full of soap operaesque drama but it's still grounded in reality. It's written in a way where I felt like I was peeking in to these people's every day lives. These are two people who are at a crossroads and are holding onto trauma. I really enjoyed how this book explored uncertainty in your career as well as balancing family relationships. It also explores the challenges to interracial relationships in a way we don't always see depicted.

The audiobook narration is great and the book is pretty fairly paced. I can easily see where this would make a good tv series.