Slip of the Tongue

By: Jessica Hawkins

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

"An emotional, compelling read that you won't be able to put down. Beautifully written, it's a study of romance." (Louise Bay, USA Today best-selling author)

Sadie Hunt isn't perfect - but her husband is. Nathan Hunt has her coffee waiting every morning. He holds her hand until the last second. He worships the Manhattan sidewalk she walks on. Until one day, he just...stops. And Sadie finds herself in the last place she ever expected to be: lonely in her marriage. 

When rugged and sexy Finn Cohen moves into the apartment across the hall, he and Sadie share an immediate spark. Finn reveals dreams for a different life. Sadie wants to save her marriage. Their secrets should keep them apart, not ignite a blistering affair. But while Sadie's marriage runs colder by the day, she and Finn burn hotter.  

Her husband doesn't want her anymore. The man next door would give up everything to have her.

Slip of the Tongue can be enjoyed as a standalone or as book one in the Slip of the Tongue series.

Narrated by Andi Arndt.

©2016 Jessica Hawkins (P)2016 Jessica Hawkins

Thought provoking story

This took me well over a week to read because I had to keep putting it down out of complete frustration with Sadie and the decisions she made. I am a firm believer in turning inwards to your husband if you are unhappy in your marriage, not outside of it. However, there were many bad decisions made by all involved in this story.

Sadie has been married to Nathan for seven years and it would be fair to say that they are deeply in love. Nathan put his wife on a pedestal from the moment their relationship begun and Sadie has become accustomed to receiving this attention from him. Everything he does is with her in mind, he always puts her needs before his.

This is the crux of the beginning of their problems. When Nathan discovers something about their relationship that she has kept hidden from him, he completely closes himself off from Sadie. He does this for over two months. For the first time in their relationship she feels alone and insignificant. No matter what she says or does she cannot get Nathan to open up to her.

When a new neighbour moves into their building things begin to unravel more. Finn is sweet, handsome and really easy to talk to. Nathan may be shutting Sadie out but Finn is willingly letting her into his life. He is filling the pieces of Sadie's life that Nathan has vacated and feelings are growing between Sadie & Finn.

There were a lot of moments when I was reading this that I stopped because I was unhappy with the storyline and also at times I was reflecting on my own relationship with my husband, who also treats me the way Nathan is with Sadie. I even asked my husband if he thought I was lazy and if he felt like I took him for granted, the answer was 'no babe' by the way!

I guess this could happen to any couple in any marriage. I really loved Nathan, he was such a sweet man who was struggling to deal with the way his wife had deceived him. I did not think for one moment that he had stopped loving Sadie, he was just trying to deal. I found Sadie very self centred and hard to like as a female character. I completely understood her frustration about her husband not opening up to her and how rejected she felt, after spending seven years being adored by him.

I thought that Finn was a really nice guy and that in another time he and Sadie could have been meant for each other. However, I also felt like he should have stepped back, knowing how vulnerable Sadie was when she met him. He could have been a good friend to Sadie but he was relentless in his pursuit of her, never considering how it would affect anyone else.

In the end, someone's heart will be broken and all the lies will come to light.

I found this a very thought provoking read.

NO VILLAINS... ONLY CASUALTIES OF CIRCUMSTANCE

For seven years Sadie has been put on a pedestal by her loving doting husband Nathan and then he stops, he goes out, comes home late, won't talk about what's wrong and Sadie is helpless, sad and eventually suspicious. She's also vulnerable... so, when sparks fly between her and her handsome new neighbor Finn, Sadie gets drawn in because Finn gives her a shoulder to cry on, eats her lovingly prepared meals meant for her absent husband who doesn't come home and Finn makes her laugh and feel again. As strong as she thought her marriage was, it's been broken for two miserable months and now Finn, and all his bold declarations, prove to be a very powerful temptation..... and, in her present state of mind, Sadie crosses the line.

This story is a heartbreaking account of two people whose soul deep love is tested to its breaking point.... not because they don't love each other, they do, and that's the tragedy about this story. Nathan's a tortured soul, he's a 'perfect person' but his inability to talk things over with Sadie and clear the air between them, is the catalyst that weakens their marriage. Does it destroy them?... Well, Finn is in the picture now, he too has a sad tale to tell.... of missed opportunities, Fate and broken dreams.... and, unlike Nathan, he's there for Sadie.

It's an emotional and powerful glimpse into a solid beautiful marriage that suddenly and unexpectedly reaches a crisis and, instead of leaning on each other for the answers, they both lean the other way. I'm not going to preach on the morals, decisions or broken promises that cheating elicits.... instead all I can say is that this story was ABSOLUTELY riveting - and I've had a sleepless night proving it..... I just couldn't stop this knife-edge listen until I knew the damage, the casualties and the bitter-sweet outcome. Told from Sadie's POV, there's passion, beautiful heartfelt words, some frenzied stolen sex scenes and the narrator was good.

Worth a credit? It depends - if you feel strongly (for whatever reason) about cheating and infidelity then definitely no it's not for you - but if you're easier and more comfortable about listening to this type of scenario then absolutely yes... it's an emotional and well written story about wrong decisions and second chances.

This Book Was An Emotional Roller coatser!

I am so confused about my feeling on this book, It took me 2 days to finally feel like I could write an honest review. I think it's one I just have a love/hate relationship with. In the beginning I was getting extremely annoyed because if this couple had just talked to each other then there wouldn't have been so much drama. But then again the more I got to know each character the more I understood their actions. I ended up loving them all and not wanting anyone to get hurt. I think Sadie and Nathan spent too much time thinking their marriage had to be perfect that they let that come between them. Saying this book has cheating isn't really giving a spoiler since it's in the synopsis but for the first time ever, this author made an affair make sense to me. Not that I agree with it but I can understand how it happened. I was a little disappointed that someone had to get hurt in the end, I would have loved for that person's future & happiness be in the epilogue (wishful thinking). All in all this book hit all of my emotions - anger, annoyance, sadness, lust, love and happiness. And I need to say that this book has a sex scene in a movie theater that was BEYOND HOT!!!!

The narration was amazing, which come on...It's Andi Arndt of course it was amazing!

Selfish character, ridiculous ending

As the story progresses we learn that the character,Sadie is really just a selfish cheater. The husband who is acting in classic cheater behavior is explained away by silly reasons. The husband isn't even really mad after finding out his wife cheated, the other man and the husband just pander to this selfish loser Sadie as if she's a real gem and the only woman out there. The resolution shows no real character growth for her and the cuckholded husband acts like he's learned his lesson to not push away but rather worship his adulterous wife. The heroine went through virtually no personal growth or transformation despite being selfish, disloyal and unfaithful. Ridiculous.

Good but heartbreaking

What did you like best about Slip of the Tongue? What did you like least?

This is a hard book to review because I don't want to give any spoilers.
I can't say what I liked most and what I liked least, it will give the entire book away. I will say, I do not like the title of the book.

Would you recommend Slip of the Tongue to your friends? Why or why not?

I would cautiously recommend the book.

What about Andi Arndt’s performance did you like?

I love everything Andi Arndt does!

Could you see Slip of the Tongue being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Yes I could see a TV series. I don't know the actors, I like the mental pictures I have in my mind of the characters.

Any additional comments?

I liked this book but there are some trigger points for me. There were so many times I wanted to strangle the characters and just say "TALK TO EACH OTHER"

there is also another HUGE trigger point for me that I cannot discuss without spoiling the book but I hated that part of it!!

Struggling to get through

I am half way through and I want to kill the female lead. I am going to try and finish it, but dealing with a character like this is so frustrating. The narrator is good at least, but I'll never read anything by this author again.

I do not care how realistic it is . . .

This book may be realistic, but it that is not its biggest flaw. In my opinion, it is WAY too long. This book covers the time period of a few weeks, but takes forever. I realize we have to go back in time to learn certain things that feed into why the characters do the things they do. But it was just too drawn out. And not to mention how terrible the main character, Sadie, is. Selfish does not even begin to describe it. I realize her marriage was "perfect" and then all of a sudden it wasn't. But it had only been 2 months of non-perfection. 2 months out of 7 years and she turns her back on the whole thing? What kind of sense does that make. And all her thoughts of how "if I am selfish, its only because Nate made me this way!" That, in and of itself is a selfish statement. Not wanting to take any responsibility for anything. A person who is proud of the fact that they never feel guilt. I honestly cannot understand why EITHER of these men wanted her.

A 21st Century Anna Karenina love triangle

Three respectable, privileged, and apparently intelligent people; two of whom do their best to destroy a family, oblivious to the collateral damage to the people they love.

Nathan, the upstanding, loving, respected, and annoyingly perfect husband, who has treated a relationship and marriage like a seven year long first date. His life is devoted to her, and to the community, in struggle to earn the love he feels he missed out on as a child. However, he tries too hard to avoid conflicts, so he never learns how to talk about or resolve them.

Sadie, his perfect 21st Century wife with a good job and looks, albeit no friends, interests, energy, or any apparent purpose in life. She cheerfully accepts, and becomes addicted to,Nathan’s love and adoration. She is reacting to her difficult childhood by focusing inward, and taking Nathan for granted, and so never learns that she has to tend to the relationship also. Unfortunately, she has a secret—one which she knows Nathan will understand and accept, but which she cannot bring herself to talk about. And so, when she has an emotional crisis when she does not get pregnant right on schedule, and Nathan goes through his own, mysterious, emotional crisis, Sadie is quick to jump to the wrong conclusions, and into the wrong bed.

Enter Finn, in the middle of his own mid-life crisis, who has moved in next door. He is transitioning from investment banker suburban husband into the urban hipster artist, and wants to jettison his wife, Kendra. He figures that if he paints his daughter a horse, she will not notice that her family is gone. Instead of just being honest and walking out, he convinces Kendra to sell the house in Connecticut while he sets up the new apartment in the City. Before Kendra end Sadie move in, he seduces Sadie, thus threatening to leave his family not only fatherless but homeless.

Kendra turns out to be the only cool character in the book. Yes, years ago she deceived Finn into becoming a father, and into giving up his artistic dreams to do the right thing. But years later, she realizes that, while she likes the suburban house and lifestyle, she loves Finn. He made all her dreams come true, so she is now going to return the favor. She agrees to leave the house, friends, family, and security, and live his Manhattan dream (probably her nightmare). OK, not particularly realistic—how many people ever even admit to doing anything wrong in a relationship, much less try to make it up to someone they love? But it does raise perhaps a key question: how do we atone for, or forgive, hurts. We live in a society where we value and strive for perfection and morality, so how do we accept the imperfections in ourselves and others?

Ms. Hawkins develops the characters, their emotions, and their bad decisions well. The slippery slope of seduction requires all sorts of rationalizations, and Sadie is the queen. She is not a particularly likable character, but she is somewhat sympathetic, because we are all vulnerable to seduction. First, being seduced by the apparent security of secrecy. Second, the seduction of fear, which protects her from admitting that she has kept a secret. Third, the seduction of blame--she cannot explain Nathan's emotions, so assumes the worst, so she does not have to face her own decisions. And fourth, seduction of sex--the perfect drug which allows her to escape everything, including herself.

And I have to add that the sex scenes were passionate, intense, and detailed, just like the emotional crises. (Tolstoy only mastered the latter, so Ms. Hawkins is one up on him.) In other words, pretty erotic, and just this side of porn. I have one question: Is “flooded my mouth” really a thing? (Sorry to spoil one of the happy endings, but you will probably see it coming.) Come on, Jessica, it’s only a quarter of a shot glass, hardly a tsunami. Maybe you were talking the metaphorical flood of emotions and pride that come with a job well done, but I guess from my gender perspective, I did not get it immediately.

But the real key to the book, and why I will listen to others by Ms. Hawkins, is her treatment of common issues which we have a hard time discussing, either in couples or in public. The paradox that the more family planning choices we have, the more unplanned pregnancies we have. That we are willing to sacrifice perfect relationships rather than apologize to, or forgive, the person we love. We would rather rationalize our bad decisions than swallow our pride. Our modern obsession with choices: unlike our grandparents, we can choose a job, our home, our spouse, and our children, and if we are unhappy, we can we can just make new choices. Sadie and Finn are the products of this culture. While they may be strange characters, their emotions are are old friends to us.

The book did not end with enough dead bodies by Tolstoyan standards, there are several months left on the lease, and the key characters probably have a lot of bad decisions left in them. But I like to be the romantic. The person who really deserves a happy ending (or a few) is Kendra. Maybe she could take Finn back, and her father could get him a job. She works hard to rebuild their marriage, and with each revenge affair she gets a little bit closer to forgiving him. She never quite gets there but keeps trying. How about it, Jessica?

Emotional roller coaster

This was my first book by Jessica Hawkins. The story was so engaging I could not stop listening to it. The narrator Andi Arndt is still amazing as ever. I have listen to countless stories told by here and they give me goosebumps because she is so amazing at becoming the characters in the story.
This is a heavy , emotionally satisfying story full of love, lust, drama and wonder on what will happen next. It was an enjoyable story to listen to and I would recommend it ! I can't say more or I'll start giving the story away . But take a chance and pick it up you won't be sorry!
Happy reading 😊

It was meh.

It was kinda stupid. The sex scenes were decent but the overall story was just kinda lacking for me. And the end was pretty blah as was Nathan's reaction to the affair. It was just kinda weak and lacking a little for me personally.

Gripping

Would you listen to Slip of the Tongue again? Why?

Yes I will listen again. I think you get more out of it the second time

Who was your favorite character and why?

Finn, he is honest and sounds lovely

Which character – as performed by Andi Arndt – was your favourite?

Andi does them all very well. Her voice is great for the part of Sadie though

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes near the end when Sadie has to make a decision of husband or lover

Any additional comments?

The only thing that disappointed me was the ending. I was hoping for an epilogue to give us some insight into the future, unless there is going to be a sequel........?

I won't recommend this book

This is my 6th book by Jessica Hawkins and it will be my last all the books i have listen to by her haven't been great but this takes the cake the female lead is a bitch [SPOILER ALERT] she accused her husband of cheating when she was the one cheating on him. I have read all the reviews and the fact that most of the reviews are saying this is like real life I can say that I do not think this book has any bearings on reality, in reality married couples actually talk to each other. Sadie is selfish and the bullshit she tells herself about not feeling any guilt just so she feels better about cheating on her husband really got under my skin. I sped this audio book up just so I could finish it, I found myself actually screaming at Sadie for the way she acted and her husband so not communicating with her.
I love Andi Arndt and have listened to over a dozen books narrated by her and that won't change because this book was the worst one yet!!! [this is my first book review and I have been an audible member for several years]

The not so pretty side of love

I loved this book because it was real. It showed love in all its forms, some not very pretty. It narrated the tale of a woman unhappy in her marriage, detailing her emotions and how someone else provided comfort when her husband did not. This book is gritty, sexy, sad. It's real life, not perfect and bittersweet. I get the ending, I do, but without wanting to spoil it, I wish it ended differently.