A deliciously provocative novel about a woman caught between the comfortable stability of her marriage and her memories of a more sensual past—the first book in a three-part series based on the #1 fiction podcast.

Diana Wood has a job she likes and a husband, Oliver, she loves. Together, they have a daughter they adore. She and Oliver spend so much time together, they even carpool to work in the same office. They’re in married love, which isn’t exactly the same as love love, but it’s fine.

Or is it? Is fine good enough?

Diana and Oliver haven’t had sex in months and their intimacy seems more like a memory than a reality. The cozy trappings of Diana’s life in Dallas, Texas have become ever-more confining. She is restless, growing more distant from Oliver by the day.

A trip to see an old friend in Santa Fe prompts Diana to remember the woman she used to an aspiring artist; someone devoted to creativity, spontaneity, sensuality. In her past—especially with Jasper, the dashing photographer with whom she once had an unforgettable love affair—Diana let herself fantasize, she let her body lead the way. She was wholly…alive.

Returning to Dallas, Diana decides to rediscover the deeply feeling woman she once was. She begins interviewing other women, painting their portraits as they speak. She encourages them to give voice to their secret desires as she captures their deepest, innermost fantasies. But is it possible for Diana to reclaim her more sensual self and maintain the marriage she committed to? What if connecting to her own desires means dissolving the safe life she’s so carefully cultivated?

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to get when I picked this book from Book of the Month. I never listened to the podcast this is based on, but I was intrigued by the premise. I’m all about empowering women, and I love reading about women who find themselves, so I decided to give it a try. While it had a slow start, I actually ended up enjoying this one.

The book focuses on a woman named Diana Wood. Despite having a fulfilling job, a loving husband, and an adorable daughter, she feels a growing sense of restlessness and dissatisfaction. She absolutely adores her husband, but their sex life is pretty much non-existent, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to reignite the spark between them. This brings her to revisit her past – a time when she was young and free and carrying on a steamy affair with a photographer named Jasper.

Diana decides to interview women as they talk to her about their wildest sexual fantasies. She records their sessions and then paints them, letting the words they speak guide her art. The more she speaks to these women, the more she thinks about Jasper and the further she slips away from her husband. When she finally realizes what she is about to lose, it may be too late.

This is a pretty steamy book. In fact, when I started it, I texted my friend with a picture of the book and told her that the book was horny – it is. That’s not a complaint at all. This book is definitely written for women, but I still enjoyed it. At the same time, I feel weird saying there were parts I didn’t connect with. It’s pretty obvious why I didn’t. I mean, I love my female friends, and I’m all for female empowerment, but as a cis-white gay male, I will never truly know what it’s like to experience things – sex or otherwise – from a woman’s perspective.

That said, I appreciated how the book portrays female desire and sexuality with honesty and depth. I also appreciated that Diana didn’t just speak with young, straight women about their sexual journeys and fantasies. She included different sexualities, and there was even an interview with an elderly woman that left me saying, “You go, grandma!” after she finished her story.

As I mentioned earlier, the book started slow, and I was kind of bored, but about halfway through, Diana’s marriage started to fall apart, and I began to feel more connected to her and her husband. The book became a little more focused at this point, and I was fully invested. I felt the disintegration, and like Diana, desperately wanted them to fix it. My last complaint is that cliffhanger ending. I felt like the book was just starting to take off, and suddenly, it was done. The only saving grace was that I saw on Goodreads that the next book is out in just a few months. I will definitely be checking it out – if only to see where Diana’s story goes next.

Overall, I liked this one. It’s not a literary masterpiece by any means, and I felt that the second half was much better than the first half, but I still enjoyed it. If you’re looking for a book about female empowerment and embracing who you are (and getting some steamy sex scenes along the way), this book is likely for you.

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