Date night goes off the rails in this hilariously insightful take on midlife and marriage when one unhappy couple find themselves at the heart of a crime in progress, from the USA Today bestselling author of The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise.

Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, but Jane isn’t sure they’re going to make it to twenty. The mother of two feels unneeded by her teenagers, and her writing career has screeched to an unsuccessful halt. Her one published novel sold under five hundred copies. Worse? She’s pretty sure Dan is cheating on her. When the couple goes to the renowned upscale restaurant La Fin du Monde to celebrate their anniversary, Jane thinks it’s as good a place as any to tell Dan she wants a divorce.

But before they even get to the second course, an underground climate activist group bursts into the dining room. Jane is shocked—and not just because she’s in a hostage situation the likes of which she’s only seen in the movies. Nearly everything the disorganized and bumbling activists say and do is right out of the pages of her failed book. Even Dan (who Jane wasn’t sure even read her book) admits it’s eerily familiar.

Which means Dan and Jane are the only ones who know what’s going to happen next. And they’re the only ones who can stop it. This wasn’t what Jane was thinking of when she said “’til death do us part” all those years ago, but if they can survive this, maybe they can survive anything—even marriage.

I needed a palate cleanser after reading a couple of emotionally heavy books, and that’s what this book was for me – light, funny, quirky, and exactly what I needed to reset my reading brain. I read Colleen Oakley’s “The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise” when it was released a couple of years ago and enjoyed it, so I knew this would be a light and fun one.

Let’s start with the premise. Jane and Dan have been married for nineteen years, and to say they’re in a rut is… generous. Jane is feeling invisible – her kids are self-sufficient teens, her writing career has completely stalled (her one book sold a whopping 478 copies), and she’s convinced Dan is cheating on her. So what better time to announce she wants a divorce than during their fancy anniversary dinner at a place literally called La Fin du Monde (which is French for the end of the world)?

Just as she spills the beans and lets Dan know that she knows he is cheating and she wants a divorce, a group of clumsy, only slightly menacing environmental activists storm the restaurant and take everyone hostage. What’s weird to Jane is their actions and even their dialogue seem to be lifted directly from her novel. Naturally, Jane is freaking out, and suddenly this estranged, about-to-split couple finds themselves as the only people who know how this hostage situation is about to play out – and maybe the only ones who can stop it from going totally sideways.

Now, I know that when you hear hostage situation, it doesn’t exactly scream rom-com. But trust me, it’s more on the slapstick side than full-blown “Die Hard” side. The activists are more lovable than lethal (think “accidentally dangerous” rather than “actual threat”), and while there are stakes, the real heart of the story is Jane and Dan.

I loved Jane. She’s neurotic, controlling, and a little too invested in Google searches about “how to tell if your husband is cheating,” but she’s also smart, funny, and painfully relatable. Dan, on the other hand, is a soft, bumbling cinnamon roll of a man. He forgets things and says the wrong thing at the wrong time, yet somehow, it is so endearing that you kind of want to wrap him in a blanket and protect him from the world. Together, they are both a disaster and a delight.

Their dynamic was what kept me turning pages (or listening I mostly did the audiobook, which was fabulously narrated by Hillary Huber). I was rooting for them from the get-go, even as they bickered and flailed their way through this utterly bonkers night. There’s something deeply satisfying about watching two people who clearly love each other – even if they’ve forgotten how to show it – reconnect under the most ridiculous of circumstances.

I also appreciated that Oakley didn’t make the “villains” truly villainous. The environmental group, while borderline incompetent, is passionate about a cause that’s actually pretty valid. It added a nice layer of complexity to the plot – they weren’t just cartoon bad guys; they were people with ideals, even if their methods were a mess. It made the whole thing feel a bit more grounded.

That said, this book didn’t blow me away, but that’s not what it’s trying to be. It’s the literary equivalent of a comfort movie. It’s short, punchy, and has just enough emotional depth to keep you invested. So if you’re in the mood for a quick, quirky read with heart and humor – and maybe a side of light chaos – this one is totally worth the ride. Bonus points if you go the audiobook route; Hillary Huber absolutely nails the voices and keeps the tone just right.

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