Rating: 3 stars

After nine years of dating, Holly is sure her boyfriend Will is going to propose. But instead of popping the question, he shocks her by suggesting they open their relationship to date other people.

For the last three years, Fliss and her boyfriend Ash have been in a happily open relationship. But now that they’re turning thirty, he wants to close it, throwing Fliss’s whole ethos of living life on her terms rather than society’s expectations into question.

When Fliss overhears Holly crying in the toilets during her first date in nine years, they decide to ditch their dates and have dinner together. They strike up an instant friendship with Fliss agreeing to teach Holly everything she knows about being in an open relationship, while Holly, who’s been with one person for almost a decade, can help Fliss try monogamy.

Fliss is willing to give up dating other people if it means staying with Ash, and Holly is willing to try anything if it means she gets her happy ending with Will. But perhaps both Fliss and Holly will learn that there’s no one size fits all when it comes to relationships . . .

I received a digital copy of this book through the publisher on NetGalley for an honest review.

Open Minded was an enjoyable book for me to read as Holly and Fliss are both relatable characters struggling with opposing issues. I enjoyed seeing that as the story was told from both their perspectives, so it was interesting to see what was going to happen in regard to their relationships once the two of them became friends. I enjoyed seeing this sisterhood between the two of them and how it came about and seeing them going to each other for advice when it came to the issues in their relationships and how to deal with them.

I also enjoyed seeing their relationships with the guys they were with and seeing everything play out. While I didn’t necessarily like all of the guys and the relationships Holly and Fliss had with them, I enjoyed seeing these two different relationships. I also found both Liam and Rowan’s characters an interesting dynamic in these stories as Holly grapples with her now open relationship by dating Liam while Fliss struggles with keeping Rowan as just a friend now that her boyfriend wants to be exclusive.

While I found these aspects of Open Minded enjoyable to read, there were some things with the story too I disliked. One of my dislikes had to do with the lack of Holly and Fliss actually taking each other’s advice when it comes to their relationships. I feel like they both go to each other for advice during their friendship and seem like they’ll take what the other is saying to heart. But from the beginning, Holly lies to Fliss about why she and Will are in an open relationship and Fliss doesn’t initially listen to Holly when it comes to her “friendship” with Rowan. As a result, I feel like a lot of conflict happens in this story that wouldn’t have occurred if Fliss and Holly took each other’s advice.

Another issue I have with this book is how both Holly and Fliss handle their relationships. With Holly, the issue I have with her relationship with Will is that even though they’ve been together for nine years, I felt from the beginning that there was something off in their relationship. It wasn’t until later in Open Minded when she was dating Liam that I realized how little Will actually listens to her and that she wasn’t standing up for herself in their relationship. There is also very little communication between the two of them too because Will decides that they are going to have an open relationship but then never communicates with her what he wants from it. Then once it’s no longer working for him, Will doesn’t say anything and expects Holly to just be with him again.

With Fliss, the issue with her relationship with Ash was communication regarding their relationship becoming exclusive. Ash asks about the two of them becoming exclusive and Fliss just goes along with it but then there’s no further discussion about it. I feel like the issue is more on her end though as when she realizes that she can’t be exclusive, she doesn’t discuss things with Ash until she makes a reckless decision that almost cost them their relationship. It isn’t until she’s without him that she realizes that while she doesn’t want to be exclusive, she wants to continue having open relationships but wants to be with him while being in an open relationship.

As a whole though, Open Minded is an enjoyable read that has you seeing relationships in a different way. While I know for myself an open relationship is never something I’d personally do, this book allowed me to see what an open relationship can be like for those involved. Open Minded has a publication date of November 12, 2024, for those interested in checking out this book.

Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my review of Open Minded! If you enjoyed my review of this book, don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments below or check out another one of my blog posts.