To call Taylor Hahn’s debut novel an unconventional romance is kind of an understatement. Right from its opening pages, THE LIFESTYLE announces in no uncertain terms that it’s something a little different. Thirty-something Georgina Wagman returns after hours to her law firm, where she has just been made partner, only to discover her husband, Nathan --- also a partner at the firm --- in a compromising position in his office with the young associate she has been trying to mentor.

Up until that moment, Georgina’s life had been kind of perfect --- so perfect, in fact, that her main extracurricular activity has been using her own superior life skills to try to engineer her friends’ love lives. So after getting over her initial shock, she is convinced that she can fix her own marriage as well. And she finds inspiration in a somewhat surprising place --- a conversation with one of her clients, who gleefully relates that she managed to save her marriage by joining a swingers’ club.

"Georgina is a complicated character whose vulnerabilities reveal themselves only gradually. By the time the novel nears its end, readers likely will be rooting for her to find her happy ending."

Georgina is more amused than intrigued, until she confesses this suggestion to one of her oldest friends and his girlfriend. To her surprise, Felix and Alina admit that they also have a non-monogamous relationship, and free spirit Alina offers to invite Georgina and Nathan to “play” with her group of friends. Not to be outdone, Georgina’s other good friend, Norah, and her husband, Ari, sign up as well, and she sees yet another opportunity. She’s been trying for ages to get Felix and Norah, who used to date while they were in law school, back together, since she’s convinced that Ari chronically underappreciates Norah. Maybe Georgina can find fulfillment for both herself and her friends.

Their first experience at a sex party is hilarious and awkward --- especially for Georgina when she realizes that one of the guests is none other than Whitaker Nolan, the man some might call the love of her life…or, at the very least, the one who got away. Years ago, she decided against following him to Peru, instead choosing a safe, predictable future with Nathan. See how well that turned out?

Georgina and her friends’ adventures in swinging don’t quite turn out how any of them imagined when they started out, but they all come away from the experience with a new perspective on themselves and their existing relationships. Although there are some sex scenes in the book, most verge on the ridiculous rather than the erotic. This might surprise some, given the premise, but it is perfectly in keeping with the overall tone and themes. Georgina is a complicated character whose vulnerabilities reveal themselves only gradually. By the time the novel nears its end, readers likely will be rooting for her to find her happy ending.

One more note: It’s not entirely obvious (though the epigraph sort of gives it away), but THE LIFESTYLE is, on top of everything else, one of the more creative contemporary takes on EMMA. Those unfamiliar with Jane Austen’s novel won’t miss out on anything, but Austen fans almost certainly will chuckle at the idea of Emma Woodhouse joining a swingers’ club.