Margins
Skipping a Beat book cover
Skipping a Beat
2011
First Published
3.75
Average Rating
352
Number of Pages

Julia and Michael meet in high school in their small, poverty-stricken West Virginia hometown. Both products of difficult childhoods—Julia’s father is a compulsive gambler and Michael’s mother abandoned his family when he was a young boy – they find a sense of safety and mutual understanding in each other. Shortly after graduation they flee West Virginia to start afresh. Now thirty-somethings, they are living a rarified life in their multi-million-dollar,Washington D.C. home. From the outside it all looks perfect – Julia has become a highly sought-after party planner, while Michael has launched a wildly successful flavored water company that he sold for $70 million. But one day Michael stands up at the head of the table in his company's boardroom—then silently crashes to the floor. More than four minutes later, a portable defibrillator manages to jump-start his heart. Yet what happened to Michael during those lost minutes forever changes him. Money is meaningless to him now - and he wants to give it all away to charity. A prenuptial agreement that Julia insisted upon back when Michael's company was still struggling means she has no claim to his fortune, and now she must decide: should she walk away from the man she once adored, but who truthfully became a stranger to her long before his near-death experience - or should she give in to her husband's pleas for a second chance and a promise of a poorer but happier life?

Avg Rating
3.75
Number of Ratings
8,737
5 STARS
24%
4 STARS
39%
3 STARS
28%
2 STARS
7%
1 STARS
2%
goodreads

Author

Sarah Pekkanen
Sarah Pekkanen
Author · 15 books

I'm the New York Times bestselling author of the upcoming thriller GONE TONIGHT, which Colleen Hoover hails as, "Riveting, original and powerful" and Harlen Coben raves is "Jaw-dropping... A wild ride." The audiobook of GONE TONIGHT is narrated by actress Kate Mara. I'm also the coauthor of four bestselling thrillers: THE GOLDEN COUPLE, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I've written eight novels that are contemporary fiction, not thrillers: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. My linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All is Bright," and "Love, Accidentally." When I'm not writing or spending time with my three kids, I'm a passionate advocate for rescue animals. I serve as Ambassador of RRSA India, a shelter and sanctuary for abused and injured street dogs and other animals in Anand, India. And I work with rescue horses weekly, doing everything from mucking stalls to cleaning hooves. Please find me on Insta and Facebook for more! My website is www.sarahpekkanen.com (Here on Goodreads, my policy is to only review books I really like. If I don't enjoy the book, I won't write about it - it's just my personal policy.)

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