Customer Reviews

Sex Lives of Wives: Reigniting the Passion

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Holly Hollenbeck is a marvelous storyteller. She brings the stories of married women to life with respect for the complexities of modern day wife-hood, and a challenge to women to get back in touch with the passion that day-to-day life sometimes robs us of. Holly has brought together important research and common sense ideas to help women form a new way of thinking about how to connect with their husbands.
I was concerned about the chapters that discuss alternative lifestyles, including swinging and affairs. I'm not a big fan of partner swapping, and I abhor infidelity, so I was interested in seeing where this would go. I think the basic message that came out here--even though it made me uneasy--was that the power of connecting with your partner trumps the immediate gratification of having a fling with others.
Ultimately the book challenges women (and men) to think differently about how to get passion in their lives. And I'm all for that!

Finally, someone nailed it.

It's easy to say that "your family" is the most important thing in your life. But many, many people are happy to put the daily management of kids ahead of the romantic relationship between husband and wife. And as the husband-wife relationship deteriorates from neglect, the family is at risk. This book offers an accessible, user-friendly way for couples to re-energize their romantic relationship and reinforce the stability of their family.

Every psychologist will tell you that unmet needs drive emotions, and emotions drive behavior. The author gently points out how husbands and wives can better meet each other's needs, and shows that anyone can make their marriage stronger.

This is a messy but critical topic, and Hollenbeck deftly navigates the minefield of sex, intimacy, emotions, self-worth, and family stability. A must for any couple who are looking to recharge their marriage.

Information is power. The power to love and be loved. Holly has captured my interest in some of the ways women think. After many years of marriage it is never to late to learn. Thoughtful insight as how to bring back that sexual fire that we had before the kids, mortgage and career building. I found that it is still there, we just need to work at it a little (or a lot in some cases).
Holly's book in not only a life's lesson for women, but also for men.
Thanks for the memories!

Finally, a guidebook that speaks to our hearts and bodies without mystifying phycho-babble. Real women, real solutions and real easy reading. Holly writes like a warm and wonderful friend.

I love the author's honest voice and her basic message that the joy of sex puts more joy into our lives. It's weird, and almost embarrassing, that so many of us probably need to hear what this book has to say. But as the author discovered, there's a sexual (and emotional) vacuum in many relationships today. Her advice on "getting your mind in the game" has definitely had an impact on my marriage. This book is a gift and an inspiration.

Sex Lives of Wives is an entertaining and fun read. Additionally, it provides you with practical advice on how to keep the passion alive in your marriage--something very worthwhile. Buy this book, you won't regret it and neither will your spouse!

Holly Hollenbeck's "Sex Lives of Wives" is an outstanding real-world exploration of a subject more commonly (and boringly) explored by dry, analytical therapists. This book connects with what i'm sure so many couples experience in their lives and offers some very interesting viewpoints and ideas. Because Ms. Hollenbeck is writing as a wife and mom instead of as a psychologist or marriage counselor, you never feel that she was preaching or talking down to you. In fact, I saw the author on The Today Show and even in person she's a very real person and you can tell that she's followed her own advice, and apparently with very pleasant results!

It's also nice that the author lives in the midwest rather than in LA or New York because we get a real feeling for what MOST people are going through rather than a 'select' group of atypical individuals.

The common belief is that relationships are 'work' and I guess they are, but "Sex Lives of Wives" shows how that 'work' can (and SHOULD) be fun. It's a how-to in the best sense and I recommend it to anyone, even if you're not currently in a long-term relationship.

Written for married women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who feel trapped in passionless marriages, "Sex Lives of Wives" offers ways for these women to rediscover the passion within themselves. Although Hollenbeck describes experiences by married women (from her Passion Seekers support group and from online research) who participated in extra-marital affairs, swinging, and alternative sexual practices to reignite their passion, the book's theme always returns to the spouse.

Using the metaphor of "passion quest," Hollenbeck describes most of her ideas in figurative terms such as taking emotional and sexual journeys to new places, and occasionally in literal terms including actually traveling to a couple's only resort and visiting a nude beach. This book offers many different ways of reigniting the passion in marriage, and concludes with a glossary of passionate terms, a guide to sexy entertainment, resources on human sexuality, and Passion Seekers coupons. "Sex Lives of Wives" is an informative and entertaining book.

Leslie Halpern, author of Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies and Dreams on Film: The Cinematic Struggle Between Art and Science.

Holly Hollenbeck reminds us to put our spouse and our relationship at the top of our "To Do" list. I love her opening chapter -- you might see yourself!

With so many of us making New Year's resolutions, I know I need to resolve to keep my marriage strong and reignite the passion. I'd recommend this book for a book club (don't forget the chocolate martinis!), a gift for a new (or not so new) bride or any gal pal.

With managing a home with five (yes, five)kids and trying to maintain sane, I know this book was a good one for me to read.

Sex Lives of Wives is a entertaining and informative book on how to maintain the passion in marriage. Holly Hollenbeck writes with a down to earth real world style. She writes from the perspective of a fellow traveler on the journey to greater marital passion. As a wife and mother from the mid-west she is easy to identify with as a reader. Wives and Husbands should read this book together and then begin a passion quest together.