Skipping a Beat by Sarah Pekkanen

Published by Washington Square Press

Abridged ssynopsis from Booklist via Amazon:  High-school sweethearts Julia and Michael have left their humble West Virginia roots far behind for a glamorous life in Washington, D.C. As they achieve more in their careers—she as a high-end events planner, he as the CEO of his own sports-drink company—they lose themselves as a couple. After Michael has a near-death experience, he decides to give away all their wealth and focus on his relationship with Julia. But she’s not ready to forgive him for choosing his work over her when she needed him most. Pekkanen’s novel traces the couple’s attempts to make amends for allowing success to replace love.  --Aleksandra Walker

I really liked this book.  The very end was not unexpected, but the way the author got the characters to that point was.  The flashbacks talking about Julia and Michael's history worked well; it did not seem as if you were bouncing back and forth between the present and the past without any continuity.

My favorite character was Michael.  He was flawed but lovable.  I sort of wanted to shake some sense into Julia for jumping to conclusions and not giving Michael a chance to prove himself.

I have also read The Opposite of Me by Sarah Pekkanen and liked Skipping a Beat better.