Jo Wilde's sweet and engaging Just the Two of Us manages to be both a pandemic love story and a thoughtful look at the ups and downs of a long marriage. Julie Marshall is on the brink of serving her husband, Michael, with divorce papers in March 2020 when the lockdown necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic forces them to stay at home together. After nearly 35 years, their relationship has gone cold and they have grown distant, especially since the death of Julie's mother. But with Julie's flower shop closed and their three grown children all isolating elsewhere, the couple begin to reflect on the life they've built and wonder if they can find a way back--or possibly forward--together.
Though Wilde's narrative tone is light, she deftly captures the odd panic of early pandemic days: the hours of silence, the constant worry about virus transmission and the desire for even a bit of in-person company. She also paints a nuanced picture of two people who have always deeply loved each other but who have lost the former joy they took in each other's presence. Wilde (Four Minutes to Save a Life, writing as Anna Stuart) captures the mixture of grief, longing, nostalgia and attempts to move forward through small moments: a picnic in the garage with Michael's beloved motorbike, an impromptu waltz in the living room and halting conversations that sometimes stall but are believably heartfelt. Readers will root for Julie and Michael to not only make it through the pandemic but also make it to their 35th wedding anniversary--and to all the years beyond. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams