The Undoing of My Marriage
28th October, 2025
Take me back to when we said ‘I love you,’
and I felt the weight of those words to my core.
So convinced our love would last forever.
Just take me back to before I wasn’t sure.
AJ knew the honeymoon phase wouldn’t last forever, but she didn’t expect to feel like she and her husband were roommates this soon. As she navigates the disillusionment that followed her wedding day alongside early motherhood and the COVID-19 lockdown, she finds herself increasingly dissatisfied with a life she thought was supposed to bring contentment. Fantasising about other men to cope with her waning attraction to her husband, and blunting her inner turmoil with antidepressants, she tells herself her feelings are normal – after all, don’t all long-term relationships end up this way?
When she stumbles into an unexpected online connection with a man across the world, AJ can’t deny how intoxicating it is to want someone again; to feel wanted, to be seen as more than a wife and a mother. She begins to wonder: what if it’s not her marriage that’s the problem – what if it’s monogamy?
AJ comes up with a way to experience novelty and passion again without compromising the stability she has with her husband or upending their daughter’s life: an open marriage. After getting her husband on board, what initially seems like the perfect solution soon exposes cracks and vulnerabilities AJ never anticipated.
Written a few years after the author’s marriage ended but narrated through the lens of her earlier self, The Undoing of My Marriage blends raw, immersive prose with lyrical poetry originally composed in real time. An intimate exploration of female desire, identity, and modern relationships, it offers a compelling read for fans of autofiction and for anyone seeking an honest, lived account of non-monogamy and a marriage unravelling.
Read a free sample here.
Published in October 2025 by Troubador (UK)
Written by AJ Moore (a pseudonym), a New Zealand-based writer and poet.
Includes a bonus ebook Not a Fairytale Ending: The Rewriting of My Story
Reviews
Very well written. I was hooked to the story already from the first pages. It's the reality of a married life that drew me in. I really like the writing and I enjoyed easy and captivating chapters. Poems are nice addition and relevant to the story. Thank you for this book and something to think about. I will be re-reading for sure.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital review copy.
Note:
This review was originally published on goodreads on 10 December 2025.
This is such a raw and emotional read. I felt it in my whole heart. you can relate to alot of what these characters are going through even if only in parts and even if its simply because we are all living in current times. but the grass isn't always greener line is one for a reason. and we might all think or see a different life, a different moments. but for me this book proved that humans are humans as they ever were and sometimes a "new way" is going to challenge a fair few human hearts a bit too much. especially in this book when our main character clearly was behaving out of symptoms of a wider problem within rather than just want to be devoured and have fun with someone other.
i liked how it was judgy or pushy and simply a story of itself.
and it was as honest as it needed to be given the subject matter which i also appreciated. whilst being on the side of not wanting us all to spiral into a depressive state whilst reading!
i want to check out more from this author for sure as the writing was really good and i enjoyed the flow of the writing alot.
AJ Moore has written a devastating book about about her marriage. From the bright happy days of their relationship to years into their relationship where she looks for affection online. Such a sad raw intimate look at her life her marriage.
This book was very raw. It was sad. It was very emotional and a lot of people can relate to this book in their day-to-day life or their path, life, etc. but it has so many mixed emotions. It grabs you by the road it doesn’t let you go into the very last page I was excited for this book because sometimes we all go through things and we’re afraid and she took a lot of chances and it was very roar. Thank you for this read.
AJ's book came to me at the exact moment when I needed it most. I devoured the story she shared. Her writing is excellent and authentic.
This was such a raw and devastating look at the undoing of a marriage and what lead up to the end. The author’s honesty is amazing and I was captivated while reading. This is a book many people in our current times will be able to relate to in one way or another. The poetry throughout was also beautiful. This book will really make you reflect and think. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.