In Sarah Pekkanen's "Skipping a Beat," what happened during four minutes and eight seconds causes Julia's and Michael's relationship to change forever. The power couple began their courtship as high school sweethearts. They wanted to leave difficult childhoods behind and achieve financial security. What they didn't realize during the romantic, early days of their marriage was that the successful careers and wealthy lifestyle they thought they wanted would cost them.
Michael's heart stops beating for four minutes and eight seconds during a board meeting of his massive DrinkUp beverage company. When he returns from death, he no longer wants to be the driven executive he'd become. Instead, he wants to slow down and revive the love Julia and he had felt for each other as teenagers.
Julia enjoys their current status, fancy cars, and sprawling home, but Michael believes they must give it all up to return to their original state of happiness. Julia isn't sure she's willing to make that exchange. The novel explores the complexities of marriage. It challenges the belief that once the rules in a relationship have been established, they can't be rewritten.
