By Lauren Layne
Release Date: September 2019
Ebook Available from WV Reads!
2.5 stars- I think I was the wrong reader for this story but romantic comedy fans will find much to swoon over. Layne has mastered writing fun novels about city dwellers and unlikely love matches. Her prose shines here but I just could not invest myself in the plot.
Layne was a go-to read for me years ago, chick lit fiction without extra drama/angst. It's no surprise to me she's on the new wave of romantic comedy bestsellers. I'm talking the ones with animated cover characters and sassy snippets of dialouge. Her friend groups are always great, straight from 'Friends' usually. The idea of three best friends having bonded over their love of a manwhore... I couldn't get it. These women are likable, witty, and mostly classy. However, this has a lot rehashing how, in general, they slept with the same guy. Claire is cute and funny. As a person, she's great. But too defined by her relationships with others and outside perspective for me. Scott is Layne's usual grumpy hero with a heart of gold the adorable heroine chips away at. Most comments say "If you love Sex & The City..." and they would probably be correct with a few exceptions.
Layne's stories can be engrossing but without the whole 'who's the killer or stalker' angle? Anybody who loved Tessa Bailey's Fix Her Up will embrace this story and some fans of Janet Evanovich's early romances. Personally, I don't think the tale of sweet heroine casting a spell over the gruff but good-guy hero gets old. All that said, Claire (and her friends) come off very sheltered and naive, a little too much so. Sometimes I found myself wondering if real people like them exist. I love pink, consider myself a low key girlie girl but still. And we've reached a point where authors can give a lead a millennial's personality but be mid-30s. It's probably refreshing to some to have a shift in main characters back to people in their 30s after years Ebook sales geared to women in their 20s. Here both hero and heroine have a past and baggage to overcome. This fell just a little short of my expectations from Layne and I don't think I'll be reading the other two in this trilogy.
(NS)
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