A review by dollycas
New Uses for Old Boyfriends by Beth Kendrick

5.0

Dollycas’s Thoughts

This is my first experience with this author and I am thrilled to have been offered this book for review. The story is like a breath of fresh air and just what I needed.

It is hard to go back home again. In Lila’s case her life has basically fallen apart. She has lost her job and her husband has left her and all just a few months after her father has passed away. She arrives back in Black Dog Bay to start over and help her mom adjust to living without her dad, which turns out to be a much bigger task that Lila ever imagined. What follows is an incredible story where she not only helps her mom and reconnects with old friend but she also finds that going home was the right thing to do for herself.

The is a light read full of funny moments. I really like Lila. She really is a strong woman who had a jerk for a husband and she moves on after first making a huge final purchase before he cut off the credit cards and bank account. She finds her friends that stayed in Black Dog Bay are moms and busy but they were able to carve some time out to spend together. She also runs into an old boyfriend or two and her mother is on a mission to find her a new man as soon as possible.

Black Dog Bay is quite a place – “the best place in America to bounce back from your breakup.” With places like Better Off Bed-and-Breakfast, the Eat Your Heart Out bakery, and the Whinery bar, Black Dog Bay offers a haven for the suddenly single. So Lila is in the right place.

I particularly enjoyed this book because there is such a variety of women of all ages. Being older I really identified with Lila’s mom and the changes to her life. Younger women will tune into Lila and her friends. All of these characters are very engaging and they are all very diverse.

You do not have to have read Cure for the Common Breakup, the first Black Dog Bay Novel, to enjoy this story. It stands perfectly on its own. I do hope to go back and read the first one and anything else this author pens. She brings a great sense of humor to her work and gives us a happy ending too with several twists that made this an extremely delightful read.