Review by embermatthews - How to Get a Life in Ten Dates

embermatthews 's review for:

How to Get a Life in Ten Dates by Jenny L. Howe

3.5

funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I love Jenny Howe’s writing style - her leading ladies are full of fire, sass, and emotion, and their stories are uplifting and funny! Haleigh (pronounced HAY-lee, OFFICIALLY! We asked!) is an anxious but outgoing editor, she is extremely relatable in that we all think we are total disasters at 25 because we compare ourselves to older, allegedly more successful people.

However - I can’t say the same about the leading man in this book. I could not stand Jack for much of the book, when we got to see him it put me off that he was happy to see her dates continue to be miserable because he wanted her but refused to ever say it, just like he refused intensive therapy and meds (neither are a bad thing!) After they finally get together is when we get to see him be kind to her, but it was so late in the story I felt sad that Jack, for me, just wasn’t up to snuff as a love interest and it ended when he was just getting good. I can honestly say I preferred Brian, even if he doesn’t read, and it was because he got so much more air-time than Jack that we actually knew him.

The dates Haleigh went on ranged from good to bad to downright uncomfy - a 5 mile mountain hike with a woman who doesn’t watch TV, a bagel stealing bird named Scooter, a guy named Bradley Cooper (not that one) trying to force feed her oysters, and a man who I can only call a pedantic, pompous prick, all came together to create cringe worthy experiences that were so fun to read it felt almost criminal to put the book down.

I couldn’t get a real read on Haleigh’s dynamic with her family - her narration made it seem like maybe her sister was the golden child and they all looked down on her, but I only ever got the sense that they worried about her. It seemed like her own self doubt clouded her perception of her family, and in the moment when she was borrowing clothes from Joey I thought she may see that and come to the same realization, or even maybe Joey would prove her right, but neither thing really happened. Until the end of the book, Haleigh continues to cut herself down and then accuse her family of doing it, when really they never do. It felt like a moment that should have happened earlier - but I am glad it happened at all.

The representation of OCD and anxiety in this book was well done, that both Haleigh and Jack continued to have episodes (good/bad days) and deal with their mental illness was part of what made it right. These things don’t disappear with medication and therapy but instead become manageable.

I could easily see this being adapted to film, which I say often in my personal reviews but never in my public ones, and I would love to see this perfect rom-com set up played out on screen, a valentine’s day chick-flick hit. Don’t ask me who I’d cast aside from Manny Jacinto as Brian, because I love him and he is SO funny, and my mother’s dog Rocky as Peanut the Chihuahua.

The spice was limited, such is life, but not every book needs to be 50% smut to be fun and enjoyable!

Content Warnings