jessejane306 's review for:

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

4.0

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I loved Howe’s debut On the Plus Side and several of those characters appear here. 

After too many disastrous dates, Haleigh wants to take a dating sabbatical. To keep her friends and family off her back, she agrees to let each of them set her up twice or hold their piece/peace. Hilarity ensues followed by some feelings.

 

I have no idea how realistic this is. Even when I had close friends, none of them ever wanted to set up me or get this invested in my personal life. This also has a friends-to-lovers trope for the main with second chance as the side. Both of those tropes are a tough sell for me since that’s not how I operate.  

Praise be that we have a hot Asian man going against the friend. People are sleeping on that demographic. Source: Simu Liu and my physical therapist with similar cheekbones. 

One thing that irked me was Haleigh being so disappointed Brian wasn’t a reader. I’m a book influencer (in the loosest possible sense of the term) married to a guy who games instead of reads. We like similar shows, movies, and leaving the house to do things. You don’t have to be with a reader to enjoy the relationship. 

Another pet peeve was teasing all the smutty scenes. The door was ajar, not open. I want the door off its hinges and the smut fully detailed, please and thank you. 

All of my issues are ME issues. This book works. It’s fun and sweet. It has excellent representation for anxiety in multiple characters and the reality of floundering in early adult. It’s fun and sweet. I had a good time and would recommend it. 4/5