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fireheart_books 's review for:
How to Get a Life in Ten Dates
by Jenny L. Howe
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for access to the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
How To Get A Life In Ten Dates was a fun, lighthearted romp through the dating life of Haleigh, a young plus-sized woman who loves books and aspires to be an editor, and seems to be cursed with bad dates. She allows her family and friends to set her up on ten blind dates in a bid to buy herself some breathing room from people asking about her love life.
I loved the representation of a larger woman in a romance novel where it wasn’t an issue or part of any challenge to overcome, we can just love Haleigh as she is. She’s funny, spews random facts, and has a strong belief in being true to herself at all times.
The string of bad dates was hilarious and super relatable for anyone who’s ever been single in their twenties or dipped their toes into the dating app scene. It was also refreshing that the badness of the dates was never really at Haleigh’s expense.
There were some things that I didn’t love though. Haleigh projects a lot of her own insecurities onto everyone around her, coming across as a very negative person who always looks for or assumes the worst in others. Her attitude is that she’s just so different that no one else could possibly understand her besides her best friend Jack, and that her shortcomings are just her marching to the beat of her own drum. She lashes out at anyone who tries to help her or relate to her from a different point of view. She’s quick to dismiss dates as potential romantic interests over very minor things, and holds onto a lot of resentment and jealousy towards her sister who has done nothing but try to help her for her entire life. There’s a love triangle and I actually found myself more invested and rooting for the other love interest, and the resolution felt a little unearned with a lack of growth on both Haleigh and Jack’s parts.
Overall, this was a fun read and I’m glad I read this, but really wish we could’ve seen Haleigh grow up a bit despite her constant complaints about adulting
How To Get A Life In Ten Dates was a fun, lighthearted romp through the dating life of Haleigh, a young plus-sized woman who loves books and aspires to be an editor, and seems to be cursed with bad dates. She allows her family and friends to set her up on ten blind dates in a bid to buy herself some breathing room from people asking about her love life.
I loved the representation of a larger woman in a romance novel where it wasn’t an issue or part of any challenge to overcome, we can just love Haleigh as she is. She’s funny, spews random facts, and has a strong belief in being true to herself at all times.
The string of bad dates was hilarious and super relatable for anyone who’s ever been single in their twenties or dipped their toes into the dating app scene. It was also refreshing that the badness of the dates was never really at Haleigh’s expense.
There were some things that I didn’t love though. Haleigh projects a lot of her own insecurities onto everyone around her, coming across as a very negative person who always looks for or assumes the worst in others. Her attitude is that she’s just so different that no one else could possibly understand her besides her best friend Jack, and that her shortcomings are just her marching to the beat of her own drum. She lashes out at anyone who tries to help her or relate to her from a different point of view. She’s quick to dismiss dates as potential romantic interests over very minor things, and holds onto a lot of resentment and jealousy towards her sister who has done nothing but try to help her for her entire life. There’s a love triangle and I actually found myself more invested and rooting for the other love interest, and the resolution felt a little unearned with a lack of growth on both Haleigh and Jack’s parts.
Overall, this was a fun read and I’m glad I read this, but really wish we could’ve seen Haleigh grow up a bit despite her constant complaints about adulting