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michelleinsea 's review for:
How to Get a Life in Ten Dates
by Jenny L. Howe
Thank you to St. Martin’s press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I’ve read Jenny’s first two books and really enjoyed them, and I really really wanted to love this one, too, but unfortunately, it’s more of a “like” for me because there was one glaring aspect of the book that really didn’t work for me.
Here’s what I did love:
* Jenny’s writing is engaging and funny without trying to be too clever. She’s wonderful at writing a likable protagonist—I was rooting for Haleigh so hard through this book.
* Jenny captures really well what it’s like to have a family to pressure you to be “paired up” in your 20’s, especially the aspect of said family members trying to set you up with another person solely because they’re single, “nice”, and maybe there’s one thing that you have in common with them. Maybe.
* LOVED the bi-/queer rep in this book.
* The plot device of the individual bad dates worked really well and had me both laughing and cringing.
* I enjoyed the easter eggs connecting to Jenny’s other books. I hope that bodes well for possibly getting a more Brian-centric book in the future!
Here’s what I didn’t like (SPOILERS ahead):
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* Haleigh’s family is pretty awful towards her. For her character growth, I really wanted to see her start to set some boundaries with them and their meddling/pressuring, which would have been appropriate for a 25-year-old who’s finding her independence. I know that romcoms need their HEA, but I almost would have rather seen this one go the women’s fiction route and have Haleigh just attend her sister’s wedding solo and be happy with finding herself…which leads me to…
* I couldn’t stand Jack, the main LI. He’s super moody, continually critical of Haleigh, and only decides to tell Haleigh his true feelings when he gets scared that she’s legit starting to connect with someone else. I felt like they ended up together mainly because they were comfortable with each other and had known each other forever, rather than them actually being good for each other.
* On the other hand, Brian, on the losing leg of the love triangle, is a total sweetheart. No, he doesn’t devour books the way that Haleigh does, but he’s Haleigh’s biggest cheerleader in their interactions, is flexible, and in general, I thought was a much better balance for Haleigh’s anxiety. I had really hoped that Haleigh would choose Brian, as that would show Haleigh moving out of her comfort zone and choosing a partner based on how he treated her, rather than having every possible interest in common.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but at the end, I felt that Haleigh deserved a better partner than the one that she got her HEA with.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
I’ve read Jenny’s first two books and really enjoyed them, and I really really wanted to love this one, too, but unfortunately, it’s more of a “like” for me because there was one glaring aspect of the book that really didn’t work for me.
Here’s what I did love:
* Jenny’s writing is engaging and funny without trying to be too clever. She’s wonderful at writing a likable protagonist—I was rooting for Haleigh so hard through this book.
* Jenny captures really well what it’s like to have a family to pressure you to be “paired up” in your 20’s, especially the aspect of said family members trying to set you up with another person solely because they’re single, “nice”, and maybe there’s one thing that you have in common with them. Maybe.
* LOVED the bi-/queer rep in this book.
* The plot device of the individual bad dates worked really well and had me both laughing and cringing.
* I enjoyed the easter eggs connecting to Jenny’s other books. I hope that bodes well for possibly getting a more Brian-centric book in the future!
Here’s what I didn’t like (SPOILERS ahead):
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Haleigh’s family is pretty awful towards her. For her character growth, I really wanted to see her start to set some boundaries with them and their meddling/pressuring, which would have been appropriate for a 25-year-old who’s finding her independence. I know that romcoms need their HEA, but I almost would have rather seen this one go the women’s fiction route and have Haleigh just attend her sister’s wedding solo and be happy with finding herself…which leads me to…
* I couldn’t stand Jack, the main LI. He’s super moody, continually critical of Haleigh, and only decides to tell Haleigh his true feelings when he gets scared that she’s legit starting to connect with someone else. I felt like they ended up together mainly because they were comfortable with each other and had known each other forever, rather than them actually being good for each other.
* On the other hand, Brian, on the losing leg of the love triangle, is a total sweetheart. No, he doesn’t devour books the way that Haleigh does, but he’s Haleigh’s biggest cheerleader in their interactions, is flexible, and in general, I thought was a much better balance for Haleigh’s anxiety. I had really hoped that Haleigh would choose Brian, as that would show Haleigh moving out of her comfort zone and choosing a partner based on how he treated her, rather than having every possible interest in common.
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but at the end, I felt that Haleigh deserved a better partner than the one that she got her HEA with.