DNF

An adult romance about a woman with vaginismus in which the heroine and all of her friends (all of whom are adults) use every childish euphanism for a vagina is absolutely not for me. Seriously, they talk about her "hoo ha".

I recently bought a new kindle after my old one broke. For some reason I was unable to download this title from the cloud onto my kindle, therefore I will be unable to review this title. I am sorry for any inconvenience caused.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

This was a fun and light read but I felt that the main character didn’t have even depth for me to connect with. I really wanted to get to know her more and I feel like the story didn’t give the reader a chance for that. I unfortunately didn’t post a review of it because of that. Thanks

This is one of the funnest books I've read in a long time. I loved the closeness of the core friend group and how unapologetic they are about being women. Ben was an absolute dream boat and it was nice to see a love interest with introverted tendencies and being a little shy! I'm a sucker for books that feature baking or the main character owning a bakery so that additional aspect of the book was fab.

I'm kicking myself for having taken so long to read this book but I am SO glad I finally have. Definitely one of my new favorite rom coms. I've been recommending this to all of my friends. Perfect for fans of Jenny Colgan and Helen Hoang because this book is the perfect hybrid of both of these authors!

Kay, the heroine, was rather annoying. I felt out of breath with her monologue on and on and on about how she’s freaking out she hasn’t had sex in two years. At first I thought she’d broken up with her boyfriend, but as I read on I learned he’d stuck around all that time, until of course things began to change. This book was definitely a miss for me.

When I reach for a chicklit novel I want to be taken down a path I'd never travel in the real world. I want to have fits of giggles and moments of real belly laughter. I want to care about the main character and I want to be friend with her friends. There must be a hot, charming and very witty love interest and of course enough heart to grab my emotions.

The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky checks off all those boxes for me.

Is Kat the most likable character. No. But that's kind of the point in most stories isn't it? She needed to grow and we get to see that growth. She is however hysterical, sassy and brave. That made her very endearing to me.

If you're looking for a fun read that will leave you smiling, this one is for you.

First, a confession: I decided to read this book more out of curiosity than out of interest. I found the premise to be potentially problematic and I wasn't sure how it could respectively handled in what was sold to me as a "great beach read."

Here's the deal: I read this book in one day. I can't even remember the last time I did that. It helped that we were on vacation with other relatives who could occupy my kids while I hid out in a lawn chair with this book. Still, I could have split my reading time among other books, but it is this one that caught my attention and kept it.

My concerns about this book, while valid, did not come to fruition. Honestly, I can't think of any other book that talks about these health issues that so many women face. I'm not sure many people even know what this is, but Heacock expertly explains it through narrative, instead of just giving her readers a medical lesson.

Kat is a fantastic character--she's wholly realistic in that she's likable, and yet still has glaring flaws. She's the sort of person I would like to have as a friend--usually. And, those times when she isn't a person I'd like to know in real life, her fictional characters call her on her behavior. A common problem I find in books that feature a "group of girlfriends" is that the friends tend to all sort of blur together. That is not the case here. Each of Kat's friends have a distinct personality and I can tell that Heacock had backstories in mind for each of them.

It is important to note that this is not a romance, because the romantic element in the story is predictable. However, I'm fine with that. The real story is Kat and her experience and the romantic element is a tool in that experience. Even though I knew where the story would end, I was still fascinated with how Heacock would get us there.

Finally, just a small aside. I get from the subject of this book that it might seem that this would be a, what I would call, a spicy read. If that is not your thing, please do not pass over this book. Admittedly, the story isn't chaste, but it is not a sexually graphic book and the intimate scenes are written with great and not-overly descriptive respect.

It's exceedingly rare that I spend a day reading one book and, when it happens, I want everyone to know about it. This is one of those cases. Even if you don't have an entire day to devote to this book, it is definitely one you will want to savor and enjoy.

If someone had been writing specifically to an audience of Amanda, they couldn’t have done much better than this book. Cupcakes! Awkward issues preventing successful sexy times! Banter! More cupcakes!

I read romance fairly irregularly because it takes a very specific level of awkwardness for me to enjoy it, so I could be off base here, but I’ve never personally encountered a book that deals so deeply with physical issues in the bedroom while also somehow providing steamy sexual tension.

Main character Kat has somehow forgotten to make time to deal with some physical issues preventing successful sexy times with her longterm boyfriend and as the two year mark approaches, she gets a little bit desperate to find a way to reignite her spark.

While Kat was sometimes oblivious to her own emotions and behaviors, it was still fun being along for the ride. Plus, the side characters each had their own fleshed-out backstories and personalities, which lent her girl gang of cupcakery coworkers some authenticity–even if one of them is named Butter, which seemed a bit far fetched. The love interest was also adorably nervous and nerdy, which is more or less catnip for me, so I was 100% head over heels for this story.

As is often the case for me when I read romance, I felt that the plot pacing was a bit odd at times, with everything speeding along after a given point. But as someone who likes a good slow simmer (see: Jim and Pam in The Office) that’s probably just personal preference speaking.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks sexy times can be a bit awkward or who loves some good banter. Or cupcakes, for that matter.

The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky was a book I was looking forward to reading. I had seen rave reviews, so I was hoping for a funny read. Unfortunately, I am in the minority here, I didn't love this book. The premise of the book is that Kat has a disorder that makes intercourse very painful for her. So she decides that after two years of doing nothing, she will take a break from her relationship of almost four years and get it sorted out.

I guess for me, I had a hard time liking Kat and her decisions. I never really understood why she chose to take a break from the one person she wanted to be with to fix her issue. I know Ryan found it awkward in the beginning, but if he loved her, he should be willing to help out. That is what a relationship is all about. You take the good with the bad. Anyway, there were a lot of awkward moments, but it was just a bit over the top for me. I just couldn't buy into the route Kat took to fix her issue. I mostly felt sorry for Ben.

I will say that the one thing I did like about the story was her relationship with her friends and coworkers. They did provide some comic relief, but it wasn't enough to save the book for me. I'll just chalk this up to being not for me. Like I said, a lot of people loved this book, so give it a shot and see for yourself. -Kari

Kat feels like she's letting down her long-time boyfriend Ryan in the bedroom. Their relationship is comfortable and relaxed, and completely lacking in sex. She initiates a break to get her groove back, and gets a bit more than she bargained for. We are along for the ride as Kat tries to figure out what it is that she wants from a relationship, tries to balance that with her career as a baker, and realizes that her friends are *the most* supportive friends a girl could ask for. Her path is indeed awkward, but fun and enjoyable. A great contemporary romance for those who like love with a side of cupcakes.

Favorite Quotes:

I don’t know what caused my vaginismus, but I do know I haven’t made it any sort of priority to fix the situation over the last two years. It’s breaking my heart. Ryan deserves better than someone who hoards her dumplings. It’s only now, standing here with my friends and our hands full of sex toys, that I realize I miss that early stuff in a relationship. Well, not just the early stuff, I suppose. The good stuff. I want to want to give away my dumplings.

Slapping her piping bag onto the table, Liz snaps, “Okay, fine. No, we didn’t say vagina. We said special, okay?”… I consider this. “That’s actually kind of genius. I’d grow up thinking my business was like, the key to the universe or something. I wouldn’t let just any man near my special, ya know? I like that. My special.”

My vagina can’t handle another two years on the shelf, okay? It’s not a fine wine. It will not get better with age, stored in a dark cellar. It needs to be uncorked right the f* now.

“I’ll give you a few minutes to get changed.” In a flash of red locks, she’s out the door, and I’m left wondering how long a few minutes is. Is this like a leisurely time when I can undress at a mellow pace, or more like eating in prison, when I’ve got about sixty seconds to get done what needs to get done before the door bursts back open and the riots break out?

I’m stunned. My face is set in an unflattering trout-like expression, and I can’t seem to form words anymore.

My Review:

I was stunned when I realized this cleverly written and highly amusing book was the author’s debut work. Stunned, gasping, then sputtering to form cogent thought, as The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky was a remarkable output, whether it was her first or hundred and first. The premise was unique and relevant while the storyline was cleverly entertaining, well-crafted, and delightfully engaging. The primary and secondary characters were not your garden variety – they were all kinds of quirky, endearing, beguiling, and peculiar. I adored them. Ms. Heacock cleverly imbued her characters with color descriptions and insightful details and tasty little tidbits that were comically amusing yet also insightful and keenly observant. I eagerly and greedily wanted to absorb all her words. I giggled-snorted and smirked my way through this cleverly devised tale.

Kat suddenly came to the realization that despite being in a long-term relationship, she was rapidly approaching the two-year mark in a sexual dry spell due to a real-life lady-bits condition known as vaginismus, which was a problem I was thankfully unfamiliar with. Kat was a driven, selfish, Type-A control freak with lots of self-inflicted and ridiculous rules. She was hard-working and skilled at her craft yet outside of her bakery, she lived in the land of denial, was socially awkward, verbally inappropriate, inattentive to other’s feelings, and generally had limited awareness of much beyond her own nose until the light bulb popped and she finally realized she was “an emotional cadaver.” As the layers of the onion were peeled we learn that as a child, Kat was often left with her fanatically religious aunt who had warped her perception of love, sex, relationships, and femininity. Once she realized the freakishness of allowing her problem to go unresolved for so long, Kat set about devising a plan to get her vajayjay in ship shape with a breathtaking timeline of one month, although a confluence of events and work opportunities threatened to derail her plans. While there were times I wanted to give Kat a good pinch, I remained engaged with this story from beginning to end.

First off a warning, if you are at all uncomfortable with the word vagina, this book is not for you. I did a search and it is used 76 times in 384 pages. That’s like once every five pages. And that doesn’t count the euphemisms that get used, my favorite one being “special”. Now that everyone is clear that this book is about a broken vagina, let’s move on with the review.

I may have sprained my one-click finger when I responded to Mandi in order to review this book. I read the blurb and was very intrigued about vaginismus and how it could be incorporated into a romance novel. Romance books tend to talk about vaginas a lot, but hardly in the context of them malfunctioning or being broken. For the record, the author uses broken to refer to the heroine’s hoo-ha several times, so I feel comfortable using it in this review. I would also like to clarify that this book is pretty firmly women’s/literary fiction with romantic elements and it worked really well for me.

Kat, our heroine, is partners in a cupcake shop. She and two of her best friends own the shop and another good friend works with them. The four women have an amazing friendship. I want to work with them. They bantered like true friends. The dialogue wasn’t stuffy, nor did it feel like the author was trying too hard to make them sound like actual people. Kat’s bajingo started malfunctioning almost two years ago. She sought medical treatment, but didn’t pursue actually working on the therapy and now she’s facing her anniversary and decides it’s time to get her nethers in better working order.

Because of her guilt, she tells her boyfriend to start seeing other people. But only for 34 days, the deadline she has assigned for her lady bits to be functioning again. Kat somehow comes up with an idea that perhaps the hunky Ben can help her with vagoo needs.

Ben is great. Seriously he is. He has this way of walking into the shop at unexpected moments and hilarity ensues. He’s sweet and not-pushy. He’s kind and understanding and listens to Kat’s needs. He’s kind of nerdy and wears Firefly t-shirts on the weekend.

Kat is a bit much. She’s over the top with her need to control things, she’s a bit self-centered, she doesn’t have much of a filter, and she’s obsessed with her special working again.

This book was filled with laugh out loud moments. I laughed a lot. There is a scene where cupcakes are thrown. Lots of them. It was amazing. This quote is just an example of the ridiculousness, for context Ben walks into the shop and overhears the women are talking about sex toys.

“I kind of hope you broke a rib just now,” I say, grinning. He clutches the counter. “Oh my god, I’d deserve it. I’m sorry, but that was the best thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” “We like to keep things fresh here,” I say casually. “We are a full-service shop.” His eyes pop open, and he makes a small choking sound. Shannon giggles and dives back into the kitchen, and I close my eyes in dismay over what I just uttered. “Oh, shut up. You know what I mean.”

Kat’s broken vagina gets a lot of page time, but it didn’t feel overwhelming. I definitely know way more about the condition than I did a week ago. And I am okay with that. For as many laughs as Kat’s broken vagina elicited, there was plenty of serious to balance it out. The condition wasn’t immediately resolved once she met a nice man. In many ways, I felt like Kat not only fell in love with Ben, but her body and vagina. There was a process to get her bajingo in better working order. It was refreshing to read about characters that struggle with something as personal and intimate as broken vagoo. There is definitely a stigma/hesitancy common in women that frequently prevents us from talking about our vaginas and the coordinating parts unless we are whispering. I don’t suffer from, nor do I know anyone with vaginismus, but I feel like the author treated the condition fairly and with great knowledge. In the back notes, she discloses that she does/did suffer from vaginismus.

I had some minor quibbles. Kat’s journey takes place over a 34 day time span and for all her vagina talk, not once does she mention her period. I would have preferred that Kat spend less time thinking about her boyfriend, but that is the romance reader in me.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny. It was also a little sad. It had a realness to it that I loved. Kat goes to the doctor and when she undresses she tucks her bra in her shirt and declares it “a thing women do.” I DO THIS! The conflict that happens seemed fitting and appropriately angsty. The grovel felt satisfactory. I enjoyed the progression of the relationship between Kat & Ben. Her friends/co-workers were amazing. I felt moderately educated on a disorder that until recently I didn’t even know existed. And to top it off, there are cupcake recipes at the end of the book.

Grade: A-

The Awkward Path to getting Lucky was well, awkward. Trust me I get awkward in all it's glory, I actually relate to it incredibly well when I am introduced to awkwardly endearing characters who stumbles through life as if they are walking through a construction zone in wedge heels while hustling for a waiting bus. This is the nuance: awkwardly endearing or awkwardly abrasive. There is a subtlety that must be fine tuned to prevent a character developing towards the latter. Kat the main character was awkwardly abrasive and gauche.

As stated in the blurb Kat has been diagnosed with an unusual ailment: 'vaginismus, a muscular condition that can make sex physically impossible.'. After 2 years of dealing with this she takes the bull by the horns and decides to find a cure. All done humorously, in satire of course. Whelp, I didn't love it, or like it even. I get her concern over her vagina, but why was everyone else as equally enthralled and captivated by its activities? Kat's personality was self-serving, she lacked a filter or an interesting personality. She tried to redeem herself, but my mind was made up about her by the time she became contrite.

As the owner of a cupcake shop, where most of the books setting was held, I thought perhaps this would be a fun diversion from her over the top 'therapy shenanigans '. Unfortunately it was more conversations of the same with added cupcake talk. (Yawn) I did enjoy her fellow coworkers though!

Ben, her love interest, or whatever it is you want to call the poor guy was pretty incredibly sweet. I didn't get why he put up with what he did. I just didn't get it. I still don't get it. I didn't find it funny making him uncomfortable constantly. My mind kept subliminally sending Ben the message to run and leave this annoying woman and her over discussed vagina alone! 2 stars.

This book had my laughing from cover to cover. It's not all about sex, like you would think based on the title, but it's really about the main characters lack of sex life. How she got her groove back in a sort of friend with benefits situation.
There may be times when she get frustrated by the main characters cluelessness when it comes to her past relationship and current friendship, but the dynamic between her and her friends/business partners totally makes up for it.

“I can’t frost this cupcake. My vagina’s broken.”

In The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky, Kat is the successful (and stressed) part owner of a bakery called Cup My Cakes. She works at this bakery with her friends Butter, Shannon, and Liz. When Kat realizes it has been two years since her and her boyfriend Ryan had sex due to Kat's vaginismus (a condition that makes sex unbearable), she decides they should take a break. During this break she want's Ryan to go get his kicks with other women while Kat sorts this vaginismus thing out herself. Soon she gets help from Ben, the cutest bakery customer and physical therapist. However, as time goes on the boundaries between Kat and Ben's friendship blurs as romantic feelings start to creep in.

This book was definitely a tasty treat! I thought it was a lighthearted read and found the characters easy to relate to. Heacock creates a great cast of girlfriends (Butter, Shannon, and Liz) to help Kat through her problems, both medical and relationships. As much as this is a romance, it is also a great story of friendship. All of the characters grow and build together, and the girlfriends end up being more important then the love interest- which I loved. Finally, at the end of the book Heacock gives us recipes for some of the "cuppies" in the book!

The Awkward Path To Getting Lucky came to my attention when I saw Lauren's Goodreads updates. I read the summary, and thought it sounded like a fun book that could make me laugh. And it definitely made me laugh. It brought back good memories of the chick-lits that I used to read. It's not without its issues, in my opinion, but honestly, this is a book that will leave you with a smile.

Let me get my biggest issue out of the way first, then I'll talk about the things I enjoyed. The main character. She was a real piece of work, in my opinion. Kat came across as super selfish, often times thinking only about herself. She had the tendency to make everything about herself, and it was honestly annoying. I also disliked how most of the time, she rarely thought about how her actions and decisions could hurt others. By the end of the book, she does come to the realization that she is self-centered, and I appreciated that, but I wish we had seen a more subtle growth in her. That being said, Kat could also be really ridiculous and funny, which is what got me through the book. Otherwise, just from her attitude I would have quit the book.

The characters that truly made The Awkward Path To Getting Lucky stand out were the secondary characters. I especially adored Kat's friends and partners at the bakery! They were a hoot, and I loved how open, and wild they were with each other. Their friendships were great, and I especially liked how honest they were with each other. AND they were constantly talking about baking and baked goods, and gosh if that did not make me HUNGRY all the time. Also, a bonus, the book ends with some recipes which only had me craving cupcakes in the middle of the night. I'm sure those of you who have a sweet tooth will appreciate this book for that. I also adored Ben, Kat's regular customer who turns into her sex-therapy buddy! I adored Ben who was just so pure and lovely and kind. He was hard not to love, and made the book even better for me. I honestly thought Kat didn't deserve Ben, but they had some really sweet moments. Though Ben knows that there's a time limit on their relationship, he takes his time to get to know Kat. Honestly, he was a sweetheart and a great love interest.

The premise of The Awkward Path To Getting Lucky may sound a little ridiculous, but it made for a humorous and delightful story. If you're looking for a fun read with a dash of romance, this is for you.

Running a successful bakery takes time. Lots of time. So much time that Kat is astonished to realize it’s been almost two years since she’s had sex with her boyfriend. It isn’t that she doesn’t want to, but last time they tried, it proved physically painful and impossible. And Kat’s been so busy, she forgot to follow up with her physical therapy. Oops.

With their anniversary looming, Kat gives Ryan a break from the relationship, while she works on her physical therapy, with a little—okay, a lot—of advice from her best friends/business partners. Their best customer is Ben, who just happens to be a physical therapist, so Kat enlists his help in her crusade. But Ben isn’t interested in just being a means to an end, and Kat has to figure out what is really important to her (besides cupcakes).

The Awkward Path to Getting Lucky is a hilarious romp of a novel, filled with awkward—of course—moments, lots of friendly banter, and cupcakes. So. Many. Cupcakes. I laughed so hard at Kat’s escapades with her friends: she has a knack for open-mouth-insert-foot, usually loudly and when Ben can overhear. If you need a laugh, a dose of friendship, or an appetite stimulant, this is the book for you.

(Galley provided by Harlequin/MIRA via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

This was the funniest book about vaginismus I've ever read. I loved all the characters, and the fact that even though situations might be ridiculous, they acted in a real way. I want to best friends with all of them.

This was just a hilarious summer read! I've heard amazing things from so many people that I trust so I knew I had to check it out. If you're looking for an adorable romance with hilarious one-liners, I recommend this one. A fun bonus: the main character owns a cupcake shop and there's some very delicious descriptions.