This book was very readable. It was somewhat of a cross between a Cosmo Magazine article and a romantic comedy. It was very similar to the movie, "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", but with reversed roles and more dimensional characters. I would recommend this book to young adult women who enjoyed the E.L James books.

Andie Christopher’s debut Not the Girl You Marry puts a genderswapped spin on the idea from How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days with a biracial heroine and a hero who I definitely imagined as Chris Evans the whole time. Hannah is a successful event planner living in Chicago, and life is pretty good, except for her love life. She’s used to guys disappointing her, and as a result, she is a bit prickly and unromantic, and that prevents her boss from promoting her to a wedding planner position. Jack is the stereotypical nice guy, so he thinks, and despite putting everything into his relationships, his girlfriends always leave him. He’s trying to jumpstart his journalism career into serious political reporting, and but his trashy boss wants him to write a story about how to drive women away. The concept of this book is fascinating because it’s a fake relationship, but neither person knows that the other is faking it as well. Hannah needs Jack to be her date at an engagement party in two weeks, and Jack needs to drive Hannah away before the two week deadline for his story, and despite constantly sabotaging one another, the two realize that this relationship might be the real deal if they can stop lying to one another and give it a shot.



There’s a lot of buzz about this book, and it’s well deserved. The writing is sharp, funny, and Christopher manages to weave in feminist criticism of dating culture that will resonate with readers. Hannah’s biracial identity is a big part of the story, and I loved how while that was something that made Hannah never feel good enough or black/white enough, Jack treated her as if she was the greatest thing ever, when he wasn’t sabotaging their relationship, of course. The biggest challenge of this plot, for me, was if the author was able to balance out Jack’s awful actions with enough good to see why Hannah would still want to be with him, and I think Christopher did that. I’m hoping that there are going to be books for other characters in this book, maybe between Hannah and Jack’s best friends. Overall, a fun and humorous read that has some poignant moments.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Not the Girl You Marry was a cute and fun read but it did drag on a little for me. As a black woman, it was a bit difficult for me to identify with Hannah Mayfield's biracial character. I get that she had a black father and a white mother but her black side was perceived as negative to me. She dated a black man but the wrong one and he decimated her self esteem. Hannah constantly replayed continuously throughout the book how this guy crushed her and she swore off love. Hence the title of this book.

Hannah meets Jack and there is instant chemistry she tried to fight. I really liked Jack. I liked him more than I did Hannah. Jack tried to make himself the perfect boyfriend but his girlfriends always left in the end. We find out he has MAJOR mommy issues which led to him not fairing well with woman, until Hannah. the two had this easiness about their friendship and got along well. There wasn't a bunch of angst between them but they both were using each to further their careers.

It all worked out in the end. The author did not shy away from race but Hannah was too whitewashed for my taste. This would be a cute beach read or a book for girlfriends to read and discuss. Overall, the book was enjoyable.

The concept of this book was better than the reality of reading it. I found the characters shallow and the plot to be how to lose a guy in 10 days without the laughs.

A fun, light read with good diversity and feminism rep. Likely millennials will relate to the characters' work and dating woes!

Rom com fans won't be able to resist this genderbent take on How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, with a chic and brassy protagonist and a hunky male lead with a soft side.

This book was fine, but not a favorite. The subterfuge was just a bit too much at times, and criticizing the other person for acting in the very way you acted is a little too hypocritical for my taste. I did appreciate the Herculean efforts he went to to make things up to her.

If you loved the movie, How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days, then this is the book for you! Jack is a modern romantic; sweet, handsome, the perfect boyfriend. He can't understand why his girlfriends always break up with him. Hannah has been told she's "Not the Girl You Marry" and has sworn off men because they just hurt her too much. When they happen to meet at a bar, sparks fly but neither are really interested in a real relationship until they both need a boyfriend/girlfriend for job promotions. And you can guess where it goes from here. Almost too much like How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days for me but overall I did enjoy the book!

This brought up a lot of great social issues and I loved how the characters handled it. Would definitely recommend for fans to contemporary romance.

This book was so cute. I loved every second of it. Even though they were both lying to each other about why they were together, their chemistry was amazing. I was definitely rooting for them from the beginning, even if they had shady reasons for initially getting together. This is one of my favorite reads this year!

Not the Girl You Marry is a more current version of How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, and it doesn't disappoint! I was sold simply by the French Bulldog on the cover.

Not the Girl You Marry

Both Hannah and Jack have been unlucky with love. Hannah, who is distrustful of men, is still hurting from her last relationship which damaged her self-esteem. On the outside, she is tough, successful, and beautiful. On the inside, she is insecure, about herself, her personality, and the fact that she is bi-racial. Hannah is determined to be true to herself, but she is challenges the people she meets by being an over-the-top version of herself as a defense mechanism.

Jack is too good to be true but fails at love because he is too perfect. In the past, he put the needs of his partners before his own and is now determined to look out for himself, to protect his heart and his future.

While I truly appreciate the author’s desire to write a current, culturally appropriate love story, I felt that it would have been so much more without the complicated tangle of lies. Even though both characters have strong support systems, the challenges they face getting to know one another, in their careers, with exes, and with life, would have made for an even more compelling story.

I had great hopes for this based on the publisher’s description. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is one of my favorite movies. I liked the idea this book was a spin on that theme, until I started reading it. It seemed the author was trying too hard and at times I felt as if certain phrases or words were just used so a box could be checked off. There was a lot of repetition in the romance scenes and could’ve used a thesaurus for a little variety with the descriptions. I really, really wanted to enjoy this more than I did. I liked the story and the characters but the writing was stiff and didn’t seem genuine or authentic at times.

Slow start, but charming characters and a fun throwback to the movie 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' - great romance for the millennial bracket - 35 and under :)

This book was so cute but honestly I would have dumped him the second he started pulling that crap on me.

This book had me at carnitas. And then there was hockey. And one of the most swoon-worthy heroes EVER. Add in a heroine who is real and raw and just perfectly imperfect, and you've got a book that is absolute PERFECTION. I had been dying to get my hands on this book, and it far exceeded any expectations I could've had!