Member Review

Anna Appleby's husband left her and their children to pursue his midlife crisis, leaving Anna convinced that her life was full enough with her kids, an ancient cat, a pregnant little sister, and a full-time job as a journalist for the local magazine. But when a merger puts that job at risk, she sets out to write a column about the difficulties of finding love outside the internet with dates chosen by her children. If that weren't hard enough, the office wunderkind, who is also her greatest rival, is assigned to do a companion piece about online dating. Can Anna survive the awkwardness of dating after 35? And will she be brave enough to accept love when it comes at her from the most unexpected place?

I was hooked on Anna's story from the get-go. We get to see how awful things got before Anna slowly starts to put in the work of getting her life back to where she's happy. It's not easy, but it definitely is entertaining. Will is a great counterbalance to Anna and their banter and interactions make everything else that Anna goes through even better. I also enjoyed the fact that Cousens never really makes the failed dates about the guys being awful, it's always just incompatible personalities and Anna walks away from all of those experiences with a better perspective and having learned something about herself. She makes friends and helps them as much as they help her.

A very enjoyable read that gives you much to think about and shows that you don't need to give up what makes you happyx to find love.

Delighted thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the excellent read!