Claire is a thirty-something divorcee who has ventured back into the dating world. Complications arise due to the fact that she is unable to have children, which she feels eliminates the prospect of finding love with a younger man or anyone who wants children. The first couple of dates she goes on are a result of online dating – these dates offer many laughs and end horribly! On top of meeting men via the Internet, Claire is encouraged by her friend/co-worker to attend Meetup events (which don’t pan out much better than the online dating). Throughout the story, she is torn about her feelings for a younger co-worker as well as a new (also younger) neighbor – both she finds attractive and both are interested in her.
The first half of the story is quite funny. I love Scott’s snappy humor. She also includes a lot great visual language. For example: “He looks like a cross between a little boy who is afraid of the headmistress at the orphanage and a puppy who wants a belly rub.”
A few funny quotes:
“Claire, you’re going out partying when Jesus was nailed to the cross?” – Claire’s mother on going out before Easter.
“Barbie actually looks like a hooker in her hot pink mini dress and stiletto glitter boots…” – Claire’s thoughts on a neighbor girl’s Fashionista Barbie
While I enjoyed all of the humor and getting to know Claire during the first half of the book (although she cries way too much), I felt like the story moved slowly at times. There were several occasions when I skimmed unnecessary details, such as the description of the furniture and bedding in her sister’s apartment and the fact that she picks up a glass of wine and slowly moves to the kitchen to sit down at a table. There was quite a lot of extraneous information like this in the first half. However, as soon as Nathan the “perfect” doctor (yikes!) showed up, I couldn’t stop reading because I really wanted to find out how things would pan out with him. He was so unlikeable that I loved reading about him. Claire blindly focused on his outward appearance while ignoring his MANY controlling and snobbish behaviors, which had me wanting to shake some sense into her. This kept me reading, as well–after all, she had to wise up sooner or later! The introduction of Nathan and Brandon’s character development made me really enjoy the second half.
K. J. Farnham 