Publisher: Danielle Allen (July 8, 2017)
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Chick Lit
WARNING: CLIFFHANGER
Dating is hard.
Dating online is hard.
Dating online in your thirties is hard.
Dating online in your thirties after being in a ten-year relationship is hard.
What’s not hard?
Meeting men who aren’t really single.
Having your time wasted.
Receiving unsolicited pictures of genitalia.
Said genitalia.
When did dating become so complicated?
I just want to find a nice, good looking man who replies to my entire text message and doesn’t text me “WYD” every hour. I just want to find a fun loving, intelligent man who doesn’t have a Master’s Degree in Cheating and isn’t fluent in lies. I just want to find a man who is actually the height he listed in his dating profile.
I jumped back into the dating scene with tempered expectations. I didn’t think all the men I would meet were going to be amazing, but I didn’t think so many of them were going to be disasters.
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Jen's Review:
Look, I know you’re not
supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the truth is, a great cover can
really pull me in. Especially in romance, where I have to admit, I get a little
tired of looking at glossy six-pack abs and ladies in flowing pastel dresses.
Enter Disasters in Dating by Danielle Allen, a book with a striking and
gorgeous cover. Combined with a charming blurb, and this moved right up my
list. Sometimes I just want to read something with a little more humor, and
this seems to fit the bill.
Desiree is about to
enter the world of online dating after a ten year relationship that collapsed.
One of the charms of the book is how smoothly Danielle Allen showed me Desi’s
excitement and nervousness about this new world. Desi can’t believe this is the
way dating works now and wishes it could be more “organic.” If, like me,
you’re a reader who has never had the experience of online dating, reading this
book is hilariously awkward and uncomfortable and left me wondering more than
once, OMG is that really how it works?? Meanwhile, everyone else will
likely laugh, giggle, and nod along as Desi navigates the pick-ups, text chats,
and dick pics that are dating in 2017.
Desi is a strong, likable
character with a crew of best friends helping her through the journey. They
prop her up, give her advice, and encourage her to move past her ex-boyfriend,
Troy. The relationships with her girlfriends, and Desi’s relationship with
herself, are what make this book so appealing. The bad break-up was a year and
a half ago, and Desi has given herself time to figure out who she is and what
she wants. The beginning of the book starts with a series of 4 painfully bad
dates, and rather than letting men act like fools, or let herself be taken
advantage of, she stays true to herself and isn’t afraid to tell men how she
feels. It’s pretty great.
In terms of the writing,
my observation is that this book does a lot of telling and not showing. A lot
of her relationships are conveyed through the texts and messages they send each
other, and there is lots and lots of dialogue where Desi describes how she is
feeling. Some of her dates aren’t in the narrative, instead Desi retells her
adventures to a friend. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just a different kind of
pacing. I found myself wanting a little more action, and a little less of Desi
in her own head. However, I do think that Danielle Allen has a knack for
dialogue. There’s a lot of fast chatter and back and forth with her friends and
dates, and the book has the cadence of sitting in coffee shop overhearing a conversation
between girlfriends.
As
a warning: Disasters in Dating defies a lot of what I expect in romance
novel. At first, I was frustrated that I couldn’t figure out which man Desi was
going to end up with, but once I started reading it as a book about Desi
figuring out who she is and what she wants, I decided to enjoy her dating
journey. HOWEVER, I must warn you that the book has an unannounced cliffhanger ending.
Luckily, the next book comes out on August 6th. I’ll admit that I am intrigued
with the description of the next book, Brink of Disaster: “Brink of
Disaster: This one. Brink of Disaster: This One. Two Guys. Two Endings. Two
Books. How do you want the story to end? The Choice is yours.” I honestly do
not even know how I feel about a Lady or the Tiger romance novel ending! Talk
about a cliffhanger. Maybe Danielle Allen should take Molly O’Keefe bowling.
Sheesh.
3 STARS!
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Jen read this on Kindle Unlimited.
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Thanks for the review, Jen!
That cover is gorgeous, so I can see why it would jump up your list! It's too bad that things didn't quite work out with the romance/ending (ugh, surprise cliffhangers need to die!), but it does sound like otherwise it was an enjoyable read, if just for the conversations and friendships!
How would you all categorize this one? More chick lit / women's fiction than romance, since it's unclear who she's going to end up with?
That cover is gorgeous, so I can see why it would jump up your list! It's too bad that things didn't quite work out with the romance/ending (ugh, surprise cliffhangers need to die!), but it does sound like otherwise it was an enjoyable read, if just for the conversations and friendships!
How would you all categorize this one? More chick lit / women's fiction than romance, since it's unclear who she's going to end up with?
Enjoy!
Until Next Time,
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