This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
“As soon as I said ‘I do’ I knew I’d made a mistake.”
It’s perhaps not the best way to start your married life, but it turns out Molly’s doubts were justified when she finds herself divorced at the age of 39, living in New York and dating the most boring man she’s ever known. But surely dating someone secure is safer than falling for the first man to put his umbrella over you when it’s raining…right?
Molly is fearless about everything – except love. Her messy divorce has scarred her and she’s now incredibly weary around men, preferring to take the safer option. In this case, the safer option is Russell, a sensible chiropractor who bores her to death, but at least Molly knows he will never sleep with his secretary.
A writer for one of New York’s top online magazines, EyeSpy, Molly is no stranger to unusual projects in the name of work – from parachuting to trying to sneak vibrators through metal detectors. It’s when Molly is tasked with writing an article about finding a soulmate – in the style of Nora Ephron – that things really get going. To say that this isn’t Molly’s ideal project would be an understatement, but in order for her to achieve her dream of becoming a columnist (this character has ‘Carrie Bradshaw’ written all over her), she must accept her mission and learn to throw away her cynicism and open her heart to the possibility of love. Where to begin…
I have mixed feelings about this book. Molly is witty and I enjoyed her humour. She is intelligent and strong, too, but some might find her a little abrasive. It’s definitely nice to read about an older heroine and I warmed to her as I continued to read. We come to learn that Molly’s cynicism is in fact a defence mechanism and when she meets bestselling author Cameron Duncan, her icy exterior starts to thaw. The main problem I had with Molly is that she’s deeply unhappy and, as a generally positive person myself, I felt she brought me down a little. As she researches love for her article, Molly starts to fall for Cameron and there are some funny scenes between them, but I struggled to buy into the romance when Molly is so negative.
The main thing I found myself questioning when I started reading the book was who Nora Ephron was. (FYI she’s a screenwriter who wrote the screenplays for When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless In Seattle and You’ve Got Mail.) This book is clearly a wonderful tribute to her screenwriting, but the problem was, I had no idea who she was, or why she was of such importance to Molly, therefore this plotline didn’t interest me. I did eventually research Nora Ephron and it all made sense, but it put me off slightly at first.
As I continued to read, I had a strong sense that this book is very much aimed at an American audience. There are lots of references to places in New York and I felt like the author assumed that, as readers, we’d been there and knew what these places looked like. It does have a hint of Sex and the City about it and that is very appealing to fans of the show, like me. (I heart Carrie Bradshaw!)
There are some great moments of humour and I did laugh out loud once or twice. If you like an older protagonist on a voyage of self-discovery, then this book is perfect for you. Unfortunately, it didn’t entirely do it for me.
5/10
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