The Book:
A Girl Like You by Cari Scribner
Published February 9th 2021 by Circuit Breaker Books.
Date read: August 4, 2021
The Characters:
Jessica
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
When 57-year-old Jessica Gabriel finds herself heartbroken and single after failed marriage number two, her adult kids convince her to explore the world of online dating. With a new haircut, a gym membership, and a dating profile as a 49-year-old (everyone knocks a few years off, right?), Jessica trudges through a pool of not-so-eligible bachelors—from a pothead who tells her weed makes sex better, to a much younger man who confuses her with a different lover, to a dominant male with a penchant for clothespins.
Meanwhile, Jessica takes a job at the town hall, where she’s often left to do all of the work while her boss spends his days gossiping with his cronies. Eventually, these old-timers grow on Jessica, and she begins to count them as friends. When Jessica witnesses the lengths one of them will go to save his marriage, her hope in love is renewed.
Jessica’s journey is full of tears, laughter, and an astonishing amount of sex. She learns the meaning of “catfishing” and “ghosting,” finds herself pushing her sexual boundaries, and ultimately, embraces her independence. With the love and support of her family and friends, Jessica discovers being alone doesn’t have to be lonely.
The Review:
Many thanks to the author for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoy listening to people’s bad date stories, so this book was certainly amusing. I admire Jessica’s readiness to get back into the dating pool after a divorce, and appreciated how willing she was to try modern dating. She certainly learned a lot.
I really loved Jess’s relationship with her kids. They were so open and loving with each other, and I really enjoyed the scenes where they were all encouraging each other about going on dates. Their relationship was hands-down the best part of this book.
I would’ve liked to see a little more growth from Jessica. I wanted someone to give her a hug and tell her she doesn’t need a man to be happy! It kind of felt like she went on bad date after bad date, but didn’t learn anything from them. I think the book would’ve felt more resolved if she learned that she was happy on her own or something to that effect. However, I can totally relate to her awkward, leggings-loving side whose hobbies include hanging out on her couch with her dog.
Overall, this was a fun book about the “what now” of life. If you’re struggling to get back into dating after a divorce, you’ll find this one hilarious!
The audio was not so great. The narrator spoke very very slowly even at the max speed the app could go to, and you could clearly hear the pages turning in the background. Some stumbling over words wasn’t corrected. Definitely a homemade audiobook, which I appreciate the effort of, but doesn’t quite match up to all the professional audio productions I normally listen to. I think this book could have really benefited from a professional voice actor.
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