Is She Really Going Out with Him?

Anna Appleby is a 38-year old magazine journalist for Bath Living (Bath, UK … not the tub.) She’s recently divorced from her ex, Dan, who’s busy re-inventing himself with the help of his 25-year old Swedish girlfriend. She’s fine … all she needs is their two kids, her cat and her job - if she can hold onto that last one! 

When a corporate takeover of her struggling magazine happens, she has to prove to the new boss that she’s still worth keeping. She proposes a column about dating in the real world, with the creative twist that she’ll go on seven dates chosen by her children: twelve–year-old daughter Jess and seven-year-old son Ethan. A bonkers idea, but he bites! Too bad golden-boy co-worker Will horns in on her plan and proposes an alternate view column about his experiences with seven online dates. The new boss LOVES the his and hers column idea!

Will Anna and Will’s dual columns become a duel for their jobs or will working together have them fighting their growing attraction instead? Seven dates with others and one tech-free eco retreat together and you’ll see just how complicated the answer to that question is!

I know what many will say. Hasn’t this story been done a million times? The easy answer is yes. In one form or another, those who read the genre will see tropes aplenty. Among others, there are:

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  Enemies-to-lovers

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  Office romance

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  Forced proximity

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  One bed

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  Against the odds

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  Want different things

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  Age gap (she’s 38, he’s 30)

Honestly, the tropes are usually WHY we read the genre, aren’t they? We know what to expect!

What makes Sophie Cousens consistently stand out for me amongst the crowd is the way she writes her characters. As ridiculous as some scenarios might seem (a Jane Austen-inspired date while strolling publicly in Regency attire, anyone?) - her characters always feel like real people, with a whole array of depth and complexity. They’re never one-note and superficial, and I’m hard-pressed to dislike any of them, because even their worst behaviors are relatable to the human experience. She also balances tone like no one else. The “light” is never too light and the “dark” never goes depressing, so I feel the whole range of emotions with her writing.

If you’ve never read a Sophie Cousens novel, I highly recommend you do, and this is a perfect one to start with. Listening along to the audio narrated by Kerry Gilbert was so good! You’ll love Anna and Will, Anna’s sister Lottie, kids Jess and Ethan, elderly free-spirit Loretta, and meeting an array of Anna’s awkward but charming dates. I loved every second spent with all of them! My one and only minor complaint is that I wished for just a little more time to enjoy the ending, since Cousens pushes that resolution to the final pages. No matter, though. It was worth the wait!

★★★★ ½  ❤

Thanks to G.P. Putnam’s Sons, NetGalley and author Sophie Cousens for the digital ARC to honestly review and my library/Libby for the audio. It’s out now.