michellesantiago's review
5.0
($3 paperback)
One of the best chick lits I've read in a while. I love everything about this novel and it's going on my favorites shelf. Full review to come.
One of the best chick lits I've read in a while. I love everything about this novel and it's going on my favorites shelf. Full review to come.
starryeyedwings's review
3.0
I wanted to read chick-lit because I was in the mood for something light, and that's exactly what I got. Same predictable plot: heroine has major issues relating to life/career/love, finds a guy, falls in love, has a fall-out, gets back with guy, and happily ever after, along with the resolution of any other problems. How it gets to the end, is what makes one chick-lit story different from another. I picked up this book because it was unlike other ones I've read, in that it addresses the very controversial notion (in the West, at least) of arranged marriages, and so makes for a very unique sort of plot.
The heroine is a girl named Anne, a thirtysomething who's had a string of failed relationships. Her best friend getting engaged is finally the push that makes her topple over the edge, and she, in a desperate move, calls a company that arranges marriages between people based on how well they match, after undergoing a series of tests. She thought it was a dating service, but she considers it and asks herself, "why not" since love didn't do her any good, so she goes and pays for the service.
Anne, also being a journalist by profession, decides to write a human interest piece in her magazine about arranged marriages, as a way to explore this foreign institution further. I loved how the book went into depth about what an arranged marriage actually is, rather than what some people in the West believe that it's forced (NOT the same thing, by the way). It also enforces the friendship notion of a marriage, rather than passionate, romantic love - a modern notion, in fact. Any marriage takes work, and the book really showed this through Anne's eyes.
That said, the heroine herself seemed quite childish for thirtysomething. She has this ridiculously blinded notion of finding that fairy tale romance, while everyone else around her seemed firmly rooted in logic. It was quite unrealistic. And also of note are the damn number of freaking coincidences in this book!! THAT annoyed me to no end. I mean, come on, the girl lived in NYC!!! How many times does a person actually run into her ex(es) in this ginormous city? She has four, and I feel like every fifty or so pages Anne was like, "Oh there's so-and-so". Totally unrealistic and purely for the story purpose of giving Anne some sort of insight at just the time she needed it, which was annoying.
The ending, as well, was highly unsatisfactory. The beginning was good, building up to what I thought was a fantastic middle, it just kept pulling me in deeper and deeper, and then . . . Nothing. It just fizzled out, very anticlimatic.
Hence why I gave it 3 stars, instead of four or five, because the coincidences and namely, the ending, were too big issues that I couldn't ignore, even if the beginning/middle were amazing enough to keep me up reading.
The heroine is a girl named Anne, a thirtysomething who's had a string of failed relationships. Her best friend getting engaged is finally the push that makes her topple over the edge, and she, in a desperate move, calls a company that arranges marriages between people based on how well they match, after undergoing a series of tests. She thought it was a dating service, but she considers it and asks herself, "why not" since love didn't do her any good, so she goes and pays for the service.
Anne, also being a journalist by profession, decides to write a human interest piece in her magazine about arranged marriages, as a way to explore this foreign institution further. I loved how the book went into depth about what an arranged marriage actually is, rather than what some people in the West believe that it's forced (NOT the same thing, by the way). It also enforces the friendship notion of a marriage, rather than passionate, romantic love - a modern notion, in fact. Any marriage takes work, and the book really showed this through Anne's eyes.
That said, the heroine herself seemed quite childish for thirtysomething. She has this ridiculously blinded notion of finding that fairy tale romance, while everyone else around her seemed firmly rooted in logic. It was quite unrealistic. And also of note are the damn number of freaking coincidences in this book!! THAT annoyed me to no end. I mean, come on, the girl lived in NYC!!! How many times does a person actually run into her ex(es) in this ginormous city? She has four, and I feel like every fifty or so pages Anne was like, "Oh there's so-and-so". Totally unrealistic and purely for the story purpose of giving Anne some sort of insight at just the time she needed it, which was annoying.
The ending, as well, was highly unsatisfactory. The beginning was good, building up to what I thought was a fantastic middle, it just kept pulling me in deeper and deeper, and then . . . Nothing. It just fizzled out, very anticlimatic.
Hence why I gave it 3 stars, instead of four or five, because the coincidences and namely, the ending, were too big issues that I couldn't ignore, even if the beginning/middle were amazing enough to keep me up reading.
hufflepuffinthelibrary's review
2.0
I received this as an ARC from librarything.
I had a tough time rating this book. I found the beginning so frustrating, I almost didn't finish it. I felt like I was reading a book written by a highschooler who knows their stories are supposed to have vivid descriptions but they're not quite sure how to put them in without making it sound awkward and forced. Instead of being swept up in the story, I sort of felt like I was being force fed the story.
Luckily, as the story progressed, the writing got much better and achieved that much needed flow. So much so that I actually started to enjoy it.
This is an unconventional story about Anne who's fed up with relationships and crappy men. She's thirty-one and wants nothing more then a happy ending, but can't seem to find it. She finds a card on the street one night for what she thinks is a dating service, only to find out that it's really an arranged marriage company. Before she really knows what she's doing, she finds herself flying to Mexico to meet her "match". Enter Jack. Everything Anne ever wanted but didn't know she wanted. Someone who can be more than just a lover. He can be her best friend, too. But what's a relationship without some drama and betrayal? Can they get past it and realize that love happens in mysterious places?
Flawed at best, but still worth the read.
I had a tough time rating this book. I found the beginning so frustrating, I almost didn't finish it. I felt like I was reading a book written by a highschooler who knows their stories are supposed to have vivid descriptions but they're not quite sure how to put them in without making it sound awkward and forced. Instead of being swept up in the story, I sort of felt like I was being force fed the story.
Luckily, as the story progressed, the writing got much better and achieved that much needed flow. So much so that I actually started to enjoy it.
This is an unconventional story about Anne who's fed up with relationships and crappy men. She's thirty-one and wants nothing more then a happy ending, but can't seem to find it. She finds a card on the street one night for what she thinks is a dating service, only to find out that it's really an arranged marriage company. Before she really knows what she's doing, she finds herself flying to Mexico to meet her "match". Enter Jack. Everything Anne ever wanted but didn't know she wanted. Someone who can be more than just a lover. He can be her best friend, too. But what's a relationship without some drama and betrayal? Can they get past it and realize that love happens in mysterious places?
Flawed at best, but still worth the read.
kfears214's review
4.0
I like the book because it is a quick read and it is a romance without going into too much detail on the sex life etc. The book is different, there aren't a lot of cliche's and you aren't really sure how it's all going to work out or if it will. The ending was a little rushed and leaves you a little dissatisfied but overall it was a good book.
elinoah's review
3.0
I thought this book was an ok read. I finished it quickly. The premise was interesting, but I did feel like it went on a little too long.
shannonisstillreading's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
dtrumps's review
5.0
I can't believe I just completed my first book by this author. I really liked this book and the whole concept, it was definitly fun and different. I would recommend this book. I think I would compare this author, based on this book, to Emily Giffin, and you should know I LOVE Emily Giffin. I already have another book of hers waiting at the library for me.
randomly_kait's review
3.0
This book was okay, but not nearly as good as I was hoping it would be. I liked the fact that the main character and the love interest were both writers, but I had a hard time connecting to them. I liked the premise of the book, but it took a lot for me to stay concentrated on the story.
dripdrip's review against another edition
5.0
When I heard Catherine had a new book coming out, i was really stoked, but i was also kind of worried, that it wouldn't live up to the amazing SPIN. Man was I ever wrong... I usually take my sweetass time to read books, but I got through this one in just a few days because I couldn't stand to not be reading it. I felt like I was in SPIN-world again, but it was ARRANGED-world this time. It's also not the kind of books I usually read, I like the gory stuff. I don't know how you do it, but you do it. Thank you Catherine for another great read, and I will keep looking forward for your new books years to come. Also thumbs up for being born and raised just 2 hours away from where I'm from..:)