Sophie Cousens is on my immediate yes list when I see she’s coming out with a new book, so I absolutely did not hesitate to grab her newest, IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? And, unsurprisingly, I LOVED this book. I enjoyed her first novel, THIS TIME NEXT YEAR, as a perpetual fan of New Years–it was kind of a no-brainer. Her second, JUST HAVEN’T MET YOU YET, was a little silly (a woman falls in love with a guy when she gets the wrong suitcase at baggage claim and his sweaters really speak to her), and it gets unhinged in the third act. Her third book, BEFORE I DO, was actually way more interesting and took the story in directions that were much more unexpected than I had guessed. But it was her fourth, THE GOOD PART, that was the great solidifier. I loved that book so so much. It’s got a touch of magical realism–always a yes over here–but it was really thoughtful and thought provoking as it explored what would happen if in your 20s, you suddenly woke up one day to your life in your 40s. It’s a little 13 GOING ON 30, but more honest and authentic and from an adult perspective. And funny! It’s so sweetly funny. I loved it so much, so I obviously had high hopes for her latest book–which were met and exceeded, to my delight!
IS SHE REALLY GOING OUT WITH HIM? focuses on Anna–late 30s (though she reads a bit older), fresh off a painful divorce, mom of 2, and a lifestyle writer for her small town magazine in Bath. The magazine has been bought by a corporate overlord, and Anna is told that her job is at stake if she doesn’t start writing articles for her column that feel more personal. Fearing that a younger colleague, Will, is trying to make a play for her column, Anna tries to dig deep to come up with a fresh, personal idea that appeals to the bosses. She lands on the idea to have her kids pick dates for her to go on so it will be totally offline. Her editors flip for the idea but want Will to write a companion piece about internet dating. Though Anna has a strong distaste for Will’s ambition and his competing with her, she sucks it up to keep her job. Anna’s kids start picking dates including her son’s friend’s sad, fly fishing dad to a tv celebrity to their Jane Austen-obsessed mailman as Anna navigates her new life and relationship with her ex and learns more about what’s really driving Will.
This has so many fun things going for it–the first is obviously and of course, the dates! I loved the variety of dates Anna goes on, and it’s fun to see not just the types of men her kids pick but also the kinds of dates they pick for her. There’s a wide range both of successful and unsuccessful dates, and it’s just plain fun to watch Anna regain her footing in the dating space in this way. There’s also an element of surprise to each of the dates that kept me on my toes.
This amazingly does not take away from the developing romance Anna has with Will. This is classic enemies to lovers, but you get the sense immediately that although Anna may view Will as the enemy, he doesn’t see her that way at all. This is a fun place to start this couple in, and as a reader I felt honestly happy for Will when Anna started letting her guards down. They’re both complicated characters, and there’s no easy path to HEA–if anything, Cousens sort of writes them so far into a difficult corner that their way out of it feels a little easy. Because there is so much friction in Anna and Will’s relationship throughout, it truly doesn’t seem obvious all the choices that Anna will make along the way–truly refreshing. The end set piece here, which Cousens is so so good at writing, is truly swoony and memorable.
I honestly thought this book was right on par with THE GOOD PART–both are romances but just feel so authentic and she is writing about complicated issues in a way that is really engaging. I loved them both and can’t wait to read whatever is coming next from Sophie Cousens.
5 out of 5 stars
Synopsis (from Amazon):
Columnist Anna Appleby has left her love life behind after a painful divorce. Who needs a man when she has two kids, a cat, and uncontested control of the TV remote? Besides, she’d rather be single than subject herself to the hell of online dating. But her office rival is vying for her column, and no column means no stable source of income. In a desperate attempt to keep her job, Anna finds herself pitching a unique angle: seven dates, all found offline, chosen by her children.
From awkward encounters to unexpected connections, Anna gamely begins to put herself out there, asking out waiters, the mailman, and even her celebrity crush. But when a romantic connection appears where she least expected it, will she be brave enough to take another chance on love?
