Title: The Dating Bender
Author: Christina Julian
Genre: Chick Lit/Romantic Comedy
Release Date: August 22, 2017
Blurb
Here I am, on my
knees in front of the Trevi Fountain, hoping like hell the legend is true. That
the fountain gives you solace and love by a mere toss of a coin.
Why am I here,
exactly? Let’s see…
It started with my
parents telling me to get married. Of course, being the good Catholic girl I
am, I did.
Needless to say,
that marriage nosedived, and my parents weren’t exactly happy about it.
Newly ditched and
shamefully disowned, I decided to follow the advice of Babs, a
tart-of-a-mentor, who offered me a job in Colorado.
Her advice? Sex…and
lots of it.
The temptation of
freedom, to do whatever—whoever—I wanted was too damn strong for me to say no.
And that’s how it
all started. The men, the sex, the journey…
The dating bender.
Because everybody
deserves a do-over.
My Review
Samantha is the epitome of a hot mess. She gets married to Sheldon to escape her parents. When Sheldon gets a job offer away from home, Samantha starts on her own journey to find herself.
I wanted to love The Dating Bender. Unfortunately, I'm not sure my sense of humor lined up with the author's. The author has a lot of potential, however, there are some things that would have helped me like this book more. I felt there were way to many plugs for different magazines, television shows, and music artists. It seemed like every other page was something Samantha had read in a magazine. A little of this would have been ok, but it seemed a bit overwhelming. The story also felt like it was a little all over. Samantha never really kept the same friends over the course of the book, and by the time you got used to a character, they were gone. Also, even though I am not an intensely religious person, I could have done without some of the bashing of the Catholic religion. Touching on the stereotypes of a religion is one thing, but Vatican scene was a little much. I am giving The Dating Bender 3 stars. I needed a little less when it came to the magazine advice and a lot more when it came to the relationship developments.
As I always like to remind people reading my reviews, just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean you won't like it. We all have different tastes, and this book may be something you enjoy. An author makes a great effort to write stories and it takes a lot of courage to place that heart and soul out there for the world to see. I try very hard to not be rude during a review, and I would hope as a reader you would remember that authors are people too!
I wanted to love The Dating Bender. Unfortunately, I'm not sure my sense of humor lined up with the author's. The author has a lot of potential, however, there are some things that would have helped me like this book more. I felt there were way to many plugs for different magazines, television shows, and music artists. It seemed like every other page was something Samantha had read in a magazine. A little of this would have been ok, but it seemed a bit overwhelming. The story also felt like it was a little all over. Samantha never really kept the same friends over the course of the book, and by the time you got used to a character, they were gone. Also, even though I am not an intensely religious person, I could have done without some of the bashing of the Catholic religion. Touching on the stereotypes of a religion is one thing, but Vatican scene was a little much. I am giving The Dating Bender 3 stars. I needed a little less when it came to the magazine advice and a lot more when it came to the relationship developments.
As I always like to remind people reading my reviews, just because it wasn't for me doesn't mean you won't like it. We all have different tastes, and this book may be something you enjoy. An author makes a great effort to write stories and it takes a lot of courage to place that heart and soul out there for the world to see. I try very hard to not be rude during a review, and I would hope as a reader you would remember that authors are people too!
Purchase Links
Author Bio
Christina Julian writes
snarky rom-coms that celebrate the underdog and live to
make people laugh. She adores dysfunctional leading ladies and the tangled
twisty lives they lead. She adamantly believes there is nothing in life that can’t
be conquered with a bodacious wine, strong cup of coffee, or a generously iced
cupcake. When she is not tapping out her next novel or wrangling her 3-year-old
twins, she can be found sipping and swirling in the name of research as a wine
and food columnist in Napa Valley. She strives always to live her life to the
extreme.
Christina's work has appeared in the San Francisco
Chronicle, Wine Enthusiast, California Home + Design, 7×7, Weddings California,
NorthBay Biz, Napa Valley Register, Napa Valley Life, Bohemian, Weekly
Calistogan and beyond.
Author Links
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