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3.75 rounded ⬆️

New York Times bestselling author, Linda Holmes (Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo) is back with another story of a woman who needs a fresh start!

Longtime podcast producer Cecily Foster has always longed to host her own show, so she agrees to do a show her boss wants her to do when he promises to give her, and her friend and mentee, Julie-a chance to work on a project that SHE would like to do after this show wraps up.

The catch:

The show will be about Cecily going on twenty dates chosen by renowned dating coach/life coach/influencer Eliza Cassidy.

Of course, after FOUR years of being Single-she meets an intriguing guy named Will, just before the show is about to start!

He was chasing a runaway Great Dane named Buddy, who got loose on a busy street. She, who always carries a huge bag with everything you could ever need in an emergency, has just what he might need to corral the dog!
(See the adorable book cover!)

Even though sparks fly between the two, Eliza forbids Cecily from dating Will, whom she doesn’t believe is ambitious enough for Cecily. She is positive that at least one of the twenty men she has lined up will be a more suitable match.

But, when the two keep bumping into each other, one has to wonder if it’s coincidence or Serendipity?

I love when a book can HOOK me with an opening line-but unfortunately, this one started with a couple of chapters that had me questioning if I even wanted to read the book. (Yawn) Thankfully, once we got past the technicalities of Audio and Office Politics, it picked up and captured my interest.

It’s the third book that I have read recently which had the female protagonist having to go on dates selected by other people, but my least favorite of the three. (Trendy new trope?) This one focuses more on the main characters growth rather than the dates themselves. In fact, all twenty first dates are summarized in Chapter 12!

Still, I was interested in seeing how Cecily would reconcile her growing attraction to Will with her obligation to the show!

The one thing I could have done without was learning about Buddy’s chews-“Bully Sticks��! 😂 If you don’t know what they are, I will let you discover what that delicacy is for yourself! I am glad that I am a cat person! ☺️

A buddy read with MarilynW and DeAnn. Be sure to watch for their amazing reviews!

AVAILABLE NOW!

Thank You to Ballantine Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!