Book Smart

d'Amanda C. Pennington (2022) - SmartyPants Romance

Résumé : Melanie Hirsch is tired of watching life pass her by…
I’ve spent the last few years watching my dreams of a writing career and true love fade away, settling for a dead-end job and denying my feelings for my best friend - until I find a list of dating advice for single women to “find a husband” in the 1950s. I decide to experiment: try out the 1950s advice on my 21st-century dating pool and write about the results. If love is timeless, some of the dating advice still holds value. Maybe my experiment will launch my writing career. Maybe I’ll get over my best friend and meet someone new. Either way, I’m done watching from the sidelines.

Cameron Whitacre can’t wait forever…
I’ve spent the last few years in love with my best friend, hoping she’ll notice my friendly overtures have more than friendly intentions - but before I realize what’s happening, she declares me her wingman for a dating experiment. This idea could launch her writing career, so I’m trying to be supportive. But her experiment turns my life into a desperation-fueled dumpster fire. I need to show her how I feel without jeopardizing our friendship, all before she falls for someone else.


Ce livre m'a beaucoup frustrée, je l'ai bien aimé, mais je suis aussi mitigée sur les choix de l'auteur.

Le principal élément qui m'a légèrement irritée peut être vu comme un spoiler, mais je vais quand même tout déballer xD, c'est le fait que les héros ne se mettent ensemble qu'à la fin. La romance se termine littéralement quand ils s'avouent enfin qu'ils s'aiment. On a un petit épilogue qui nous fait jeter un coup d'oeil juste l'après... Mais moi, je préfère les romances où l'après Happy Ending fait partie de l'histoire au lieu d'être en bonus à la fin ^^

Cela dit, l'idée de départ, que Mélanie teste de vieux conseils des années 50 pour se trouver un mari, est plutôt sympa, surtout qu'elle embarque Cameron, son meilleur ami, pour l'aider. Cameron, lui étant amoureux d'elle depuis le début, il souffre le martyr de la voir se lancer dans des pseudos situations sensées favorisées les rencontres. Certaines scènes sont assez rigolotes (le débat sur Superman ou le fou du volant), surtout quand il s'agit de moderniser des recommandations vieillottes.

Niveau intrigue romantique, on est ici avec deux meilleurs amis, qui n'ont jamais osé faire de premiers pas ne voulant pas que cela change leur amitié si jamais ça ne marchait pas. Ca fait 5 ans qu'ils se tournent autour quand même !

Donc voilà, une lecture pas trop mal, mais passer tout le livre sur un "j'y vais j'y vais pas", pas mon style préféré...

I was a bit frustrated with this book, I liked it, but I also have mixed feelings about the author's choices.

The main thing that irritated me slightly can be seen as a spoiler, but I'm going to unpack everything anyway xD, it's the fact that the heroes only get together at the end. The romance literally ends when they finally confess their love to each other. We have a little epilogue that gives us a look to what happen next... But I prefer romances where the relationship after is part of the story and not just a bonus at the end ^^

That said, the initial idea, that Mélanie tries old advices from the 50s to find a husband, is quite nice, especially since she asks Cameron, her best friend, to help her. Cameron, being in love with her from the beginning, he suffers the martyrdom of seeing her throw herself into dates, and some scenes are quite funny (the Superman debate or the crazy driver), especially when she has to put those dated advices in the now.

In terms of romantic intrigue, we have two best friends, who have never dared to take the first steps, not wanting it to change their friendship if it ever doesn't work out. It's been 5 years that they circle each other really !

So a nice reading, but having all the story around a "will they, won't they" is not my favroite.

 

Find Amanda online
Facebook : https://bit.ly/3qwJ3jT
Twitter : https://bit.ly/36KYzkX
Instagram : https://bit.ly/3qyqjAl
Website : https://amandacpennington.com
Goodread s: https://bit.ly/3fdsvHH
Pinterest : https://bit.ly/36nMgeA

Connect with Smartypants Romance
Facebook : http://bit.ly/2kvDnb4
Twitter : http://bit.ly/2lzyduO
Amazon : https://amzn.to/2lGdIMQ
Instagram : http://bit.ly/2kwKsYK
Website : https://smartypantsromance.com/
Newsletter : https://smartypantsromance.com/newsletter/