Review: Brit Lit With Lots of Wit and Charm!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 4, 2012
I received an advance copy of The Dating Game by Susan Buchanan in exchange for an honest review.Gill McFadden has a problem. Although she's achieved great success in her professional life (Owning one's own recruitment firm at the relatively young age of 37 is quite an accomplishment!), her personal life is a bust. Much to her friends' chagrin, Gill's so engrossed in her job that she barely has time to think about dating. But she knows there's something missing in her life and she wants to find a nice guy to share the ups and downs with. Unfortunately, her last few relationships were disasters, so she no longer trusts her ability to pick out the right man for herself. Enter Happy Ever After - a dating agency for well-educated, work-oriented people that Gill learns about when she sees an advertisement on a bus during her morning commute!Despite her trepidation about joining a matchmaking service, Gill decides to give it a shot (What has she got to lose, right? And she can get half off the membership fee if she joins now!) Soon, Gill is jumping feet first back into the sometimes exciting, often frustrating, dating pool and she's got options galore! Cultured Anton, hormone-revving Charlie, fun-loving Irishman Sean, sweet, romantic Liam - Who will win Gill's heart and who will break it? No spoilers here, so you'll have to read the book to find out! But I will say that Gill's path to true love does not run smoothly, and she has to make a really difficult choice between two wonderful men in the final act of the book.I truly enjoyed the dry humor in The Dating Game, as well as the poignant moments when Gill despairs that things will never work out for her. Fortunately, she has the support of her three besties - Lisa, Debbie, and Angela. These ladies are always there for her and provide some really funny color commentary about Gill's many men along the way. The author did an excellent job of capturing the group dynamic of female friends, all with very different personalities, and how they relate, comfort, and get on each other's nerves whenever they meet up.All in all, The Dating Game was a very satisfying and entertaining read that I recommend to anyone who's a fan of Brit Lit authors like Jill Mansell, Harriet Evans, Carole Matthews, and Sophie Kinsella. Pick up a copy today and discover a new author in the genre who's equally adept at making readers laugh and shed a tear. Now I need to go back and read Ms. Buchanan's first book, Sign of the Times!